Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Double fruitfulness (“for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction”). The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt (Gen. 41:52; 46:20). The first incident recorded regarding him is his being placed, along with his brother Manasseh, before their grandfather, Jacob, that he might bless them (48:10; comp. 27:1). The intention of Joseph was that the right hand of the aged patriarch should be placed on the head of the elder of the two;
but Jacob set Ephraim the younger before his brother, “guiding his hands wittingly.” Before Joseph’s death, Ephraim’s family had reached the third generation (Gen. 50:23).
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
a city “in the district near the wilderness” to which our Lord retired with his disciples when threatened with violence by the priests. (John 11:54) In “Baal-hazor which is by Ephraim” was Absalom’s sheepfarm, at which took place the murder of Amnon, one of the earliest precursors of the great revolt. (2 Samuel 13:23) There is no clue to its situation. that portion of Canaan named after Joseph’s second son. (Genesis 41:50-52) The
boundaries of the portion of Ephraim are given in (Joshua 16:1-10) The south boundary was coincident for part of its length with the north boundary of Benjamin. It extended from the Jordan on the east, at the reach opposite Jericho, to the Mediterranean on the west, probably about Joppa. On the north of Ephraim and Manasseh were the tribes of Asher, Zebulun and Issachar. The territory thus allotted to the “house of Joseph” may be roughly
estimated at 55 miles from east to west by 70 from north to south. It was one at once of great richness and great security. Its fertile plains and well-watered valleys could only be reached by a laborious ascent through steep and narrow ravines, all but impassable for an army. Under Joshua the tribe must have taken a high position in the nation, to judge from the tone which the Ephraimites assumed on occasions shortly subsequent to the conquest.
After the revolt of Jeroboam the history of Ephraim is the history of the kingdom of Israel, since not only did the tribe become a kingdom, but the kingdom embraced little besides the tribe. (double fruitfulness), the second son of Joseph by his wife Asenath. (B.C. 1715-1708.) The first indication we have of that ascendancy over his elder brother Manasseh which at a later period the tribe of Ephraim so unmistakably possessed is in the blessing of
the children by Jacob. (Genesis 48:1) ...
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
E'PHRAIM (double fruitfulness), the second son of Joseph. Gen 41:52. Though younger than Manasseh, he was the object of peculiar favor, and the prediction of their grandfather, Jacob, was literally fulfilled. Cornp. Gen 48:8-20; Num 2:18-21.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
E'PHRAIM (double fruitfulness), a territory named after Joseph's second son, Gen 41:50-52; its boundaries are given in Josh 16:1-10. It lay in the centre of Canaan, south of Manasseh and north of Benjamin and Dan, extending from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 55 miles long, and about 30 miles in its greatest breadth. Physical Features. — It may be divided into three groups:1. The valley of the Jordan; 2. The hill-country; 3.
The plain of Sharon, on the sea-coast. All these were well watered and fertile, fulfilling the blessing of Moses in Deut 33:13-16. History. — For the early history of this territory, see Canaan. For more than 400 years Ephraim, with Manasseh and Benjamin, exercised undisputed preeminence. Joshua and Samuel were Ephraimites. In its territory, at Shiloh, the tabernacle was set up. Josh 18:1. The territory was prominent during the reigns of David
and Solomon; but after the revolt of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, Jeroboam selected Shechem in Ephraim as his capital, 1 Kgs 12:25, when this territory became the chief portion of the northern kingdom of Israel. See Israel, Kingdom of. It was desolated by the Assyrians at the time of the Babylonish Captivity, and the country was repeopled by colonists, and later its name was changed to Samaria. See Samaria. Ephraim, Gate of, one of the gates of
ancient Jerusalem, 2 Kgs 14:13; 2 Chr 25:23; Neh 8:16; Neh 12:39; probably on the north side, as the present Damascus gate is. Ephraim, Mount, a name applied to the hill-country of Ephraim, extending from Bethel to the plain of Jezreel; called also the "mountains of Israel," Josh 11:21, and "mountains of Samaria." Jer 31:5-6; Am 3:9. Ephraim, Wood of, a forest in which the great battle was fought when Absalom was killed. 2 Sam 18:6. It lay east
of the Jordan, in Gilead, near Mahanaim. Thick woods of oaks and terebinths still exist in that region.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
fruitful; increasing