Blessing

A blessing is God's favor and goodness given to people, or spoken words that ask for or declare that favor; people also bless God and bless others.

The blessing of Abraham

• Genesis 12:2-3
  ²And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: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. ³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
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• Genesis 22:17-18
  ¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. ¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
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• Galatians 3:14
  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
  Show context · Read Galatians 3 →

Spoken blessings

• Numbers 6:24-26
  ²⁴The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:‘May the LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’
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• Genesis 27:27-29
  ²⁷And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. ²⁸Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth— an abundance of grain and new wine. ²⁹Let 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.May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
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• Genesis 48:15-16
  ¹⁵And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, ¹⁶The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
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• 2 Corinthians 13:14
  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
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• Hebrews 13:20-21
  ²⁰Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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Blessed is the man

• Psalm 1:1-3
  ¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. ³And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.
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• Psalm 32:1-2
  ¹Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ²Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.Blessed is the man whose iniquity the LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no deceit.
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• Jeremiah 17:7-8
  ⁷Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. ⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce fruit.
  Show context · Read Jeremiah 17 →
• James 1:12
  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
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Blessings and obedience

• Deuteronomy 11:26-28
  ²⁶Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— ²⁷A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, ²⁸And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
  Show context · Read Deuteronomy 11 →
• Deuteronomy 28:1-2
  ¹And 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:“Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ²And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
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• Malachi 3:10
  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.
  Show context · Read Malachi 3 →
• Luke 11:28
  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
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Spiritual blessings in Christ

• Ephesians 1:3
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
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• Romans 4:7-8
  ⁷Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered. ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
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Blessing God and others

• Psalm 103:1-2
  ¹Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name. ²Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—
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• Psalm 34:1
  I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
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• Luke 6:28
  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
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• Romans 12:14
  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
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• 1 Peter 3:9
  Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
  Show context · Read 1 Peter 3 →

See also

• Thankfulness
• Praise
• Covenant
• Beatitudes
• Obedience

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.