Jacob is still considering his immanent death. He blesses Ephraim over Manasseh even though Manasseh is Joseph’s firstborn. The forsaken firstborn motif is present in Genesis, starting with Cain and Abel, and will present throughout the entire Old Testament. This motif typifies the incarnation of Christ. Adam, the firstborn man and federal head of creation was unable to be righteous and bring blessing to the earth through his ruling authority. Christ, the second Adam and firstborn among creation, is righteous and succeeds at bringing peace and justice to the earth with the salvation of humankind. Though the firstborn deserves the blessing from a patriarchal standpoint, the firstborn is forsaken from a gospel-typological standpoint. 

Jacob is concerned, here, about the promise of God, the promise of redemption, living on through Ephraim and Manasseh. He makes known God’s promise to Abraham, that they grown into a multitude of peoples so that the whole earth will be blessed through them (cf. Genesis 15).

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