'Bless' in the Bible

And I will make you a great nation,And I will bless you [abundantly],And make your name great (exalted, distinguished);And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];

And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you,And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you.And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.”

I will bless her, and indeed I will also give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation.

since Abraham is destined to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him?

indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies [as conquerors].

Through your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.”

I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Now please, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.”

Then Isaac said, “Bring the food to me, and I will eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” He brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine and he drank.

Esau also made a delicious dish [of meat] and brought it to his father and said to him, “Let my father get up and eat some of his son’s game, so that you may bless me.”

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with a great and extremely bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!”

Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” Then Esau [no longer able to restrain himself] raised his voice and wept [loudly].

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a [great] company of peoples.

Your descendants shall be as [countless as] the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and the east and the north and the south; and all the families (nations) of the earth shall be blessed through you and your descendants.

Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here [in Egypt].” So he said, “Please bring them to me, so that I may bless them.”

The Angel [that is, the Lord Himself] who has redeemed me [continually] from all evil,Bless the boys;And may my name live on in them [may they be worthy of having their names linked with mine],And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;And may they grow into a [great] multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Then Jacob blessed them that day, saying,“By you Israel will pronounce a blessing, saying,‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”And he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

By the God of your father who will help you,And by the Almighty who blesses youWith blessings of the heavens above,Blessings lying in the deep that couches beneath,Blessings of the [nursing] breasts and of the [fertile] womb.

Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and [ask your God to] bless me also.”

You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause My Name to be recorded and remembered [through revelation of My divine nature] I will come to you and bless you.

You shall serve [only] the Lord your God, and He shall bless your bread and water. I will also remove sickness from among you.

“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them:

The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];

So Aaron and his sons shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Now please come, curse these people for me, for they are too powerful for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know [your reputation] that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

“Behold, I have received His command to bless [Israel].He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as he had done each time before [superstitiously] to seek omens and signs [in the natural world], but he set his face toward the wilderness (desert).

Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have done nothing but bless them these three times.

May the Lord, the God of your fathers, add to you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, just as He has promised you!

He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your [olive] oil, the offspring of your cattle and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

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 bless in His name until this day.

The Levite, because he has no share [of land] or an inheritance among you, and the stranger, and the orphan and the widow who are within your [city] gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will most certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess,

You shall freely and generously give to him, and your heart shall not be resentful when you give to him, because for this [generous] thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.

“It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has served you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall approach, for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the Name (Presence) of the Lord; and every dispute and every assault (violent crime) shall be settled by them.

You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your fellow Israelite you shall not charge interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess.

You shall certainly restore the pledge (security deposit) to him at sunset, so that he may sleep in his garment and bless you; and it will be credited to you as righteousness (right standing) before the Lord your God.

“When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf [of grain] in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, for the orphan, and for the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Look down from Your holy dwelling above, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the land which You have given us, as You have sworn to our fathers, a land [of plenty] flowing with milk and honey.’

“These [tribes] shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have crossed the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your storehouses and in all that you undertake, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

The Lord will open for you His good treasure house, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.

in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk [that is, to live each and every day] in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments (precepts), so that you will live and multiply, and that the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to possess.

“O Lord, bless Levi’s substance (ability),And accept and take pleasure in the work of his hands;Crush and shatter the loins of those who rise up against him,And of those who hate him, so that they do not rise again.”

All Israel, the stranger as well as the native born [among them], with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on either side of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at first to bless the people of Israel.

“For the leaders who took the lead in Israel,For the people who volunteered [for battle],Bless the Lord!

“My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,The volunteers among the people;Bless the Lord!

It was then that Boaz came back from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered him, “The Lord bless you!”

Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she asked for which was dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would return to their own home.

Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you have had compassion on me.

So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you showed this graciousness and loyalty to Saul your lord (king), and buried him.

Then David returned to bless his household. But [his wife] Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How glorious and distinguished was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself and stripped [off his kingly robes] in the eyes of his servants’ maids like one of the riffraff who shamelessly uncovers himself!”

Therefore now, may it please You to bless the house (royal dynasty) of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

So David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? How can I make it good so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance (Israel)?”

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my border [property], and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” And God granted his request.

Then all the people departed, each to his house, and David returned [home] to bless his household.

Therefore may it please You to bless the house (descendants) of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for what You bless, O Lord, is blessed forever.”

The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate him as most holy, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the Lord, attend to His service, and to bless [worshipers] in His name forever.

Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless (praise, honor) the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.May Your glorious name be blessedAnd exalted above all blessing and praise.”

For You, O Lord, bless the righteous man [the one who is in right standing with You];You surround him with favor as with a shield.

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.

My foot stands on a level place;In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.

The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people;The Lord will bless His people with peace.

I will bless the Lord at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

They consult only to throw him down from his high position [to dishonor him];They delight in lies.They bless with [the words of] their mouths,But inwardly they curse. Selah.

So will I bless You as long as I live;I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Bless our God, O peoples,And make the sound of His praise be heard abroad,

God be gracious and kind-hearted to us and bless us,And make His face shine [with favor] on us— Selah.

The earth has yielded its harvest [as evidence of His approval];God, our God, blesses us.

God blesses us,And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].

Bless God in the congregations, [give thanks, gratefully praise Him],The Lord, you who are from [Jacob] the fountain of Israel.

So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him;And let them pray for him continually;Let them bless and praise him all day long.

May his name endure forever;May his name continue as long as the sun;And let men bless themselves by him;Let all nations call him blessed.

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.

Enter His gates with a song of thanksgivingAnd His courts with praise.Be thankful to Him, bless and praise His name.

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,And do not forget any of His benefits;

Bless the Lord, you His angels,You mighty ones who do His commandments,Obeying the voice of His word!

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,You who serve Him and do His will.

Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion;Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul!

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul!O Lord my God, You are very great;You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

Let sinners be consumed from the earth,And let the wicked be no more.Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Let them curse, but You bless.When adversaries arise, let them be ashamed,But let Your servant rejoice.

The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless,He will bless the house of Israel;He will bless the house of Aaron.

He will bless those who fear and worship the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder],Both the small and the great.

But as for us, we will bless and affectionately and gratefully praise the LordFrom this time forth and forever.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship].

May the Lord bless you from Zion [His holy mountain],And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life;

Nor do those who pass by say,“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

“I will abundantly bless her provisions;I will satisfy her poor with bread.

Behold, bless and praise the Lord, all servants of the Lord (priests, Levites),Who stand and serve by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to the sanctuaryAnd bless the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion,He who made heaven and earth.

O house of Israel, bless and praise the Lord [with gratitude];O house of Aaron, bless the Lord;