The act of giving approval or good wishes to someone.
Key References
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.
And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.
All Scripture References (65)
Genesis (12)
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.
What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.”
But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
So Esau declared, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.
by the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with blessings of the breasts and womb.
The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince of his brothers.
These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
Exodus (1)
Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”
Leviticus (1)
But I will send My blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years.
Deuteronomy (12)
See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse—
a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today,
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,
Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.
You are not to seek peace or prosperity from them as long as you live.
And all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the LORD your God:
The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.
“When all these things come upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God has banished you,
I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
Concerning Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”
Joshua (2)
Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
“Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
Judges (1)
“Give me a blessing,” she answered. “Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs.
1 Samuel (2)
Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you.
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
2 Samuel (1)
Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
2 Kings (2)
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
2 Chronicles (1)
On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they blessed the LORD. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
Nehemiah (2)
Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).
Job (1)
The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
Psalms (9)
He asked You for life, and You granted it—length of days, forever and ever.
For the king trusts in the LORD; through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be shaken.
He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation.
They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
May none who pass by say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore.
Proverbs (8)
Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
Isaiah (4)
In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the earth.
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
This is what the LORD says: “As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’ so I will act on behalf of My servants; I will not destroy them all.
Ezekiel (2)
I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.
The best of all the firstfruits and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.
Joel (1)
Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him—grain and drink offerings for the LORD your God.
Zechariah (1)
As you have been a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands be strong.”
Malachi (2)
If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.
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.