דברי הימים א, פרק ז׳, פסוק כ״ב

A devastating tragedy strikes the family, plunging them into a period of deep sorrow and prompting those nearby to step in with efforts to console the grieving father. The primary approach among commentators is that this event occurred during the lifetime of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, who personally mourned the violent death of his children [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, another tradition places the massacre much later during the Israelites' exile in Egypt. According to this view, the mourner is not the historical Ephraim, but rather the leader of the tribe in that later generation, as it was customary to call a tribal head by the name of the tribe itself [חומת אנך].

The extended duration of his grief reveals the depth of the tragedy. Despite the earnest attempts of those around him to offer support, he refused to accept their consolation and remained in a state of mourning for a very long time [מצודת דוד].

The arrival of brothers to offer comfort presents a historical puzzle, since Ephraim had only one biological brother, Manasseh. To resolve this, the accepted explanation is that these comforters comprised a wider circle of extended relatives, loved ones, and acquaintances [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Other scholars suggest that they were Manasseh alongside the rest of Jacob's sons, or perhaps additional sons born to Joseph [רלב״ג].

A completely different perspective shifts the focus of the narrative entirely. While Ephraim was the one mourning, the family members who arrived were not his own brothers, but rather the brothers of his son, Shuthelah. In this interpretation, Shuthelah becomes the central figure of the unfolding story, as he is the one who tragically lost all of his descendants [מלבי״ם].