May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. When Rebekah left her family to become Isaac’s wife (Genesis 24:60), her family blessed her by saying “may you increase to thousands upon thousands may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.” When Isaac was ready to die, he pronounced this blessing on his son, Jacob: “May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness- an abundance of grain and new wine.

God is not the only one who pronounces blessings. In Genesis 22:16-18, God again blesses Abram, and adds that blessing is due to his obedience to God’s commands. The blessings here are plainly associated with happiness and welfare, both for Abram and others. When God called Abram to go to the Promised Land (Genesis 12:1-3), He promised to bless him, make his name great, and through him, to bless all the families of the earth. Likewise, in verse 28, God gave the similar blessing to Adam and Eve, adding that they were to exercise dominion over creation. Genesis 1:22 is the first occurrence, when God blessed the sea creatures and birds, telling them to be fruitful and multiply in the earth.

A blessing, according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is “the act or words of one that blesses,” or “a thing conducive to happiness or welfare.” In the Bible, there are several words that are usually translated as “blessing” or “bless.” The Hebrew word most often translated “bless” is barak, which can mean to praise, congratulate, or salute, and is even used to mean a curse.

Blessing of the old god