Texts in Conversation
The Masoretic Hebrew text of Genesis 48:16 refers to an “angel” who protected Jacob and from whom he invokes blessing for his grandsons, blending the roles of divine and angelic figures. The Samaritan Pentateuch instead reads “king,” which may reflect an effort to avoid confusing God with an angel.
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Genesis 48:16
Hebrew Bible
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.” 17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Samaritan Genesis 48:16
Samaritan Penteteuch
Samaritan
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day 16 The King which redeemed me from all evil, bless these lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
Date: 130-120 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger ..."
* 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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I think we need to keep in mind the author of the Bible. Then we move from the author to the writer (Moses) and then from the writer to the purpose or context.
The Author cannot change neither does His purposes nor context no matter who He chooses to write it through.
Their purpose is to alwa ...