The Lord Bless You and Keep You - The Aaronic Benediction - Numbers 6:24-26 - Peaceful Sunrise (Nag's Head, North Carolina, USA) - Picture by Whitney V. Myers
This article describes 1) What is a benediction?, and 2) The Aaronic Blessing in Numbers 6:24-26.
Bible verse quotations below are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless noted otherwise (Ref. 1).
Consider. In your own words, how would you define or explain what is a benediction?
1. What is a benediction?
A "benediction" is a declaration of God's blessing, often used to close a worship service. The word "benediction" means to speak well of (Ref. 2).
2. The Aaronic Blessing
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
The Aaronic Blessing is the most famous benediction in the Bible (Ref. 5). It is called "The Aaronic Blessing" because the Lord commanded Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons (the priests) to pronounce this blessing over the Israelites (Numbers 6:22-23). The Aaronic Blessing confers God's protection, favor, grace, and peace on God's people. a. "The Lord bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24)
(1). The Lord is the source of all well-being and good gifts you need for life (Psalm 23:1 NIV, Ephesians 1:3, James 1:17). In Numbers 6:24-26, the Hebrew word for "the Lord" are the consonants, "YHWH," which the ancient Israelites pronounced "Yahweh" (Ref. 6).
(2). The phrase, "The Lord bless you," is saying "the Lord bestow divine favor on you" (Ref. 7). God's favor is grace, acceptance, and delight (Ref. 8). (3). The phrase, "The Lord ... keep you," is saying, "the Lord guard and protect you" (Ref. 9). The Hebrew word for "keep" [shamar] means to hedge about, that is, guard and protect (Ref. 9, Psalm 121:7-8). (4). The Aaronic Blessing uses a singular "you," not a plural "you," in all three verses (Numbers 6:24-26) (Ref. 10). The singular you signifies that God blesses us as individuals and that no one is overlooked. Believers in Christ are included as current recipients and beneficiaries of the Aaronic blessing because of what Christ has accomplished through his shed blood (Ephesians 2:12-14 NIV). b. "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you" (Numbers 6:25)
The phrase, "The Lord make his face shine on you," is saying, "the Lord direct the warmth of his personal presence and favor to you" (Topical Lexicon - Ref. 11). In Exodus 33:11 and 14 we see the same Hebrew word [panim] used for the Lord's "face" and the Lord's "presence" (Ref. 12).
The phrase, "The Lord ... be gracious to you," is saying, "The Lord ... bestow unmerited favor and kindness to you" (Ref. 13, Isaiah 30:18 NIV). c. "The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:26)
"Countenance" here in verse 26 and "face" in verse 25 are the same Hebrew word, panim (Ref. 12).
The phrase, "The Lord lift up his countenance upon you" says in a strong form that "the Lord will look directly to you in his full attention" (Ref. 14). The result of the Lord looking directly at us is that he gives us his peace. The Hebrew word in Numbers 6:26 for peace is the famous word, shalom [pronounced shah-LOHM] (Ref. 15). Shalom includes peace, completeness, welfare, well-being, safety, and prosperity (Lexical Summary - Ref. 15). Shalom is rooted in a harmonious, covenant relationship with God, secured by the LORD’s promises, and sustained by obedience (Topical Lexicon - Ref. 15). Shalom -- the peace and wholeness which comes from God -- forms the climax and conclusion of this wonderful benediction (Ref. 14).
Summary. The Aaronic Blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 is a three-fold priestly benediction where God promises to actively protect and bless [bestow divine favor on] his people. It invokes God’s presence [literally, God's "face"] to "shine" upon us and direct God's undeserved grace to us. Finally, it culminates in a blessing of shalom, granting a deep, divine peace that encompasses wholeness, security, and inner well-being.
References
1. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/ 2. https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=benediction 3. https://www.christurc.org/blog/2012/03/15/the-benediction-its-content-source-and-object 4. https://biblehub.com/greek/2127.htm 5. https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-most-famous-blessing-in-the-bible/ 6. https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=216366 7. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bless 8. https://www.scriptureway.com/home/the-meaning-of-gods-favor 9. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8104.htm 10. https://biblehub.com/interlinear/numbers/6-24.htm 11. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/215.htm 12. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6440.htm 13. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2603.htm 14. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/numbers/6.htm Pulpit Commentary - Numbers 6:26 15. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7965.htm
0 Comments
 Nags Head (North Carolina, USA) Sunrise with John 14:1 - Photo by Whitney V. Myers Consider. On the evening before his death, Jesus spoke with his disciples. Jesus told his disciples that he was about to leave them (John 13:33). Naturally, their hearts filled with sorrow (John 16:5-6). Jesus had already told his listeners who he is. "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58, Exodus 3:6, Exodus 3:14). As the remedy for their troubled hearts, Jesus asked his disciples to believe in him. The Greek word for "believe" is pisteuó, which means have faith in, trust in (Ref. 1). As the remedy for our troubled hearts, Jesus asks us to believe in him. Jesus asks us to trust him and to have faith in him. The remedy for a troubled heart is to believe in Jesus. To the father of the boy who was deaf, mute, and had seizures, Jesus said, "All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!" (verse 23 in Mark 9:14-29) To the woman who touched Jesus' cloak and was healed, Jesus said, "Daughter, your faith [your personal trust and confidence in Me] has restored you to health; go in peace and be [permanently] healed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34). To his disciples, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]" (John 14:27). Apply. Is something troubling your heart today? Will you choose to believe in Jesus? Listen. I encourage you to listen to Louis Armstrong's recording of the African-American spiritual song, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." To learn more about these topics, please go to the About the Way page:
|
Daily Bible Verse
(Published on my Bluesky account) AuthorMr. Whitney V. Myers. Christian. For more information, please visit the Author Page. Posting ScheduleI plan to provide new postings about once a month. Planned Topics
(subject to change) Recent Posts(most recent three months) Popular Posts(top 10) Categories
All
Archives
June 2026
|
RSS Feed
|
The ScriptureWay site provides Bible Teachings that point to Jesus. The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." -- Jesus speaking in John 14:6 
|
|
|
Copyright 2018-2026 Whitney V. Myers |