Manasseh (Joseph)

The elder son of Joseph received territory on both sides of the Jordan River - the only tribe split in two. Manasseh produced Gideon, and from its eastern half came Jair and Jephthah.

Manasseh, the elder son of Joseph, became the ancestor of one of Israel's twelve tribes, which was allotted extensive territory in the Promised Land as part of the fulfillment of Jacob's patriarchal blessing on Joseph's descendants. The tribe's inheritance was divided, with one half settling east of the Jordan River in the regions of Gilead and Bashan after their conquest under Moses, while the other half received land west of the river through Joshua's allotment alongside the tribe of Ephraim. This geographic split illustrates the practical challenges of tribal unity during the settlement period and is referenced throughout the historical books as the tribes navigated covenant faithfulness, warfare, and eventual exile. Gideon, the judge who delivered Israel from Midianite oppression, emerged from the western half-tribe, highlighting Manasseh's recurring role in key scriptural narratives of leadership and redemption.

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Details

Meaning: Causing to forget
Patriarch: Manasseh son of Joseph
Mother: Asenath (Rachel's grandson)
Territory: Split territory - half east of Jordan, half west in central Israel
Blessing: His glory is like the firstling of his bullock.
Key Figures: Gideon

Key Chapters

Genesis 48 Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh 4 min read This passage reveals God's sovereign grace in blessing the unexpected, inviting ... Numbers 32 Tribes East of the Jordan 6 min read This passage reveals God's generous provision, granting the half-tribe of Manass... Judges 6 The Call of Gideon 8 min read God chooses a fearful man from Manasseh to deliver Israel, showing that His stre...

Key Passages

Jacob Blesses Manasseh

Genesis 48:17-20

This passage reveals God's sovereign grace in blessing the unexpected, inviting trust in His wise plans over human customs.

A¹⁷nd when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

¹⁸ And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. ¹⁹ And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. ²⁰ And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Half-Tribe East

Numbers 32:33-42

This passage reveals God's generous provision, granting the half-tribe of Manasseh their inheritance while uniting them in shared responsibility with their brothers.

A³³nd Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about.

³⁴ And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer, ³⁵ And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah, ³⁶ And Bethnimrah, and Bethharan, fenced cities: and folds for sheep. ³⁷ And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim, ³⁸ And Nebo, and Baalmeon, (their names being changed,) and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded. ³⁹ And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it. ⁴⁰ And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein. ⁴¹ And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havothjair. ⁴² And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

Gideon of Manasseh

Judges 6:11-16

God chooses a fearful man from Manasseh to deliver Israel, showing that His strength works best through our weakness.

A¹¹nd there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

¹² And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. ¹³ And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. ¹⁴ And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? ¹⁵ And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. ¹⁶ And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

Did You Know?

Manasseh was the only tribe split across both sides of the Jordan River.

Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with 300 men, was from Manasseh.

The name Manasseh means 'causing to forget' - Joseph named him for forgetting his hardship.