EPHRAIM ē’ frĭ əm (אֶפְרָ֑יִם, LXX Εφραιμ; meaning doubly fruitful), the younger of two sons born to Joseph in Egypt. The name of the older son was Manasseh. The mother of these sons of Joseph was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Gen 41:50-52).

Ephraim was born during the seven years of plenty so that his boyhood years overlapped with the last seventeen years of Jacob who had migrated to Egypt during the years of plenty. In this way Ephraim had opportunity to learn of the patriarchal promises and blessings directly from Jacob.

After Jacob exacted an oath from Joseph that he would bury him in Canaan (47:27-31), Jacob adopted the two sons of Joseph as his own. Jacob’s favorite wife had been Rachel whose son Joseph had been favored above all other sons until he was sold as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt. By adopting Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons there were three tribal representatives of Rachel—Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Joseph, who had been considered dead by Jacob, now had a double representation.

Ephraim was chosen by Jacob for the greater blessing even though he was not the first-born son of Joseph. Overruling Joseph’s objections Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim and alloted to him a greater blessing and prosperity than he did to Manasseh.

Ephraim, with Manasseh and Joseph, had imparted to him verbally the essence of the revelation God had made to the patriarchs, especially to Jacob. To Jacob there had been confirmed by divine revelation the promise that his descendants would be multiplied and that they would inherit the land of Canaan. Jacob gave the blessing in the name of the God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked, and the God who had shepherded Jacob throughout his whole lifetime. Although Jacob was about to die in Egypt, he expressed before Ephraim the firm belief that future generations would realize and experience the fulfillment of the promises to possess the land of Canaan.

Ephraim and Manasseh were allotted a particular plot of real estate in Canaan which is described as “one portion (shekem, shoulder)...which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow” (48:22). This could hardly refer to the involvement of Simeon and Levi with Shechem which displeased Jacob exceedingly (ch. 34). Jacob did purchase some land from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father (33:19). Abraham may have previously purchased some land at this place when he erected an altar at Shechem after arriving in Canaan (12:7, 8). If so this may have been referred to by Stephen (Acts 7:16). Since Jacob identifies this portion or ridge of land as being obtained by conquest, the possibility exists that this adventure by Jacob is noted only here in the Biblical account. Joseph was ultimately buried in the vicinity of Shechem (Josh 24:32). In John 4:5, 6 the tract of land which Jacob presented to Joseph’s descendants is identified as being near Sychar. Four centuries later the tombs of the twelve patriarchs were known to be at Shechem according to Jerome. This likely would have included Ephraim since his tribe was so prominent in Israelite history. It may have been this Samaritan tradition that Stephen had in mind when he ascribed the burial of the “fathers” to Shechem (Acts 7:15, 16).

In subsequent history the tribe of Ephraim had a very prominent position. In Israel’s encampment around the Tabernacle, Ephraim was the leader of the western camp supported by the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin (Num 2:18-24). Among the twelve spies sent into Canaan Joshua represented the tribe of Ephraim (Num 13:8), and later was appointed as the successor of Moses (Deut 31:7). Joshua and Eleazar the high priest had the responsibility to divide the land of Canaan among the tribes of Israel.

The Ephraimites received an allotment of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea with the tribes of Benjamin and Dan to the S and one half of the tribe of Manasseh to the N (Josh 16:5-9). The southern boundary extended from the Jordan and Jericho westward approximately ten m. N of Jerusalem, but included Upper and Lower Beth-horons as it continued to the sea. On the N Ephraim was bounded by the brook Kanah, the cities of Shechem and Taanath-shiloh where the boundary turned southward to Ataroth and passed near Jericho on to the Jordan.

The religious center for Israel during the era of Joshua and the Judges was Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim (Josh 18:1; 22:12; Judg 18:31; 21:19; 1 Sam 1:3, 9, 24; 2:14; 3:21). The Tabernacle was erected in Shiloh by Joshua and remained there until the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines after the sons of Eli took it into the battlefield (1 Sam 4:1-11). Scholars are of the opinion that the city of Shiloh was destroyed at this time (cf. Jer 7:12). There is no indication that the Ark was returned to Shiloh.

The Ephraimites were involved in civil strife in the days of Gideon (Judg 8:1-3), and in the period of Jephthah’s leadership (12:1-6). During the Davidic and Solomonic era the tribe of Judah with its leading city Jerusalem emerged as the leading tribe, but at Solomon’s death a secession was led by Jeroboam I of the tribe of Ephraim who became the first king of the northern kingdom. During the two centuries that this kingdom existed it was frequently identified as Ephraim, reflecting the fact that this was the most powerful tribe in opposition to Judah. In the books of Chronicles, Isaiah, Hosea and other prophets, the name Ephraim is commonly used for the northern kingdom.

Ephraim is to be reunited with Judah in the Messianic kingdom. The schism introduced by Jeroboam I is to be healed when the ruler of the Davidic family will rule over both Judah and Ephraim according to the prophet Ezekiel in his message concerning the final kingdom (ch. 37).