Difference between revisions of "Blessed"

<p> 'Esher ( '''''אֶשֶׁר''''' , Strong'S #835), “blessed; happy.” All but 4 of the 44 biblical occurrences of this noun are in poetical passages, with 26 occurrences in the Psalms and 8 in Proverbs.Basically, this word connotes the state of “prosperity” or “happiness” that comes when a superior bestows his favor (blessing) on one. In most passages, the one bestowing favor is God Himself: “Happy art thou, [[O]] Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord” (Deut. 33:29). The state that the blessed one enjoys does not always appear to be “happy”: “Behold, blessed [KJV, “happy”] is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: for he maketh sore, and bindeth up …” (Job 5:17-18). [[Eliphaz]] was not describing Job’s condition as a happy one; it was “blessed,” however, inasmuch as God was concerned about him. Because it was a blessed state and the outcome would be good, Job was expected to laugh at his adversity (Job 5:22). </p> <p> God is not always the one who makes one “blessed.” At least, the [[Queen]] of [[Sheba]] flatteringly told [[Solomon]] that this was the case (1 Kings 10:8). </p> <p> One’s status before God (being “blessed”) is not always expressed in terms of the individual or social conditions that bring what moderns normally consider to be “happiness.” So although it is appropriate to render 'esher as “blessed,” the rendering of “happiness” does not always convey its emphasis to modern readers. </p>

<p> BLESS'ED, pp. Made happy or prosperous extolled pronounced happy. </p> <p> BLESS'ED, a. [[Happy]] prosperous in worldly affairs enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God enjoying heavenly felicity. </p> <p> Blessed-Thistle. A plant of the genus Cnicus, sometimes used in decoctions, for a bitter. </p>

<p> ''''' bles´ed ''''' ( בּרוּך , <i> ''''' bārūkh ''''' </i> ): Where God is referred to, this word has the sense of "praise," as in &nbsp;1 Samuel 25:32 , "Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel." But where man is in mind it is used in the sense of "happy" or "favored," and most frequently so in the Psalms and the Gospels, as for example, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked" (&nbsp;Psalm 1:1 ); "Blessed art thou among women" (&nbsp;Luke 1:42 ); "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (&nbsp;Matthew 5:3 ). See [[Beatitudes]] . </p>