Ephraim

Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph and his Egyptian wife Asenath, born in Egypt and adopted by his grandfather Jacob in the famous blessing scene of Genesis 48, where Jacob crossed his hands to give the greater blessing to Ephraim over the firstborn Manasseh. He became the ancestor of one of the most powerful tribes of Israel, whose territory in the central hill country became the heartland of the northern kingdom. The name 'Ephraim' frequently stands as a metonym for the entire northern kingdom of Israel in the prophetic literature, reflecting the tribe's dominant role after the division of the monarchy.