(fl. 19th-16th cent bce)
Israelite, younger son of Joseph. His name became that of one of the tribes of Israel and of the more northern of the two Israelite kingdoms. During the period of the Judges, the tribe of Ephraim claimed priority. When the northern tribes seceded after Solomon's death, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel (Jeroboam I) belonged to this tribe. The prophets later referred to the House of Judah and the House of Ephraim.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.