Metaphorical Uses

Some words, particularly the names of people and places, are used in the Bible to refer to other things. For example, "Jacob" might be used to refer to the whole nation of Israel, or "Sinai" might be used to refer to the law. Many passages will not be understood without first understanding the reference being used.

Ephraim

Individuals

1. The second son of Joseph and Asenath.

   1. His older brother was Manasseh.

   2. Jacob, his grandfather, adopted Manasseh and Ephraim as his own sons and they became leaders of two of the tribes of Israel, alongside their uncles.

   3. Jacob blessed Manasseh and Ephraim but gave his first  blessing to the younger Ephraim, despite Joseph's protests.

   4. The name is derived from the Hebrew word para meaning fruitful.

Metaphorical Uses

1. The northern kingdom

   1. Rationale

      1. The northern kingdom is referred to as Ephraim because of the pre-eminent part the tribe of Ephraim played.

   2. Examples: 

Related Words

Israel

Individuals

1. The patriarch, Jacob was renamed Israel in Genesis 32:28, after he had wrestled with a man at Peniel. Israel possibly means "he struggles with God".

Metaphorical Uses

1. The people of the entire nation of Israel.

   1. Examples

   2. Rationale

      1. Jacob/Israel is the father of the twelve tribes. The people are therefore named after their forefather.

2. The people of the northern kingdom after the nation divided.

3. The geographical region of the whole nation..

Jacob

Individuals

1. The patriarch

   1. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the grandson of Abraham. He was the twin brother of Esau. He became the father of twelve sons who then fathered the twelve tribes of Israel and is therefore considered a patriarch of the Jewish people.

      1. Jacob was renamed Israel - Gen32:28. 

      2. Examples:

         1. Gen 25:26, Matt 1:2

         2. Mentioned in conjunction with Abraham and Isaac: Matt 8:1; 22:32

         3. Referring to Israel as the descendants of Jacob i.e. referring to the individual but as the father of the nation: Ex 19:3

2. The father of Joseph and therefore (legally but not physically) the grandfather of Jesus

   1. Examples: Matt 1:15-16

Metaphorical uses

3. The nation of Israel as a whole

   1. Rationale

      1. Because Jacob was the father of the twelve sons from whom the twelve tribes of Israel descended, "Jacob" is sometimes used to refer to the entire nation of Israel.

      2. Jacob was renamed "Israel" after he had wrestled with God: Gen 32:28

   2. Examples:

      1. Ps 135:4, Is 41:8-9; 44:1-2, Jer 30:7, Hos 12:2, Amos 7:2, Mic 1:5

      2. Used in parallel with "Israel": Jer 30:10

4. The northern kingdom of Israel

   1. Rationale

      1. The nation of Israel split into two kingdoms, one of which was called Israel. Because Jacob was renamed Israel, his name can be applied to both the entire nation and the northern kingdom.

      2. Mic 1:5

Related Words