Texts in Conversation
In Matthew, Jesus describes the Son of Man placing the righteous at his right hand, a position of honor. This is similar to the narrative in Genesis where Jacob crosses his hands to place his right hand on Ephraim, signaling a greater blessing.
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Genesis 48:14
Hebrew Bible
12 So Joseph moved them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. 14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked—the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has protected me from all harm—bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Matthew 25:33
New Testament
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
Date: 70-90 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Joseph positions his older son closest to Jacob’s right hand – the suitable place, it would seem, for receiving the greater blessing. But the reaction of the old patriarch shows that not only was his inner sight stronger than his physical sight, but also that he did not need Ephraim on his right side in order to bestow on him greater blessing: Israel crosses his hands (Genesis 48:14), and pronounces the following blessing (The importance of the “right hand,” for example, is echoed in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46), where the sheep, the righteous ones, are positioned on the right hand of the Son of Man (Matthew 25:32), symbolizing their status as inheritors of the promised kingdom (Matthew 25:34). See also the place of honor on the right hand in Psalm 110:1) ..."
Sykora, Josef
The Unfavored: Judah and Saul in the Narratives of Genesis and 1 Samuel
(pp. 72-74) Durham University, 2016
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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