According to the popular etymology given in Genesis 41:52, the name אֶפְרָיִם ('Efrayim), meaning "fruitful," comes from the Hebrew verb פרה (pārāh) meaning "to be fruitful." In the Old Testament, Ephraim is a son of Joseph and Asenath and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Ephraim continues the tradition of the supplanting younger brother as Jacob gives Ephraim, Joseph's younger son, the firstborn's blessing.