Ambrose of Milan : Although these mysteries are glorious in this, that Joseph, taking his sons whom he had adopted in Egypt, Ephraim, he placed at his right hand, but Manasseh at his left, so that Israel, their father, was on their right side. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of Ephraim, who was the younger and stood at his left side; and his left hand he laid upon Manasseh, who was at his right side. And thus, changing his hands, he blessed them. In this, Joseph also preserved the order of nature by giving more deference to his elder son, just as Isaac also desired to give the blessing to his firstborn son, Esau. But he believed that the younger son should be preferred in the role of the younger people, just as he himself was preferred by his mother. Finally, Manasses is designated by the Latin interpretation as coming from oblivion (Gen. XLI, 51), because the people of Judah forgot their God who made them. And whoever from that people believes, is called back from oblivion. Ephraem, however, promises the abundance of faith by the interpretation of his name, who increased his father, as Joseph himself says: Because God increased me in the land of my humility (Ibid., 52). This is the characteristic of the younger people, who is the body of Christ, increasing the Father and not abandoning their own God. — THE PATRIARCHS 1.3-4 Ephrem the Syrian : Here too the cross is clearly symbolized to depict that mystery with which Israel the firstborn departed, just as Manasseh the firstborn, and the peoples increase in the manner of Ephraim the younger. — COMMENTARY ON Genesis 41:4 Augustine of Hippo : JACOB BLESSES THE YOUNGEST SON OF JOSEPH, PREFERABLY THE ELDEST. — Israel blesses his grandchildren, putting his right hand over the child and the left over the eldest. And when Joseph wants to call his attention as if he had been wrong and did not realize it, he responds: "I know, son; I know. He too will become a people and he too will be great; but his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will be a crowd of people.” This must be applied to Christ, since it was also said of Jacob and his brother that the elder will serve the younger. According to this, Israel meant something prophetically, causing the people who would later come, through Christ, to the spiritual generation, would overcome the previous people, who gloried in the carnal generation of the ancestors. [ — QUESTIONS ON GENESIS, Q. 165 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)