**EPHRAIM**
1. Second son of Joseph and Aseneth (v.). Born in Egypt “before the year of famine came” (Gen. 41:50), he was given the name Ephraim (a dual Hebrew form meaning “double fruitfulness”), alluding to the words of Joseph: “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Jacob adopted Manasseh and Ephraim and blessed them as his own true sons, appointing them as heads of two distinct tribes, assigning—despite Joseph’s protests—the first place to Ephraim: “The younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations” (Gen. 48:17–22). Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim (Gen. 50:22–23).
Of Ephraim’s life, we know that two of his sons (Ezer and Elad) were killed by the men of Gath (1 Chron. 7:20ff.). Ephraim mourned their deaths for a long time, then fathered another son whom he named Beriah, “because calamity had befallen his house” (1 Chron. 7:23). Among his descendants, the most famous is Joshua, son of Nun (1 Chron. 7:27).
2. The tribe, of which the patriarch Ephraim was the eponymous ancestor. This tribe occupied an extensive territory between Dan to the south and Benjamin, western Manasseh to the north, the Mediterranean to the west, and the Jordan to the east.
The boundaries are indicated in Josh. 16:1–8; 17:7–10, though with some obscurities.
Undoubtedly characteristic is the restriction of Ephraim on the eastern side to the mountainous region bordering the Jordan valley, thus excluding Jericho, the Ger, and the riverbank (cf. Judg. 3:27ff.; 1:7, 24). The principal cities of this tribe are: Shechem, Bethel, Shiloh, Timnath-serah (the burial place of Joshua).
**EPHRAIM** – A depiction of Ephraim, son of Joseph (13th century, part of a museum piece from the art of St. Mark’s – Venice).
(1) Hapharaim, Lebonah, Baal-hazor (Tell ‘Asur), Baal-shalishah, Aphek, Beth-horon, Ophrah, Pharaoh, Tappuah.
The tribe of Ephraim occupied the central part of Palestine. With its olive groves and hills covered in numerous villages separated by fertile valleys, the beauty of this land was celebrated by Jacob (Gen. 49:22) and Moses (Deut. 33:12–16). To its fertility, it added security from many enemies.
Historically, its central position in Palestine, its communication routes to the north and south, to the Jordan and the sea, and the political and religious importance of Shechem and Shiloh contributed to the tribe’s significance.
In the history of Israel, the tribe of Ephraim held one of the foremost places, surpassed in power and authority only by Judah. In the second year of the Exodus, the tribe was led by Elishama, son of Ammihud (Num. 1:10), and numbered 40,500 warriors at Sinai and 32,500 in the plains of Moab. Among the twelve spies of Palestine, Hoshea, son of Nun—renamed by Moses as Joshua—stood out. Upon the Israelites’ arrival in Palestine, Ephraim (together with Manasseh) joined the other tribes in pronouncing the blessing on Mount Gerizim. To the Kohathite Levites were granted in Ephraim: Shechem (a city of refuge), Gezer, Ibleam, and Beth-horon.
From the beginning, the Ephraimites engaged in bitter conflicts with the Canaanites (Josh. 17:14–18), who were confined to Gezer as tributaries. They produced notable judges: Abdon (v.), Deborah (Judg. 4:5; 5:14), Gideon (7:24), Tola (10:1). They dared to resist Gideon (8:1–3; 9:1–5) and Jephthah (12:1–6) when they felt neglected. With Samuel, they held command over Israel. After Saul’s death, Ephraim, like the other tribes, first acknowledged his son Ish-bosheth, then submitted to David, to whom they provided officials. When a revolt broke out after Solomon’s death, the Ephraimites, eager for leadership, took advantage: ROBOAM (v.) was one of their leaders. Shechem was chosen as the national center, and the new kingdom of Israel was established, leading to the schism. From this point onward, the history of Ephraim merges with that of the northern kingdom. Though the tribe fell into idolatry, many of its members remained faithful to Yahweh (cf. 2 Chron. 13:8–11; 30:1, 10, 18). In the time of Hezekiah, the multitude of the faithful, having fulfilled their religious duties in the temple of Jerusalem, invaded the two southern provinces (Benjamin and Ephraim) of the kingdom to destroy idolatrous objects (2 Chron. 31:1; cf. 2 Chron. 34:6, 9).