– From the Latin bene dicere , it means pronouncing words of good omen, speaking well of someone, praising. Hence derive bendizer, bless, blessing. In the religious sense, it is the invocation of God’s grace on a person or, by extension, on an object.
– That’s how it appears in the Bible. People Blessings:
Gen 12 :3 : I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse.
Gen 22:18 : All the nations of the earth will want to be blessed like her, because you have obeyed my voice.
Gen 27,23-29,30-40 : And he didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s. And she blessed him.
Gen 48,13-20 : The angel who kept me from all evil, bless these boys.
Num 6,22-27 : This is how you shall bless the children of Israel: The Lord bless you and keep you!
Deut 33,1-29 : This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the Israelites before he died.
1 Kings 8:14-15 : Then the king turned to the assembly of Israel, who were still standing, and blessed them.
Ps 128 :8: “May the blessing of the Lord come upon you!” Nor, “We bless you in the name of the Lord.”
– And also blessing of creation and objects:
Gen 1:27 : He created him in the image of God, male and female he created him. God blessed them.
2Sm 6,18 : When these ceremonies were over, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
– Anthological are the blessings of Jacob; of Moses; of Aaron and the priests:
Gen 49,1-27 : Thanks to the Almighty, who blesses you with the blessings of the highest heaven.
Deut 33,1-29 : Your land is blessed by the Lord with the gifts of heaven and dew.
Num 6,22-27 : And so shall they invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
– In the NT, Jesus blesses bread and fish; children; he blesses the bread at the institution of the Eucharist. He exhorts his disciples to bless those who curse them and to pray for those who revile them. Before ascending to heaven, he blessed them again:
Mark 6:41 : Then he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up to heaven, he blessed them.
Mark 10:16 : Then he embraced them and blessed them, laying his hands on them.
Mk 14:22 : Jesus took bread and, after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them, saying: “Take, this is my body”.
Lk 6:28 : Bless those who curse you and pray for those who insult you.
Lc 24,50 : Then he led them to Bethany and, raising his hands, he blessed them.
