Bless

Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

A. Verb.

Bârak ( בָּרַךְ , Strong'S #1288), “to kneel, bless, be blessed, curse.” The root of this word is found in other Semitic languages which, like Hebrew, use it most frequently with a deity as subject. There are also parallels to this word in Egyptian. Bârak occurs about 330 times in the Bible, first in Gen. 1:22: “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, …” God’s first word to man is introduced in the same way: “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply …” (v. 28). Thus the whole creation is shown to depend upon God for its continued existence and function (cf. Ps. 104:27-30).

Bârak is used again of man in Gen. 5:2, at the beginning of the history of believing men, and again after the Flood in Gen. 9:1: “And God blessed Noah and his sons.…” The central element of God’s covenant with Abram is: “I will bless thee … and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee … and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3). This “blessing” on the nations is repeated in Gen. 18:18; 22:18; and 28:14 (cf. Gen. 26:4; Jer. 4:2). In all of these instances, God’s blessing goes out to the nations through Abraham or his seed. The Septuagint translates all of these occurrences of bârak in the passive, as do the Kjv, Nasb and NIV. Paul quotes the Septuagint’s rendering of Gen. 22:18 in Gal. 3:8.

The covenant promise called the nations to seek the “blessing” (cf. Isa. 2:2-4), but made it plain that the initiative in blessing rests with God, and that Abraham and his seed were the instruments of it. God, either directly or through His representatives, is the subject of this verb over 100 times. The Levitical benediction is based on this order: “On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel … the Lord bless thee … and they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them” (Num. 6:23- 27).

The passive form of bârak is used in pronouncing God’s “blessing on men,” as through Melchizedek: “Blessed be Abram of the most high God …” (Gen. 14:19). “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem …” (Gen. 9:26) is an expression of praise. “Blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand” (Gen. 14:20) is mingled praise and thanksgiving.

A common form of greeting was, “Blessed be thou of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:13; cf. Ruth 2:4); “Saul went out to meet [Samuel], that he might salute him” (1 Sam. 13:10; “greet,” NASB and NIV).

The simple form of the verb is used in 2 Chron. 6:13: “He … kneeled down.…” Six times the verb is used to denote profanity, as in Job 1:5: “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.”

B. Noun.

Berâkâh ( בְּרָכָה , Strong'S #1293), “blessing.” The root form of this word is found in northwest and south Semitic languages. It is used in conjunction with the verb berâkâh (“to bless”) 71 times in the Old Testament. The word appears most frequently in Genesis and Deuteronomy. The first occurrence is God’s blessing of Abram: “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing [ berâkâh ]” (Gen. 12:2).When expressed by men, a “blessing” was a wish or prayer for a blessing that is to come in the future: “And [God] give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham” (Gen. 28:4). This refers to a “blessing” that the patriarchs customarily extended upon their children before they died. Jacob’s “blessings” on the tribes (Gen. 49) and Moses’ “blessing” (Deut. 33:1ff.) are other familiar examples of this.

Blessing was the opposite of a cursing ( qelalah ): “My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing” (Gen. 27:12). The blessing might also be presented more concretely in the form of a gift. For example, “Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it” (Gen. 33:11). When a “blessing” was directed to God, it was a word of praise and thanksgiving, as in: “Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise” (Neh. 9:5).

The Lord’s “blessing” rests on those who are faithful to Him: “A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day …” (Deut. 11:27). His blessing brings righteousness (Ps. 24:5), life (Ps. 133:3), prosperity (2 Sam. 7:29), and salvation (Ps. 3:8). The “blessing” is portrayed as a rain or dew: “I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing” (Ezek. 34:26; cf. Ps. 84:6). In the fellowship of the saints, the Lord commands His “blessing”: "[It is] as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Ps. 133:3).

In a few cases, the Lord made people to be a “blessing” to others. Abraham is a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:2). His descendants are expected to become a blessing to the nations (Isa. 19:24; Zech. 8:13).

The Septuagint translates berâkâh as eulogia (“praise; blessing”). The KJV has these translations: “blessing; present (gift).”

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

Blessing There are three points of view in which the acts of blessing may be considered. The first is, when men are said to bless God, as in  Psalms 103:1-2 . We are then not to suppose that the divine Being, who is over all, and, in himself, blessed for evermore, is capable of receiving any augmentation of his happiness, from all the creatures which he has made: such a supposition, as it would imply something of imperfection in the divine nature, must ever be rejected with abhorrence; and, therefore, when the creatures bless the adorable Creator, they only ascribe to him that praise, and dominion, and honour, and glory, and blessing, which it is equally the duty and joy of his creatures to reader. But when God is said to bless his people,  Genesis 1:22;  Ephesians 1:3; the meaning is, that he confers benefits upon them, either temporal or spiritual, and so communicates to them some portion of that blessedness which, in infinite fulness, dwells in himself,  James 1:17;  Psalms 104:24;  Psalms 104:28;  Luke 11:9-13 . In the third place men are said to bless their fellow creatures. From the time that God entered into covenant with Abraham, and promised extraordinary blessings to his posterity, it appears to have been customary for the father of each family, in the direct line, or line of promise, previous to his death, to call his children around him, and to inform them, according to the knowledge which it pleased God then to give him, how, and in what manner, the divine blessing conferred upon Abraham was to descend among them. Upon these occasions, the patriarchs enjoyed a divine illumination; and under its influence, their benediction was deemed a prophetic oracle, foretelling events with the utmost certainty, and extending to the remotest period of time. Thus Jacob blessed his sons, Genesis xlix; and Moses, the children of Israel, Deuteronomy 33. When Melchizedeck blessed Abraham, the act of benediction included in it not merely the pronouncing solemn good wishes, but also a petitionary address to God that he would be pleased to ratify the benediction by his concurrence with what was prayed for. Thus Moses instructed Aaron, and his descendants, to bless the congregation, "In this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his face to shine upon thee; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace,"  Numbers 4:23 . David says, "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord,"  Psalms 116:13 . This phrase appears to be taken from the practice of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of their sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; when, among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercies which were then acknowledged, and gave it to all the guests, every one of whom drank in his turn. To this custom it is supposed our blessed Lord alludes in the institution of the cup, which also is called,  1 Corinthians 10:16 , "the cup of blessing." At the family feasts also, and especially that of the passover, both wine and bread were in this solemn and religious manner distributed, and God was blessed, and his mercies acknowledged. They blessed God for their present refreshment, for their deliverance out of Egypt, for the covenant of circumcision, and for the law given by Moses; and prayed that God would be merciful to his people Israel, that he would send the Prophet Elijah, and that he would render them worthy of the kingdom of the Messiah. See also  1 Chronicles 16:2-3 . In the Mosaic law, the manner of blessing is appointed by the lifting up of hands. Our Lord lifted up his hands, and blessed his disciples. It is probable that this action was constantly used on such occasions. The palm of the hand held up was precatory; and the palm turned outward or downward was benedictory. See Benediction and See Lord 'S Supper .

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

To bless in the language of Scripture, hath many different significations. When spoken of in reference to the Lord's blessing his people, it means bestowing upon them his loving kindness, and grace, and favour, as manifested in a way of temporal, spiritual, or eternal blessings. But when it is spoken of in respect to our blessing the Lord, or blessing one another, it is evident that the sense of it differs very widely. I cannot omit mentioning, under this article, a peculiarity concerning blessings in general, as they relate to the Lord's mercies in this way to his people, and because I do not believe that the subject is generally understood. All blessings are in Christ. This is the bottom of all our mercies; for Where Christ is not, there can be nothing truly blessed. "Men shall be blessed in him." ( Psalms 72:17) But while the church are supposed to know this, and to look for no blessings but in him, believers do not so fully as they ought consider that Christ himself is their blessedness. There is a nice distinction in this view of the subject. It is not enough to see Christ's hand and Christ's blessing in the mercy he bestows upon me, in order to make that blessing sweet; but Christ himself must be the blessing to crown all. It is not enough that Jesus gives me life and salvation; but he himself must be my life and salvation. So the Psalmist, speaking in the person of Christ, saith of him, as the head of his church and people,  Psalms 27:1. And so the prophet also, speaking in the person of his Lord, for the same purpose,  Isaiah 12:2. And so must all the church say concerning their glorious Head. And hence, the psalmist, when at any time speaking in the person of Christ, or of the person of Christ, doth not simply say, Blessed is the man (that is, the man Christ Jesus,) but, Blessedness is the man, using the word in the plural number, to intimate all blessings in him. For Christ is not a single blessing, but all; and the blessedness he gives, and is to his people, doth not consist in one thing, but in all. I hope the reader will understand my meaning. The first word of  Psalms 1:1-6;  Psalms 32:1-11 and  Psalms 41:1-13 (to mention no more,) which all speak of Christ, is on this account in the plural, and all ascribe blessedness to him for this express purpose.

King James Dictionary

BLESS, pret. and ppr. blessed or blest.

1. To pronounce a wish of happiness to one to express a wish or desire of happiness.

And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him.  Genesis 28

2. To make happy to make successful to prosper in temporal concerns as, we are blest with peace and plenty.

The Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thou doest.  Deuteronomy 15 .

3. To make happy in a future life.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.  Revelation 14

4. To set apart or consecrate to holy purposes to make and pronounce holy.

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. Gen.2

5. To consecrate by prayer to invoke a blessing upon.

And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven he blessed them.  Luke 9 .

6. To praise to glorify, for benefits received.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.  Psalms 103

7. To praise to magnify to extol, for excellencies.  Psalms 104 8. To esteem or account happy with the reciprocal pronoun.

The nations shall bless themselves in him.  Jeremiah 4

9. To pronounce a solemn prophetical benediction upon.  Genesis 27;  Deuteronomy 33 . 10. In this line of Spenser, it may signify to throw, for this is nearly the primary sense.

His sparkling blade about his head he blest.

Johnson supposes the word to signify to wave or brandish, and to have received this sense from the old rite of blessing a field, by directing the hands to all parts of it.

Bless in Spenser for bliss, may be so written, not for rhyme merely, but because bless and bliss are from the same root.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (v. t.) To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to invoke or confer a blessing on, - as on food.

(2): (v. t.) To guard; to keep; to protect.

(3): (v. t.) To make the sign of the cross upon; to cross (one's self).

(4): (v. t.) To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a blessing upon; - applied to persons.

(5): (v. t.) To praise, or glorify; to extol for excellences.

(6): (v. t.) To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.

(7): (v. t.) To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate

(8): (v. t.) To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.

(9): (v. t.) To wave; to brandish.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Among the Jews in their thank-offerings the master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand, and after having blessed God for it and for other mercies then enjoyed, handed it to his guests, who all partook of it.  Psalm 116:13 refers to this custom. It is also alluded to in   1 Corinthians 10:16 , where the apostle speaks of the "cup of blessing."

Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., DD Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Bless'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/b/bless.html. 1897.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( בָּרִךְ , Barak'; Εὐλογέω ) . There are three or four points of view in which acts of blessing may be considered.

1. When God is said to bless his people. Without doubt the inferior is blessed by the superior. When} God blesses, he bestows that virtue, that efficacy, which' renders his blessing effectual, and which his blessing expresses. His blessings are either temporal or spiritual, bodily or mental; but in every thing they are productive of that which they import. God's blessings extend into the future life, as his people are made partakers of that blessedness which, in infinite fulness, dwells in himself ( Genesis 1:22;  Genesis 24:35;  Job 42:12;  Psalms 45:2;  Psalms 104:24;  Psalms 104:28;  Luke 11:9-13;  James 1:17).

2. When men are said to bless God, as in  Psalms 103:1-2;  Psalms 145:1-3. We are not, then, to suppose the divine Being, who is over all, and in himself blessed forevermore, is capable of receiving any augmentation of his happiness from any of the creatures which he has made: such a supposition, as it would imply something of imperfection in the divine nature, must ever be rejected with abhorrence; and therefore, when creatures bless the adorable Creator, they only ascribe to him that praise and dominion, and honor, and glory, and blessing which it is equally the duty and joy of his creatures to render. So that blessing on the part of man is an act of thanksgiving to God for his mercies, or rather for that special mercy which, at the time, occasions the act of blessing; as for food, for which thanks are rendered to God, or for any other good.

3. Men are said to bless their fellow-creatures when, as in ancient times, in the spirit of prophecy they predicted blessings to come upon them. From the time that God entered into covenant with Abraham, and promised extraordinary blessings to his posterity, it appears to have been customary for the father of each family, in the direct line, or line of promise, immediately previous to his death, to call his children around him, and to inform them, according to the knowledge which it had pleased God to give him, how and in what manner the Divine blessing conferred upon Abraham was to descend among them. Upon these occasions the patriarchs enjoyed a Divine illumination, and under its influence their benediction was deemed a prophetic oracle, foretelling events with the utmost certainty, and extending to the remotest period of time (see Bush, Notes on Genesis in loc.). Thus Jacob blessed his sons ( Genesis 49:1-28;  Hebrews 11:21), and Moses the children of Israel ( Deuteronomy 23:1-25). The blessings of men were also good wishes, personal or official, and, as it were, a peculiar kind of prayer to the Author of all good for the welfare of the subject of them; thus Melchisedek blessed Abraham ( Genesis 14:19;  Hebrews 7:1;  Hebrews 7:6-7). The form of blessing prescribed in the Hebrew ritual ( Numbers 6:23-27) which Jehovah commanded Moses to instruct Aaron and his descendants to bless the congregation, is admirably simple and sublime: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" (Haner, De Benedictione Sacerd. Jen. 1712). It was pronounced standing, with a loud voice, and with the hands raised toward heaven ( Luke 24:50). National blessings and cursings were some-. times pronounced ( Deuteronomy 27:12-26;  Deuteronomy 28:1;  Deuteronomy 28:68).

4. David says, " I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" ( Psalms 116:13). The phrase appears to be taken from the custom of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of their sacrifices, when, among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercies which were then acknowledged, and gave it to all the guests, every one of whom drank in his turn. (See Cup). To this custom it is supposed our Lord alludes in the institution of the cup, which is also called "the cup of blessing" ( 1 Corinthians 10:16). (See Passover). At the family feasts also, and especially that of the Passover, both wine and bread were in this solemn and religious manner distributed, and God was blessed, and his mercies acknowledged. They blessed God for their present refreshment, for their deliverance out of Egypt, for the covenant of circumcision, and for the law given by Moses; they prayed that God would,be merciful to his people Israel, that he would send the prophet Elijah, and that he would render them -worthy of the kingdom of the Messiah. In the Mosaic law, the manner of blessing was appointed by the lifting up of hands, and we see that our Lord lifted up his hands and blessed his disciples. (See Benediction).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(בּרך , bārakh ): This word is found more frequently in the Old Testament than in the New Testament, and is used in different relations.

(1) It is first met in  Genesis 1:22 at the introduction of animal life upon the earth, where it is written, "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply," etc. The context furnishes the key to its meaning, which is the bestowal of good, and in this particular place the pleasure and power of increase in kind. Thus it is generally employed in both Testaments, the context always determining the character of the bestowal; for instance (where man is the recipient), whether the good is temporal or spiritual, or both.

Occasionally, however, a different turn is given to it as in  Genesis 2:3 the King James Version, where it is written, "And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it." Here the good consists in the setting apart and consecrating of that day for His use.

(2) In the foregoing instances the Creator is regarded as the source of blessing and the creature the recipient, but the order is sometimes reversed, and the creature (man) is the source and the Creator the recipient. In  Genesis 24:48 , for example, Abraham's servant says, "I bowed my head, and worshipped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham," where the word evidently means to worship God, to exalt and praise Him.

(3) There is a third use where men only are considered. In  Genesis 24:60 , her relatives "blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands" (the King James Version "millions"), where the word expresses the wish or hope for the bestowal of the good designated. There are also instances where such a blessing of man by man may be taken in the prophetic sense, as when Isaac blessed Jacob ( Genesis 27:4 ,  Genesis 27:27 ), putting himself as it were in God's place, and with a sense of the Divine concurrence, pronouncing the good named. Here the word becomes in part a prayer for, and in part a prediction of, the good intended. Balaam's utterances are simply prophetic of Israel's destiny ( Numbers 23:9 ,  Numbers 23:10 ,  Numbers 23:11 ,  Numbers 23:23 margin,24).

Although these illustrations are from the Old Testament the word is used scarcely differently in the New Testament; "The blessing of bread, of which we read in the Gospels, is equivalent to giving thanks for it, the thought being that good received gratefully comes as a blessing"; compare  Matthew 14:19 and   Matthew 15:36 with   1 Corinthians 11:24 (Adeney, HDB , I, 307). See also Benediction .