Hebrews 11:21

‘By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped on the top of his staff.'

In the same way did Jacob in his old age, when he was no longer able to physically support himself, bless the two sons of Joseph and proclaimed their futures as revealed by God, putting Ephraim in the place of the firstborn (Genesis 48:1). This was something he insisted on because of the revelation he had received from God. He was confident in the promises of God and therefore in their futures. The stress is on God's providence. It is He Who determines ‘future history' for us all.

‘On the top of his staff.' Compare ‘Israel (Jacob) bowed himself on the bed's head' (Genesis 47:31), which appears to connect with the making of an oath to Joseph, for the Hebrew consonants for ‘the bed's head (rosh-ha-mittah), can in fact also (by repointing) be translated as ‘the top of his staff' (rosh-ha-matteh) as in LXX, which the writer then probably connects with ‘dwelling on the bed (mittah; or matteh - staff)' in Genesis 48:2. If this be so it demonstrates that he sometimes used the (unpointed) Hebrew text. The staff represented a man's authority. Thus Jacob is seen as passing on something of his own God-given authority in his act of blessing and worship. The sons born in Egypt of an Egyptian mother were brought into the chosen line.

(Note. The Old Testament Hebrew text at the time of Jesus was ‘unpointed'. That is, it was mainly made up of consonants and had limited vowels. The vowels, which showed how the words were pronounced, were added centuries after the time of the New Testament. They were not thus seen as part of the inspired Scripture. So either of the above translations of the Hebrew consonants is correct).