Genesis 48:12

Summary

The verse describes Joseph withdrawing his two sons from between his father's knees, and then bowing down with his face to the ground. The action moves from a physical repositioning of the children to an act of prostration.

Key words

• va-yyoTze' ("he took/brought out", H3318) — hiphil (causative) form of the narrative verb, indicating Joseph causes the sons to move, not that they move themselves.
• birKav ("his knees", H1290) — dual noun in construct with the suffix "his," referring to the two knees of Jacob (implied from context, not named in this verse).
• va-yyishTachu ("he bowed down", H7812) — hishtaphel narrative verb, third person masculine singular, continuing the narrative chain with "and then."
• 'aPav ("his face", H0639) — dual noun in construct with suffix "his," literally "his two nostrils/face," used idiomatically for the act of prostration.
• 'Artzah ("toward the ground", H0776 + H9011) — the directional he suffix marks motion "toward" the ground, specifying the direction of the bow.

What the text says

The verse contains two narrative-chain verbs (va-yyoTze' and va-yyishTachu), both marked by the narrative vav (H9001), which links sequential actions: first Joseph removes the sons, then he bows. The verb yoTze' is hiphil, a causative stem, meaning Joseph is the one bringing about the movement of "them" ('oTam, H0853 + H9038), referring to the sons mentioned earlier in the chapter. The phrase me-'Im birKav ("from with his knees") uses the dual noun birKayim ("knees") in construct with a third-person suffix, describing the physical position from which the sons are taken — commonly understood as the lap or embrace position of an elder.

The second clause, va-yyishTachu le-'aPav 'Artzah, has a singular subject continuing from "Joseph." The dual noun 'aPayim ("face," literally "nostrils") appears in construct with the suffix "his," and together with 'Artzah ("toward the ground," marked by the directional he) forms the idiom for full prostration — bowing until the face nearly touches the ground.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew verb va-yyishTachu ("and he bowed down") is third-person masculine singular, matching the subject Joseph established in the first clause. The LXX renders this verb as προσεκύνησαν ("they bowed down"), a plural form, and adds αὐτῷ ("to him"), producing a different subject-object structure — where the LXX may indicate that others prostrate themselves before a third party, rather than Joseph bowing to the ground. The Vulgate's adoravit pronus in terram ("he adored, prostrate, into the ground") preserves the Hebrew's singular subject and matches its directional sense of bowing toward the earth.