Genesis 48 recounts the final encounter between the aging patriarch Jacob (also called Israel) and his son Joseph, along with Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

Jacob, who was nearing death, summoned Joseph to his bedside. Despite his physical weakness and failing eyesight, Jacob's spiritual authority remained strong as he prepared to pass on the covenant blessings that he himself had received from his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham.

When Joseph arrived with his two sons, Jacob formally adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons, elevating them to the same status as his other children. This adoption was significant because it meant that Joseph's lineage would receive a double portion of inheritance through his two sons, effectively making Joseph the recipient of the firstborn's blessing despite not being Jacob's oldest son. Jacob declared that these two grandsons would be counted among the tribes of Israel.

During the blessing ceremony, Joseph carefully positioned his sons so that Manasseh (the older son) was at Jacob's right hand to receive the greater blessing, while Ephraim (the younger) was at Jacob's left. But Jacob deliberately crossed his hands, placing his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left on Manasseh's, thereby giving the greater blessing to the younger grandson Ephraim. Joseph tried to correct what he assumed was his father's mistake due to poor eyesight, but Jacob insisted that his actions were intentional, prophesying that, while both sons would become great, Ephraim would surpass his older brother in prominence.

Genesis 48 concludes with Jacob's prophetic blessing over both grandsons, invoking the God of Abraham and Isaac and asking that they be blessed with fruitfulness and multiplication. Jacob spoke of his own approaching death and assured Joseph that God would take him back to Canaan, the land of promise — where Jacob wanted Joseph to bury his body after his death.