Question:
What happened to Joseph’s two sons. Did their descendants go with Moses to the promise land?
Answer:
Genesis 41:50-52 says, “And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn MANASSEH: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he EPHRAIM: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, those two tribes went out with him. We see them present out in the wilderness. Numbers 1:1-10 says, “And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, TAKE YE THE SUM OF ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. OF THE CHILDREN OF JOSEPH: OF EPHRAIM; Elishama the son of Ammihud: OF MANASSEH…”
So, yes, the children of Joseph did go to the Promised Land, and were given possessions there. Joshua chapter 16:4 says, “So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.” Half of the tribe of Ephraim wanted to receive their part of the inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River with two of the other tribes of Israel. Numbers 34:14,15 says, “For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and HALF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH have received their inheritance: The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.”