Comments (Meaning / History Only)

The Greek form of Ephraim is: εφραιμ A reference to Ephraim is made in the New Testament book of John in John 11:54.Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible names says that Ephraim means fruitful, multiplying.Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and was given that name because Joseph believed that the Lord had allowed Joseph to be fruitful even though Joseph had endured many personal trials and hardships before becoming a ruler in Egypt. (Genesis 41:52) The tribe of Ephraim had an inheritance in the land once the Children of Israel reached the Promised Land. A town which developed in the region given to the tribe of Ephraim was Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." When the Wise Men came to Herod, trying to locate the ruler whose birth had been announced by the star which the Wise Men had been following, the scholars whom Herod consulted were referring to Micah 5:2 when they referred the Wise Men to the city of Bethlehem. (Matthew 2:4-8)

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