Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe and territorial district of Ephraim played a significant role in the history of Israel from the time of Joshua to the destruction of the northern kingdom by Assyria in 722 BC.
Joseph was the beloved son of Jacob who was sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers. While in Egypt, Joseph gained power and eventually brought his family to live in the land during a famine. Before Jacob died, he blessed Joseph’s two sons Manasseh and Ephraim and adopted them as his own (Genesis 48:5). Jacob put the younger Ephraim before the older Manasseh in the blessing, prophesying that Ephraim’s descendants would become a multitude of nations (Genesis 48:19).
The tribe of Ephraim was one of the most powerful during the time of the judges. Joshua, the successor to Moses, was from the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:8). The tabernacle was located at Shiloh in Ephraim’s territory for over 300 years from the time of Joshua to Samuel (Joshua 18:1; 1 Samuel 1:3). Many significant judges came from Ephraim, including Othniel (Judges 3:9), Ehud (Judges 3:15), and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1).
After the kingdom divided following the reign of Solomon, the tribe of Ephraim was the most influential in the northern kingdom of Israel. The first king of the north, Jeroboam, was from the tribe of Ephraim and established idol worship there to keep people from going to the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:26). Almost every king in the northern kingdom came from Ephraim, causing the names Ephraim and Israel to be used interchangeably in prophecy (Isaiah 7:2,5,8,9,17). The northern kingdom even became known as Ephraim (Isaiah 7:2,5,8,9,17; Hosea 4:17).
The prophets had many things to say about Ephraim, both good and bad. Hosea used the tribe’s apostasy as an example of Israel’s unfaithfulness towards God, saying they were “baked with lies” and “useless to God” (Hosea 7:8; 8:8). Isaiah prophesied the invasion of the Assyrians, calling them “the razor hired beyond the River” that would completely shave and humble the people (Isaiah 7:20). Before the captivity, the tribe of Ephraim still had pride in their power and status, as evidenced by the bitter rivalry between Ephraim and Judah described in Isaiah (Isaiah 9:21; 11:13).
Ephraim’s jealousy and arrogance contributed to their downfall when the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722 BC. The tribe disappeared from history, assimilated into the Assyrian Empire after their national identity was lost. But God promised to one day restore Israel and that a remnant of Ephraim would return (Isaiah 11:13; Jeremiah 31:9,18-20).
In the New Testament, there is no specific mention of the tribe of Ephraim. But the themes of Israel’s restoration and the re-grafting of the natural branches back into the olive tree show God’s continued faithfulness to the descendants of Ephraim as part of the promise made to Abraham (Romans 11).
Here are some key verses about Ephraim in the Bible:
Genesis 48:5 – “And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”
Genesis 48:20 – “So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.”
Numbers 13:8 – “from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.”
Joshua 17:17 – “Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh…”
Judges 12:15 – “Then Abdon the son of Hillel, the Pirathonite, died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.”
1 Kings 11:26 – “Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon…”
Isaiah 7:2 – “When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.”
Isaiah 7:8 – “For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered from being a people.”
Isaiah 7:9 – “And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.””
Isaiah 7:17 – “The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”
Hosea 4:17 – “Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone.”
Hosea 7:8 – “Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.”
Hosea 8:8 – “Israel is swallowed up; already they are among the nations as a useless vessel.”
Isaiah 11:13 – “The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.”
Jeremiah 31:9 – “With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
Jeremiah 31:18-20 – “I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God. For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’ Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”
In summary, Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph who Jacob blessed and adopted. His descendants formed one of the most powerful tribes of Israel. The northern kingdom was sometimes called Ephraim after the tribe’s influence. But Ephraim’s pride led to their downfall when Assyria conquered them. Yet God promised to one day regather a remnant of Ephraim as part of Israel’s restoration.