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What does "Bless" mean in the Bible?

These words are of frequent occurrence in the sacred writings, and their particular force may generally be determined by the connection. Bless appears in 97 verses across 13 books of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Bless?

BLESS, BLESSED, BLESS'ING . Gen 12:2; Gen 22:17-18. These words are of frequent occurrence in the sacred writings, and their particular force may generally be determined by the connection. Men are said to bless God when they ascribe to him the praise and glory which are due to him. Ps 134:1-3. God blesses men in bestowing upon them continually mercies, spiritual and temporal. Job 42:12; Ps 45:2. And 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. This was the kind of blessing which the patriarchs pronounced. Gen 49:1-33. So Moses blessed Israel. Deut 33:1-29. The form of blessing prescribed by the Jewish ritual, Num 6:23-27, is admirably simple and sublime. It was pronounced standing, with a loud voice, and with the hands raised toward heaven. Luke 24:50. National blessings and cursings were sometimes pronounced. Deut 27:1-28:68; Isa 19:25. The Cup of Blessing, 1 Cor 10:10, and Cup of Salvation, Ps 116:13, are expressions derived from a custom prevalent among the Jews at their feasts. The master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it and for all the mercies which were then acknowledged. It was then passed to all the guests, each of whom drank of it in his turn. The aptness and force of the figures employed in the above passages are thus made obvious.

Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

What is the Hebrew word for Bless?

Hebrew · H1288

בָּרַךְ

ba.rakh

to bless

TBESH, STEPBible, licensed CC BY 4.0.

Where does Bless appear in the Bible?

Bless is referenced in 97 verses across 13 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Showing the first 24 of 97.

Open all 97 references in Protos

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Bless.

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Bless?

Bless appears in 97 verses across 13 books, most often in Psalms, which accounts for 38 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Bless?

Psalms, Genesis, Deuteronomy, Numbers, 1 Chronicles, 1 Samuel, Exodus, Judges, and 5 more.

Where can I read every verse about Bless?

This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 97, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Psalms with "Bless" explained on the verse.

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The Protos reader open on Genesis 1 with the How to Read Genesis background sheet raised over it

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Teaching Pastor, MountainHouse Church · M.A. in Christian Leadership · Bible class teacher, Lake Tahoe

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