So he blessed them that day, saying: both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation mark the first clause as a consequence or a summary.
By you Israel will pronounce blessings: you is singular in the Hebrew text, as is pointed out in the footnote of New Revised Standard Version. The Septuagint, however, has “you [plural].” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project rates the Hebrew text as an {A} and recommends translating “you [singular]” on the assumption that Jacob is speaking to Joseph and not to his sons. In the context it is difficult to see that this is so. Translations such as Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible de Jérusalem, and BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, whose languages distinguish singular and plural second person pronouns, all use the plural form. Traduction oecuménique de la Bible uses the singular without a note, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch compromises by saying “You [Joseph] and your children.” According to Anchor Bible the Hebrew singular form can be understood in the sense of “each of you.” The Handbook recommends using the plural form in those languages that make the distinction. Some translations again use the dual pronouns here: “he blessed them-two … ‘The people of Israel will use the name of you-two when….’ ” Israel is not used here to refer to Jacob but rather to the people of Israel. Pronounce blessings means “to bless someone,” “to speak the words of a blessing being given to someone.”
We may translate this clause, for example, “The people of Israel will use your [plural or dual] names when they speak the words of a blessing for someone.”
God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh: this saying may need to be filled out as in Good News Translation: “They will say.” You in make you is singular and refers to the person being blessed. The expression assumes that the person these words are spoken to receives wishes for goodness and happiness. It may be necessary in translation to make this assumption clear by saying, for example, “They will say ‘May God make you fortunate like Ephraim and Manasseh,’ ” or “… ‘I pray that God will be good to you as he was to Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
And thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh: here Jacob puts Ephraim’s name ahead of that of Manasseh; that is, he gives Ephraim the more important place or the seniority over Manasseh. It may be necessary to translate, for example, “In this saying Jacob put Ephraim’s name ahead of Manasseh’s name” or “In this way he made Ephraim come first and Manasseh after him.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .