BLESSING

Referring both to God and to man. When God blesses, he bestows that efficacy which renders his blessing effectual. His blessings are either temporal or spiritual, bodily or mental; but in every thing they really convey the good which they import, Nu 6:23-27. The blessings of men to other men, unless they be inspired prophecies, as in Ge 32:32 De 33:1 1:1-29, are only good wishes, personal or official, and as it were a peculiar kind of prayer to the Author of all good for the welfare of the subject of them. Blessing, on the part of man towards God, is an act of thanks-giving for his mercies, Ps 103:1; or rather, for that special mercy which at the time occasions the act of blessing: as for food, for which thanks are rendered to God, or for any other good, Ps 116:13 1Co 10:16.

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BLESSING. → For blessing before eating, see PRAYER → See THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER BEFORE TAKING FOOD → See also BENEDICTIONS → RESPONSIVE BLESSINGS OF THE LAW De 28:1-14
* For the responsive curses of the law, see CURSE

→ CONTINGENT UPON OBEDIENCE Ex 15:26; 19:5; 20:6; 23:22; Le 26:3-43; De 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; Jos 1:8; 1Ki 2:3,4; 3:14; 8:23; 9:3-9; 1Ch 22:13; 28:7,8; 2Ch 7:17-22; 26:5; 27:6; 30:9; 31:10; Job 36:11; Pr 3:1; 16:7; Isa 1:19; Jer 7:3-7,23; 11:1-5; 12:16; 15:19-21; 17:24-27; 22:4,5,15,16; Zec 3:7; Mal 3:10-12; Mt 10:22; 24:13; Mr 13:13; Col 1:22,23; Heb 3:6,14; 6:11,12; 10:36; Re 2:10
* See FAITHFULNESS
* See CONTINGENCIES

→ SPIRITUAL, FROM GOD Ge 49:24; Ex 15:2; 31:13; 33:16; Le 21:8; De 33:25,27; 1Sa 2:4; Ne 8:10; Job 23:6; Ps 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; Pr 10:29; 16:6; Isa 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; Jer 31:12,14,33; Eze 16:14; Da 11:32; Ho 6:3; 14:5-8; Hab 3:19; Zec 10:12; 12:8; Mal 3:2,3; 4:2; Joh 1:16; 17:11; Ac 20:32; Ro 9:23; 14:4; 1Co 12:6; 13:10,12; 15:10; 2Co 1:21,22; 3:5; 5:5; 9:8; 10:4; Eph 3:20; Php 1:6; 2:13; 4:7,19; Col 1:11,12; 1Th 5:24; Heb 12:10,11; Jas 1:17,18; 1Pe 1:5; 2Pe 1:2-4; 1Jo 1:9; 4:4; Jude 1:24
* See REGENERATION
* See SANCTIFICATION

→ TEMPORAL, FROM GOD Ge 1:30; 8:22; 9:1-3; 22:17; 26:4,5; 28:20,21; 49:11,12,20,24,25; Ex 15:26; 23:22,25,26; 34:24; Le 25:20-22; 26:4-10; Nu 10:29; De 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; Jos 1:8; Ru 1:6; 1Sa 2:7,8; 2Sa 7:8,9; 1Ch 17:7,8; 29:12,14,16; 2Ch 1:12; 31:10; Ezr 8:22; Ne 8:10; Job 5:10; 12:23; 22:18; 37:6,10,13,16,17; 38:1-41; Ps 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; 91:1-16; 103:2-5; 104:1-35; 105:24; 107:35-38; 111:5; 113:9; 115:16; 127:1-5; 135:7; 136:1-26; 145:15,16; 146:5-9; 147:8,9,13,14; Ec 2:24; 3:13; 5:19; Isa 25:4; 30:23-26; 31:1,2; 33:15,16; 43:20; 48:21; 51:2; 55:10; Jer 5:24; 10:13; 14:22; 27:4-6; 30:19; 31:35; 51:16; Eze 36:28-38; Da 5:18; 6:20,22; Ho 2:8; 11:3; Joe 2:21,23,26; Am 4:7; Jon 4:6; Zec 10:1; Mal 3:10-12; Mt 5:45; 6:26,30-33; 10:29; Lu 12:22-31; Joh 6:31; Ac 14:17; 1Co 2:9; 16:2; 2Co 7:6; 9:8-10; Php 4:19; 2Pe 2:7-9
* See GOD, GOODNESS OF
* See GOD, PROVIDENCE OF

→ TEMPORAL, FROM GOD, EXEMPLIFIED
* To Noah, at the time of the flood Ge 7:1
* To Abraham Ge 24:1
* To Isaac Ge 26:12-24,28
* To Jacob Ge 35:9-15
* To the Israelites

In Egypt Ex 11:3 In the wilderness, supplying
* Water Ex 17:1-7; Nu 20:10,11; Ps 78:15-20; 105:41
* Manna Ex 16:14,31; Nu 11:7-9; Ne 9:15; Ps 78:23,24
* Quail Nu 11:31-33; Ps 78:23-30; 105:40
* To David 2Sa 5:10; 1Ch 14:17
* To Obed-edom 2Sa 6:11
* To Solomon 1Ki 3:13; 1Ch 29:25; 2Ch 1:1
* To Elijah

Fed by ravens 1Ki 17:2-7 By an angel 1Ki 19:5-8
* To the widow of Zerephath 1Ki 17:12-16
* Hezekiah prospered 2Ki 18:6,7; 2Ch 32:29
* Hezekiah restored to health 2Ki 20:1-7
* To Asa 2Ch 14:6,7
* To Jehoshaphat 2Ch 17:3-5; 20:30
* To Uzziah 2Ch 26:5-15
* To Jotham 2Ch 27:6
* To Job Job 1:10; 42:10,12
* To Daniel Da 1:9

→ TEMPORAL, PRAYER FOR Ge 27:28,29; 28:3,4,20,21; 48:16; De 1:11; 26:15; 33:11,13-16,24; 1Ki 8:35-50; 1Ch 4:10; 17:27; Ps 28:9; 36:11; Pr 30:8; Mt 6:11; Ro 1:10; 1Th 3:11; 3Jo 1:2
* See AFFLICTION, PRAYER IN
* See PRAYER
* See PROSPERITY

→ TEMPORAL BLESSINGS, PRAYER FOR
* INSTANCES OF
* Abraham Ge 15:2-4
* Abraham's servant Ge 24:12
* Laban Ge 24:60
* Isaac Ge 25:21
* Hannah 1Sa 1:11
* Elijah 1Ki 17:20,21; 18:42,44; Jas 5:17,18
* Ezra Ezr 8:21-23
* Nehemiah Ne 1:11; 2:4; 6:9

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blessing. Blessing, n. a good wish, divine favor, gift, enjoyment

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Bless″ing, n. [[AS. bletsung. See Bless, v. t.]] 1. 1. The act of one who blesses.
2. 2. A declaration of divine favor, or an invocation imploring divine favor on some or something; a benediction; a wish of happiness pronounces.
This is the blessing, where with Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel. Deut. xxxiii. 1. 3. 3. A means of happiness; that which promotes prosperity and welfare; a beneficent gift.
Nature's full blessings would be well dispensed. Milton. 4. 4. (Bib.) A gift. Gen. xxxiii. 11.
5. 5. Grateful praise or worship.