Words · Hebrew Words · Lesson 2, word 5 of 5
בְּרָכָהberakhah
Blessing: a gift of good, spoken or given.
Why this word is here. From creation's first blessing to the priestly blessing of Numbers 6, the word frames how God gives good to his world.
What it means
The lexicon range: blessing; the source of blessing; blessing as prosperity; praise of God; a gift or present; and even a treaty of peace. The verb barak means to bless, to kneel in praise, and to greet. Blessing is good that is conferred, by God's favour, often carried in spoken words and sometimes embodied in a gift.
In Genesis, blessing is God's engine of history: he blesses creatures, Sabbaths, Abraham, and through Abraham 'all the families of the earth'.
Where you meet it
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.”
Genesis 1:28 (BSB)
'God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply."' The first berakhah falls on human beings, joined to a commission.
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2 (BSB)
'I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you... and you will be a blessing (berakhah).' Abraham does not only receive blessing; he becomes one.
‘May the LORD bless you and keep you;
Numbers 6:24 (BSB)
Anchor verse 'The LORD bless you and keep you.' The priestly berakhah, spoken over Israel for millennia and still used to close services today.
Why it matters
Berakhah stops 'blessing' being a vague good wish. In the Bible, blessing is God's concrete favour moving through history toward people who then carry it to others. It also frames worship: to bless God (the same verb) is to return praise for the good he has given.
Watch out
The over-claim is the prosperity shortcut: 'blessing in Hebrew means wealth and success, so God owes believers both.' The lexicon range does include prosperity, but it also includes a present handed over and a peace treaty, and the Bible's own blessed people include prisoners (Joseph) and exiles (Daniel). Berakhah is God's favour, which takes the shape his purposes choose, not a guarantee of comfort.
In this lesson
- emet (אֱמֶת): Truth that is firm, reliable and faithful.
- emunah (אֱמוּנָה): Firmness, fidelity, steadfastness.
- teshuvah (from the verb shuv) (תְּשׁוּבָה): Return, turning back to God (the verb shuv carries this).
- kavod (כָּבוֹד): Glory, honour and splendour, God's visible majesty.
Sources
- Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906)
- Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible / STEP Hebrew data
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