{"id":41675,"date":"2018-06-12T07:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T14:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.olivetree.com\/?p=41675"},"modified":"2023-01-24T12:06:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T20:06:01","slug":"significance-priestly-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olivetree.com\/blog\/significance-priestly-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Priestly Blessing: Numbers 6"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You’ve probably heard the priestly blessing at least once or twice: “the Lord bless you and keep you<\/em>“. Maybe you heard it without realizing what it was. Or, perhaps you have been dying to learn more about this passage, the Aaronic blessing, in Numbers. Either way, this article is for you. Taken from the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary<\/a><\/em>, it is some great information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lord said to Moses, \u201cTell Aaron and his sons,
\u2018This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:<\/em>
‘The Lord bless you<\/em>
and keep you;<\/em>
the Lord make his face shine on you<\/em>
and be gracious to you;<\/em>
the Lord turn his face toward you<\/em>
and give you peace.’<\/em>
‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’\u201d<\/em>
Numbers 6:22-27<\/a> (NIV)<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Blessing Rooted In Israelite Culture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The act of blessing is deeply rooted in Israelite culture. It bears a wide range of meaning. On the one hand, Jacob\u2019s stealing of Esau\u2019s blessing and the latter\u2019s inability to acquire another from his father, Isaac (Gen 27:30-38<\/a>), provides a glimpse into the near magical power of blessing. In that story, to bless is to bestow power for fertility and well-being, which, once spoken, takes on a life of its own. On the other hand, the expression of divine blessing appears to be no more than a stereotypical exchange for \u201cHello<\/em>\u201d. The book of Ruth provides an example of how the invocation of divine blessing was part of the everyday language of greeting, for example, when the harvesters welcome Boaz with the words, \u201cThe Lord bless you<\/em>\u201d (Ruth 2:4<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cultic use of divine blessing, as in vv. 24-26, functions someplace between the two examples noted above.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The cultic use of the priestly blessing was widespread by the late monarchical period. Similar cultic language is richly attested in other liturgical literature. Psalm 129:8<\/a>, for example, concludes with a priestly blessing on the worshipers, \u201cThe blessing of the Lord be upon you. We bless you in the name of the Lord<\/em>\u201d (see also Pss 128:5<\/a>; 133:3<\/a>; 134:3<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hebrew inscription \u201cthe Lord bless you and keep you and be with you<\/em>\u201d was found on a jar at Kuntillet \u2018Ajrud in the upper Sinai, dating from the eighth-century. This inscription indicates the use of a blessing very similar to the Aaronic blessing in Num 5:24-26<\/a>, already in the middle of the monarchical period. The discovery of the priestly blessing in a burial cave in the area of Jerusalem known as the Valley of Hinnom (contemporary Keteph Hinnom) is even more striking. The blessing is written on two silver amulets that date from the late seventh century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An amulet is an object believed to give magical powers of protection against evil to the one who wears it. The discovery of such an amulet in a grave raises further questions of whether the priestly blessing was meant to function in association with the dead. Baruch Levine suggests that the priestly blessing may have protected the dead on their way to Sheol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blessing’s Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The priestly blessing has a simple structure, consisting of three lines, each of which contains two verbs: bless-keep (protect), shine-grace, lift-peace. The name \u201cYahweh<\/em>\u201d appears once in each line, in association with the first of the paired verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yahweh bless you and keep you;<\/em>
Yahweh make his face to shine upon<\/em>
you and be gracious to you;<\/em>
Yahweh lift up his countenance upon you\u2014<\/em>
and give you peace<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"aaronic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two readings are possible from this structure. <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The six verbs could be interpreted to describe distinct actions of God. They can also be interpreted in pairs. The first verb in each line summarizes an activity of God upon the worshiper, and the second describes the results of God\u2019s actions. The use of the name \u201cYahweh<\/em>\u201d as the subject for only the first verb in each sentence favors the interpretation in which the verbs are paired. The result is a threefold blessing. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n