We often think of a blessing as kind words or a prayer for someone’s well-being. But the Hebrew word brachah reveals a much deeper biblical meaning—one closely connected with giving, receiving, and our relationship with Yehovah.
A blessing is a beautiful expression of love. It can be given to others, and it can also be received. We bless someone because that person matters to us—someone we care about, respect, and desire good things for. When someone blesses us, it makes us feel good because it tells us that person genuinely desires what is best for us.
It can be difficult to understand the concept of a blessing—and the act of blessing—apart from the Christian context in which most of us first encountered it. We rarely hear about one person blessing another outside the setting of a church, congregation, or gathering of believers.
The English word benediction comes from the Latin benedicere, which simply means “to speak well”: bene (well) and dicere (to speak). To say something good or pronounce a good word over someone. With that definition alone, there seems to be little difference between a blessing and a compliment.
But what can we learn when we examine this concept in the Hebrew language?
בְּרָכָה (Brachah)
The first time the concept of blessing appears as an action in Scripture is in the opening chapter of Genesis, when the Creator blesses the creatures of the sea and the birds of the air so that they may be fruitful and multiply.
As we will see, in the Torah a blessing is consistently connected with giving or imparting something. In this first instance, the Eternal gives these creatures the ability to be fruitful and multiply.
The first time the word brachah appears as a noun in the Torah is in Genesis 12:2, where the Most High tells Abraham that He will bless him and that Abraham himself will become a brachah—a blessing.
Later, we see Ya’akov take the brachah that belonged to Esau (Genesis 27:35–38). Once again, a blessing is presented as something that can be given from a father to his son. We see this practice again in Genesis 49, when Ya’akov blesses his sons.
Just as a father gives a blessing to his son, we can also see how Yehovah, our heavenly Father, gives His blessings to us here on earth:
Then I will command My blessing for you in the sixth year, and it will produce a harvest sufficient for three years.
Leviticus 25:21
In all these examples, we can see that a blessing, in the biblical sense, is intrinsically connected with the idea of giving something. In the last example, Yehovah gives an abundant harvest before the sabbatical year. In the case of fathers blessing their children, they passed on a portion of what they possessed—their inheritance—with the firstborn son receiving a double portion.
When we examine the Hebrew word brachah and look at its root, we encounter the word berekh (ברך), meaning “knee.”
Blessing can move in two directions. One is when a father blesses his son. The other is when we bless our heavenly Father. In this case, we bow the knee before Him, as illustrated in the following passage:
Solomon had made a bronze platform, five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the entire assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven.
2 Chronicles 6:13
Even today, many people kneel when they pray or bless the Eternal. Within Jewish tradition, bending the knees while reciting certain blessings remains an expression of reverence, preserving an ancient physical gesture of humility before the Almighty.
One Response
Thisnis a lot more than what is on the surface. Yehovah’s Word is like a. onion, it has so many layers! We just need to dig into it.