48:3 God Almighty. See note 17:1.

appeared . . . blessed me. God’s direct revelation of the covenant blessing to Jacob empowered him to legitimate Joseph’s two sons as numbered among the twelve (v. 5) and to bless the twelve tribes (48:5–49:28). This preference for Joseph, giving him the double portion, reasserted God’s sovereign prerogative to do as He pleased with Israel (Introduction: Characteristics and Themes).

at Luz. See 28:19.