Joseph is told his father is dying, and he brings his two sons to Jacob. What follows is Jacob blessing the grandsons - but crossing his hands so that the younger gets the greater blessing.
In Jacob's old age, after all the drama of his own life around birthright and blessing, he deliberately blesses the younger over the older. He knows what he's doing. He's making a statement with his hands.
I'm struck by how the pattern repeats - Jacob favored over Esau, Joseph favored over his brothers, Ephraim favored over Manasseh. It's almost like God is teaching a lesson about divine preference not following human hierarchy. The human systems of power - age, birth order, strength - don't determine God's blessing.
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