Blessing in the Bible

For blessing before eating, see PRAYER

See PRAYER

See THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER BEFORE TAKING FOOD

RESPONSIVE BLESSINGS OF THE LAW

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. ...

⇒Definition of blessing

For the responsive curses of the law, see CURSE

See CURSE

CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Also Exodus 20:6; 23:22; Leviticus 26:3-43; Deuteronomy 4:1,40; 5:10,29; 7:9,12-15; 11:26-28; 12:28; 15:4-5; 28:1-14; 29:9; 30:1-10,15-20; Joshua 1:8; 1 Kings 2:3-4; 3:14; 8:23; 9:3-9; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:7-8; 2 Chronicles 7:17-22; 26:5; 27:6; 30:9; 31:10; Job 36:11; Proverbs 3:1; 16:7; Isaiah 1:19; Jeremiah 7:3-7,23; 11:1-5; 12:16; 15:19-21; 17:24-27; 22:4-5,15-16; Zechariah 3:7; Malachi 3:10-12; Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13; Colossians 1:22-23; Hebrews 3:6,14; 6:11-12; 10:36; Revelation 2:10.

See FAITHFULNESS

See CONTINGENCIES

SPIRITUAL, FROM GOD

Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
Also Exodus 31:13; 33:16; Leviticus 21:8; Deuteronomy 33:25,27; 1 Samuel 2:4; Nehemiah 8:10; Job 23:6; Psalm 1:3; 18:1-2,28,32,35-36; 23:2-3; 27:14; 28:8; 29:11; 30:7; 31:24; 37:6,17,24,39; 52:8; 55:22; 61:5; 63:8; 66:9; 68:18,28,35; 71:16; 72:6,17; 73:23,26; 81:10; 84:5,11; 89:17; 92:12-14; 94:17-18; 105:4; 119:32,102; 132:15; 138:3,8; 144:1-2; 146:5; Proverbs 10:29; 16:6; Isaiah 1:25; 4:3-4; 6:6-7; 26:12; 28:6; 33:5-6; 40:11,29,31; 41:10,13-14,17-18; 44:3; 45:8,24; 54:17; 57:19; 58:8,10-11; Jeremiah 31:12,14,33; Ezekiel 16:14; Daniel 11:32; Hosea 6:3; 14:5-8; Habakkuk 3:19; Zechariah 10:12; 12:8; Malachi 3:2-3; 4:2; John 1:16; 17:11; Acts 20:32; Romans 9:23; 14:4; 1 Corinthians 12:6; 13:10,12; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 3:5; 5:5; 9:8; 10:4; Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 1:6; 2:13; 4:7,19; Colossians 1:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 12:10-11; James 1:17-18; 1 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 1:2-4; 1 John 1:9; 4:4; Jude 24.

See REGENERATION

See SANCTIFICATION

TEMPORAL, FROM GOD

Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Also Genesis 9:1-3; 22:17; 26:4-5; 28:20-21; 49:11-12,20,24-25; Exodus 15:26; 23:22,25-26; 34:24; Leviticus 25:20-22; 26:4-10; Numbers 10:29; Deuteronomy 1:10; 2:7; 4:4,40; 5:33; 6:2-25; 7:13-24; 8:1-10,15-18; 10:18; 11:12-15; 12:7,28; 15:4,6; 26:18-19; 28:7-8; 29:5; 32:13-14; Joshua 1:8; Ruth 1:6; 1 Samuel 2:7-8; 2 Samuel 7:8-9; 1 Chronicles 17:7-8; 29:12,14,16; 2 Chronicles 1:12; 31:10; Ezra 8:22; Nehemiah 8:10; Job 5:10; 12:23; 22:18; 37:6,10,13,16-17; 38; Psalm 21:3-5; 23:1,5; 34:10; 36:6; 44:3; 65:8-13; 68:6,9-10,19; 69:35-36; 81:13-16; 85:12; 91; 103:2-5; 104; 105:24; 107:35-38; 111:5; 113:9; 115:16; 127; 135:7; 136; 145:15-16; 146:5-9; 147:8-9,13-14; Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:13; 5:19; Isaiah 25:4; 30:23-26; 31:1-2; 33:15-16; 43:20; 48:21; 51:2; 55:10; Jeremiah 5:24; 10:13; 14:22; 27:4-6; 30:19; 31:35; 51:16; Ezekiel 36:28-38; Daniel 5:18; 6:20,22; Hosea 2:8; 11:3; Joel 2:21,23,26; Amos 4:7; Jonah 4:6; Zechariah 10:1; Malachi 3:10-12; Matthew 5:45; 6:26,30-33; 10:29; Luke 12:22-31; John 6:31; Acts 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 16:2; 2 Corinthians 7:6; 9:8-10; Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 2:7-9.

See GOD, GOODNESS OF

See GOD, PROVIDENCE OF

TEMPORAL, FROM GOD, EXEMPLIFIED

To Noah, at the time of the flood

Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

To Abraham

Genesis 24:1 And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

To Isaac

Genesis 26:12-24 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. 13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. 15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. ...
Also Genesis 26:28.

To Jacob

Genesis 35:9-15 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. ...

To the Israelites

In Egypt

Exodus 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

In the wilderness, supplying

Water

Exodus 17:1-7 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. ...
Also Numbers 20:10-11; Psalm 78:15-20; 105:41.

Manna

Exodus 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.
Exodus 16:31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
Also Numbers 11:7-9; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:23-24.

Quail

Numbers 11:31-33 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. 32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Also Psalm 78:23-30; 105:40.

To David

2 Samuel 5:10 And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.
1 Chronicles 14:17 And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.

To Obed-edom

2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.

To Solomon

1 Kings 3:13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
1 Chronicles 29:25 And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
Also 2 Chronicles 1:1.

To Elijah

Fed by ravens

1 Kings 17:2-7 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. ...

By an angel

1 Kings 19:5-8 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

To the widow of Zerephath

1 Kings 17:12-16 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. ...

Hezekiah prospered

2 Kings 18:6-7 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
Also 2 Chronicles 32:29.

Hezekiah restored to health

2 Kings 20:1-7 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. 4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ...

To Asa

2 Chronicles 14:6-7 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

To Jehoshaphat

2 Chronicles 17:3-5 And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; 4 But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5 Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
Also 2 Chronicles 20:30.

To Uzziah

2 Chronicles 26:5-15 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. 6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. 8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. ...

To Jotham

2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God.

To Job

Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Also Job 42:12.

To Daniel

Daniel 1:9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

TEMPORAL, PRAYER FOR

Genesis 27:28-29 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Also Genesis 28:3-4,20-21; 48:16; Deuteronomy 1:11; 26:15; 33:11,13-16,24; 1 Kings 8:35-50; 1 Chronicles 4:10; 17:27; Psalm 28:9; 36:11; Proverbs 30:8; Matthew 6:11; Romans 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:11; 3 John 2.

See AFFLICTION, PRAYER IN

See PRAYER

See PROSPERITY

TEMPORAL BLESSINGS, PRAYER FOR

INSTANCES OF

Abraham

Genesis 15:2-4 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

Abraham's servant

Genesis 24:12 And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

Laban

Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Isaac

Genesis 25:21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Hannah

1 Samuel 1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no rasor come upon his head.

Elijah

1 Kings 17:20-21 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
Also 1 Kings 18:42,44; James 5:17-18.

Ezra

Ezra 8:21-23 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.
Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
Also Nehemiah 6:9.