102 The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13–17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” 3 [1971]: 33–40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.
103 The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
104 Or “for.”

In other versions

The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

And the second son he named Ephraim and said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

And the name of the second he called Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune.”

And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

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