[This] was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
When given the PROPER RESPECT and READ THOUGHTFULLY AND CAREFULLY, the Bible is a unified, extremely informative, cohesive, and well-organized book.  If critics would spend half as much time trying to understand what the Bible SAYS, instead of flipping through its pages with eyes only for something to support their destructive theories, there would be a lot fewer criticisms.  The passage before us presents no problem whatever.  Ephraim was blessed by Jacob and given precedence over Manasseh, but here we are not dealing with the sons of Jacob (adopted), but with the sons of MANASSEH.  Manasseh was the firstborn of Joseph; and Jacob could NOT possibly have had anything to do with who received the birthright from Joseph.  That was none of Jacob's business!  That is why Manasseh is here designated as "the firstborn of Joseph."  Thus, there is no justification whatever for the fact that, "Many interpreters consider that this reference to Manasseh as `firstborn,' is an indication that this relation (Manasseh-Ephraim) was different."[1]