Overview
The Bible addresses ephraim, tribe of across 46 verses, drawn from the Old Testament. These passages cluster most in Isaiah, Judges and Numbers. Closely related themes include Pekah, Syria, Armies and Altar of Burnt Offering, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jephthah, Ahaz, Abdon and David.
Key Bible verses about ephraim, tribe of
Old Testament
Numbers
On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:
His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:
One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:
One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:
One kid of the goats for a sin offering:
And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.
Deuteronomy
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, put: Heb. thrust moon: Heb. moons
And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. unicorns: Heb. an unicorn
Joshua
And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;
And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;
And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.
The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.
And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.
Judges
And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.
And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.
And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.
And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. Why: Heb. What thing is this thou hast done unto us sharply: Heb. strongly
And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. anger: Heb. spirit
And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. gathered: Heb. were called
And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.
And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.
And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.
And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. nephews: Heb. sons' sons
And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.
Isaiah
And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. is confederate: Heb. resteth on
Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; Shearjashub: that is, The remnant shall return highway: or, causeway
And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. neither: Heb. let not thy heart be tender
Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: vex: or, waken
Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. that: Heb. from a people
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. If: or, Do ye not believe? it is because ye are not stable
Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Moreover: Heb. And the LORD added to speak
Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. ask it: or, make thy petition deep
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.
And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. shall call: or, thou, O virgin, shalt call
Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.
People in the Bible and ephraim, tribe of
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying ephraim, tribe of for yourself
- Begin with Numbers 7:48, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Isaiah, Judges and Numbers each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Jephthah, Ahaz and Abdon and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Pekah, Syria, Armies and Altar of Burnt Offering, the.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about ephraim, tribe of?
The Bible addresses ephraim, tribe of across 46 verses, drawn from the Old Testament. These passages cluster most in Isaiah, Judges and Numbers. Closely related themes include Pekah, Syria, Armies and Altar of Burnt Offering, the. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jephthah, Ahaz, Abdon and David.
How many Bible verses are about ephraim, tribe of?
The Bible references ephraim, tribe of in 46 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention ephraim, tribe of?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Numbers 7:48: “On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:”
Which people in the Bible are associated with ephraim, tribe of?
Jephthah, Ahaz, Abdon, David and Isaiah.
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