Benedictions

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

Divinely appointed

• Deuteronomy 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.
• Deuteronomy 21:5 And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.
• Numbers 6:23–26 “Tell Aaron and his sons:This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’

By God

Upon creatures he had made

• Genesis 1:22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Upon man

• Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Upon Noah

• Genesis 9:1–2 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your han…

Instances of

By Melchizedek. upon Abraham

• Genesis 14:19–20 and he blessed Abram and said: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
• Hebrews 7:7 And indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater.

By Bethuel's household, upon Rebekah

• Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

By Isaac

Upon Jacob

• Genesis 27:23–29 Isaac did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. Again he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.” “Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob brought it to him, and he…
• Genesis 27:37 But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him your master and given him all his relatives as servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?”
• Genesis 28:1–4 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded. “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitfu…

Upon Esau

• Genesis 27:39–40 His father Isaac answered him: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above. You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”

By Jacob

Upon Pharaoh

• Genesis 47:7–10 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked. “My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”

Upon Joseph's sons

• Genesis 48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and t… (whole chapter)

Upon his own sons

• Genesis 49 Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come: Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excellin… (whole chapter)

By Moses, upon the tribes of Israel

• Deuteronomy 33 This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand. Surely You love the people; all t… (whole chapter)

By Aaron

• Leviticus 9:22–23 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down. Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the p…

By half the tribes, who stood on Mount Gerizim

• Deuteronomy 11:29–30 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gi…
• Deuteronomy 27:11–13 On that day Moses commanded the people: “When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Napht…
• Joshua 8:33 All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servan…

By Joshua

Upon Caleb

• Joshua 14:13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.

Upon the Reubenites and Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh

• Joshua 22:6–7 So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes. (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them,

By Naomi, upon Ruth and Orpah

• Ruth 1:8–9 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the LORD enable each of you to find rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they wept aloud

By the people, upon Ruth

• Ruth 4:11–12 “We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem. And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Ta…

By Eli, upon Elkanah

• 1 Samuel 2:20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.

By David

Upon the people

• 2 Samuel 6:18 When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts.

Upon Barzillai

• 2 Samuel 19:39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.

By Araunah, upon David

• 2 Samuel 24:23 O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”

By Solomon, upon the people

• 1 Kings 8:14 And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all
• 1 Kings 8:55–58 And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying: “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us, as He…
• 2 Chronicles 6:3 And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all

By Simeon, upon Jesus

• Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

By Jesus, upon his followers

• Luke 24:50 When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

Levitical, Forms of

• Numbers 6:23–26 “Tell Aaron and his sons:This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’

APOSTOLIC, FORMS OF 1CO 1:3; 2CO 1:2; GAL 1:3; EPH 1:2; PHP 1:2; COL 1:2; 1TH 1:1; 2TH 1:2; 2TI 1:2; PHM 1:3; ROM 1:7; 15:5,6,13,33; 16:20,24; 1CO 16:23; 2CO 13:14; GAL 6:16,18; EPH 6:23,24; PHP 4:23; 1TH 5:28; 2TH 3:16,18; 1TI 1:2; 6:21; 2TI 4:22; TIT 3:15; PHM 1:25; HEB 13:20,21,25; 1PE 1:2; 5:10,11,14; 2PE 1:2-4; 2JN 1:3; Jude 1:2; REV 22:21