Ephraim

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

1. Second son of Joseph

• Genesis 41:52 And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Adopted by Jacob

• Genesis 48:5 And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

Blessed before Manasseh; prophecies concerning

• Genesis 48:14–20 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has bee…

Descendants of

• Numbers 26:35–37 These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah, the Becherite clan from Becher, and the Tahanite clan from Tahan. And the descendants of Shuthelah were the Eranite clan from Eran. These were the clans of Ephraim, and their registration numbered . . . 32,5…
• 1 Chronicles 7:20–27 The descendants of Ephraim: Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of Gath, because they went down to steal their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his relati…

Mourned for his sons

• 1 Chronicles 7:21–22 Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of Gath, because they went down to steal their livestock. Their father Ephraim mourned for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.

2. A tribe of Israel

Prophecy concerning

• Genesis 49:25–26 by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb. The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the eve…
• Isaiah 7 Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city. When it was reported to the house of David that Aram was i… (whole chapter)
• Isaiah 9:18–21 For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets, which roll upward in billows of smoke. By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother. They carve out what is on the ri…
• Isaiah 11:13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
• Isaiah 28:1 Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.
• Jeremiah 31 “At that time,” declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.” This is what the LORD says: “The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness when Israel went to find rest.” The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved y… (whole chapter)
• Hosea 5:14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.
• Zechariah 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
• Zechariah 10:7 Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.

Numbered at Mount Sinai and in plains of Moab

• Numbers 1:33 those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.
• Numbers 26:37 These were the clans of Ephraim, and their registration numbered . . . 32,500. These clans were the descendants of Joseph.

Position in camp and march

• Numbers 2:18 On the west side, the divisions of Ephraim are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud,
• Numbers 2:24 The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Ephraim is 108,100; they shall set out third.
• Numbers 10:22 Next, the divisions of the camp of Ephraim set out under their standard, with Elishama son of Ammihud in command.

Blessed by Moses

• Deuteronomy 33:13–17 Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath, with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons, with the best of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills…

Territory allotted to, after the conquest of Canaan

• Joshua 16:5–9 This was the territory of the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper Beth-horon and out toward the Sea. From Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh and passed by it to Janoah on the east. From Ja…
• Joshua 17:9–10 From there the border continued southward to the Brook of Kanah. There were cities belonging to Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Sea. Ephraim’s territory was to the south, and Manasseh’s was to the north, having the…
• Joshua 17:15–18 Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.” “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the val…
• 1 Chronicles 7:28–29 Their holdings and settlements included Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as Ayyah and its villages. And along the borders of Manasseh were Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their villages. The des…

Failed to expel the Canaanites

• Joshua 16:10 But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.

Captured Beth-el in battle

• Judges 1:22–25 The house of Joseph also attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. They sent spies to Bethel (formerly known as Luz), and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into the city, and we will treat you kindly.” So the man showed them the entranc…

Rebuked Gideon for not summoning them to join the war against the Midianites

• Judges 8:1 Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.

Joined Gideon against the Midianites

• Judges 7:24–25 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah. They also captu…

Their jealousy of Jephthah

• Judges 12:1 Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”

Defeated by him

• Judges 12:4–6 Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.” The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to…

Received Ish-bosheth as king

• 2 Samuel 2:9 and made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin— over all Israel.

Jeroboam set up a golden calf in Beth-el

• 1 Kings 12:29 One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.

Revolted from house of David

• 1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.
• 2 Chronicles 10:16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home,

Some of tribe joined Judah under Asa

• 2 Chronicles 15:9 And he assembled all Judah and Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

Chastised Ahaz and Judah

• 2 Chronicles 28:7 Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king.

Joined Hezekiah in reinstituting the Passover

• 2 Chronicles 30:18 A large number of the people— many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun— had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone

Joined in the destruction of idolatrous forms in Jerusalem

• 2 Chronicles 31:1 When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them al…

Submitted to the scepter of Josiah

• 2 Chronicles 34:1–6 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, J…

Envied by other tribes

• Isaiah 11:13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
• Jeremiah 7:15 And I will cast you out of My presence, just as I have cast out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.
• Ezekiel 37:16 “And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph— the stick of Ephraim— and to all the house of Israel associated with him.’
• Ezekiel 37:19 you are to tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’
• Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal, and he died.

Worshiped Baal

• Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal, and he died.

Sin of, remembered by God

• Hosea 13:12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is stored up.

Reallotment of territory, to, by Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 48:5 Ephraim will have one portion bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west.

Name of, applied to the ten tribes

• 2 Chronicles 17:2 He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
• 2 Chronicles 25:6–7 He also hired 100,000 mighty men of valor from Israel for a hundred talents of silver. But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel — not with any of the Ephraimites.
• Isaiah 7:8–9 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’”
• Isaiah 11:12–13 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
• Isaiah 17:3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the sovereignty from Damascus. The remnant of Aram will be like the splendor of the Israelites,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
• Jeremiah 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.
• Jeremiah 31:20 Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.
• Hosea 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
• Hosea 5:3 I know all about Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me. For now, O Ephraim, you have turned to prostitution; Israel is defiled.
• Hosea 5:5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; even Judah stumbles with them.

Tribe of, called JOSEPH

• Revelation 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 .

3. Mount of

A range of low mountains

• Joshua 17:15–18 Joshua answered them, “If you have so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.” “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the val…

Joshua has his inheritance in

• Judges 2:9 They buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

Residence of Micah

• Judges 17:8 This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.

A place of hiding for Israelites

• 1 Samuel 14:22 When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit.

Sheba resides in

• 2 Samuel 20:21 That is not the case. But a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him alone, and I will depart from the city.” “Look,” the woman replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”

Noted for rich pastures

• Jeremiah 50:19 I will return Israel to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

Prophecy concerning its conversion

• Jeremiah 31:6 For there will be a day when watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Arise, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!’”

4. A forest east of the Jordan River

Absalom killed in

• 2 Samuel 18:6–17 So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day— twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest…

5. A gate of Jerusalem

• 2 Kings 14:13 There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate — a section of four hundred cubits.
• 2 Chronicles 25:23 There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate — a section of four hundred cubits.
• Nehemiah 8:16 And the people went out, brought back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God, and in the squares by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim.
• Nehemiah 12:39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the Gate of the Guard.

6. A city in the territory of Ephraim

• 2 Chronicles 13:19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages.

Jesus escapes to, from the persecution of Caiaphas

• John 11:54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.