אֶפְרַ֫יִם H0669
Ephraim — Joseph's younger son, the Israelite tribe descended from him, and their allotted territory
Ephraim is one of the most layered proper names in the Hebrew Bible, sliding seamlessly between person, tribe, and territory. Joseph names his second son Ephraim ('doubly fruitful') in Egypt (Gen 41:52), and Jacob's deliberate blessing of Ephraim over firstborn Manasseh (Gen 48:14) foreshadows the tribe's political dominance. Ephraim's hill country becomes the heartland of the northern kingdom, and prophetically 'Ephraim' often stands for all of Israel's northern tribes (Hos 5-14). Spanish Efrain, French Ephraim, and German Efrajim reflect minor phonological adaptations of the same Hebrew name.
Senses
1. Ephraim (proper name) — Proper name referring to Joseph's younger son blessed by Jacob (Gen 48:13-20), the prominent Israelite tribe descended from him, and the central hill-country territory allotted to that tribe. In prophetic literature, especially Hosea, 'Ephraim' becomes a synecdoche for the entire northern kingdom. The name's etymology ('doubly fruitful,' from parah) is given at Gen 41:52. All target languages preserve the name with minor transliteration variants. 180×
AR["أَفْرَايِمَ", "أَفْرَايِمُ", "إِفْرَايِمَ"]·ben["ইফ্রয়িম", "ইফ্রয়িমকে", "ইফ্রয়িমের", "ইফ্রায়িমের"]·DE["Efrajim", "Efrajims", "Ephraim"]·EN["Ephraim"]·FR["Éphraïm"]·heb["אפרים"]·HI["एप्राइम-के", "एप्रैम", "एप्रैम-का", "एप्रैम-की", "एप्रैम-के", "एफ़्राइम", "एफ़्राइम-के"]·ID["Efraim"]·IT["Efraim"]·jav["Efraim", "Èfraim", "Èfrayim", "Éfraim"]·KO["에브라임", "에브라임과", "에브라임을", "에브라임의", "에브라임이라"]·PT["'Efrayim", "Efrayim"]·RU["Ефрем", "Ефрема", "Эфраима", "Эфрайима"]·ES["Efrayim", "Efraín"]·SW["Efraimu", "Eframu", "la-Efraimu"]·TR["Efrayim", "Efrayim'i", "Efrayim'in"]·urd["افرائیم", "افرائیم-کا", "افرائیم-کے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֶפְרַ֫יִם n.pr.m. Ephraim (Gn 41:52 connected with הִפְרָה, Hiph. of פרה, cf. פרא Hiph. Ho 13:15). 1. 2nd son of Joseph Gn 41:52; 46:20; reckoned among sons of Jacob, blessed by him, and given preference over Manasseh 48:1, 5, 13, 14, 17(×2) (cf. v 19) v 20(×2); 50:23 Nu 1:10 1 Ch 7:20, 22. 2. בְּנֵי אֶפְרַיִם (= descendants, tribe of E.) Nu 1:32; 2:18, 24; 7:48; 10:22; 26:35, 37 Jos 16:5, 9…