1
Ephraim's grandchildren. In the Bible, to live to see one’s grandchildren is one of the signs of blessing, along with living to a ripe old age (Psalm 128:6). Joseph is even more fortunate: he sees his great-grandchildren.
2
Machir. The eponym of the most important clan in the tribe of Manasseh. (In a genealogy elsewhere in the Bible, his wife or sister is named as Maacah; I Chronicles 7:15–16.)
3
born on Joseph’s knees. Joseph may have adopted Machir—as Jacob had adopted Ephraim and Manasseh (48:5–6, 12); alternatively, this is a figurative idiom for family continuity.