friBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Ephraim (ˈiːfreɪɪm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. the younger son of Joseph, who received the principal blessing of his grandfather Jacob (Genesis 48:8--22) |
| b. the tribe descended from him | |
| c. the territory of this tribe, west of the River Jordan | |
| 2. | the northern kingdom of Israel after the kingdom of Solomon had been divided into two |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
Ephraim
Cite This Source
Ephraim definition
double fruitfulness ("for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction"). The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt (Gen. 41:52; 46:20). The first incident recorded regarding him is his being placed, along with his brother Manasseh, before their grandfather, Jacob, that he might bless them (48:10; comp. 27:1). The intention of Joseph was that the right hand of the aged patriarch should be placed on the head of the elder of the two; but Jacob set Ephraim the younger before his brother, "guiding his hands wittingly." Before Joseph's death, Ephraim's family had reached the third generation (Gen. 50:23).
Cite This Source
ephraim
one of the 12 tribes of Israel that in biblical times comprised the people of Israel who later became the Jewish people. The tribe was named after one of the younger sons of Joseph, himself a son of Jacob
Learn more about Ephraim with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
