"... the rendering of mittah "bed," a relatively rare word in Late Hebrew that was not understood by the translator of Genesis. This translator identified it as matteh in 47:31 ("staff" as in the earlier contexts Gen 38:18, 25), thus creating an unusual context: "Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed (NJPS)" — "and Israel did obeisance at the top of his staff (NETS)." Two verses later (48:2) as well as in 49:33 the translator correctly identified this word as "bed.""

"... The unpointed noun in Genesis could be read as either matteh ("staff") or mittah ("bed"), and the Greek translator inferred that the word staff was meant. Some centuries later, when vowel points were added to the Hebrew biblical texts, the noun in Genesis 47:31 was taken to mean "bed.""

"... The Septuagint translator misread the Hebrew "bed" as "staff," since both nouns have the same consonantal spelling (Hebrew mth). In Hebrews 11:21 the writer quotes from the Septuagint, "By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the top of his staff," instead of what the writer of Genesis 47:31 intended to say."