What is a Blessing in the Bible?

The word “blessing” is used quite often in Christian circles. When life is going well, and we have an abundance of good things around us, we say that we are “blessed.”  We ask God to bless our lives, to send good things our way, and we thank him for his blessings.

But the word “blessing” isn’t just meant to signify something good in our lives.  We may be blessed with children, with a job that we love, with a roof over our head, with good food in our refrigerators… But blessings are so much more than that. They are more than just the good things that fall into our laps like manna from heaven.

When we look at the word “blessing” in the Bible, we can conclude that the different types of blessings in the Bible all have a certain number of common characteristics.

1. A blessing in the Bible is God’s favour poured into your life

2 Corinthians 9:8-10 says, “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

All good things come from God, and he promises to bless us with everything that we need: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).

2. A blessing has to do with your purpose in life.

It is God giving you the power to do what you were created to do.

In Genesis 1:22, God blesses the animals, saying “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

In the following verses, he blesses human beings, telling them to be fruitful and multiply, and to have dominion over the earth (i.e. take care of creation).  Finally, he blesses the seventh day (the Sabbath) and makes it holy, setting it aside as a day of rest.

In all these things, God is imbuing things with the power that he intended for them to fulfill their purpose.

3. A blessing is based on God’s promises and on his word.

We can pray for blessing in our lives and in the lives of others by praying Scripture back to God.  When we do this, we are taking Biblical truths and applying them to our lives and the lives of our loved ones.  When we bless someone, we impart life and hope into their lives.  We convey heaven’s perspective on who they are and where they are meant to go in life (their identity and their destiny).

In Hebrew, the word for blessing is barakah, which means “a transmittal of God’s favour.” To baruch is to kneel down by someone, to empower them to prosper and thrive, to do well, to succeed.

4. Blessings can be material or spiritual.

Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has already blessed us “in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

We are not just promised material blessings, our literal daily bread, but also spiritual blessings.  In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers that those who do not have the typical physical things that we would count as blessings are in fact blessed: Blessed are the poor, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs; blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted…

Blessings in the Bible do not only come in the form of children, jobs, houses, good food, and the like.  In fact, those things are quite secondary to the spiritual blessing that we receive in the form of inheritance of the Kingdom of God.  We are promised restoration, justice, mercy, and eternal life.  We are promised a life made whole and a relationship with God himself.  It is the spiritual blessings that heal us and heal our broken world.

5. Blessings have to do with God’s Kingdom

The common factor in all the blessings in the Bible is this: God’s Kingdom.  Blessings that we receive, whether material or spiritual, all have to do with the coming of God’s Kingdom, whether here and now in small glimpses, or eternally when God makes all things new (Revelation 21:5, Isaiah 43:19).  Blessings begin the process of restoration and they offer us a glimpse of God’s promise ultimately to renew and restore all things.

What is a Blessing in the Bible?

The word “blessing” comes from the Greek word eulogia, which means:

• praise (of God)
• fine discourse/polished language
• an invocation of blessing or benediction (i.e. an invocation of divine help, blessing, and guidance/ a prayer asking for God’s help, protection, and guidance)
• consecration
• a concrete blessing or benefit

We can find examples of all of these types of blessing in the Bible.  There are verses where the author speaks of blessing (praising) God, verses where Jesus is blessing (consecrating) bread and fish, verses where God bestows material blessings (benefits) on his followers, verses where God blesses creation and gives it the power to flourish, where God blesses the Sabbath as a day of rest, and blessings or benedictions where the author is evoking divine help, protection, and guidance.  There are also verses where Jesus speaks of those who are blessed, those who inherit the Kingdom of God. We can read these verses of The Sermon on the Mount (or The Sermon on the Plain in Luke) as the blessed receiving a concrete (spiritual) benefit: inheritance of the Kingdom.

What’s common to all these forms of blessing is that they have to do with God’s Kingdom. Blessings are little glimpses of the Kingdom, of the way that God created things and his original intentions for us, places where the divine order peaks through into our broken world.

We can see in the blessings of the Bible God’s promise of abundance, of healing, of mercy, justice, and peace.  We can see glimpses of restoration, of things as they ought to be, and things as they eventually will be forever.

We, as followers of Christ, are called to bring those blessings into the world, to point towards the Kingdom of God and to start building that Kingdom here and now, we are told to bring these glimpses of God’s Kingdom into the lives of others – even our enemies – and to pray for blessing over our own lives and the lives of those around us.

Jesus, after all, instructed us to pray: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done…”

23 Bible Verses about Blessing

This list of blessings in the Bible will give you an idea of what the Bible says about blessing and the different types of blessings we find there.

Ephesians 3:1: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Matthew 26:26: As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 

Mark 8:7: A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to distribute them. 

Hebrews 12:17: You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. 

Mark 11:10: Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David!
    Praise God in highest heaven! 

Luke 2:34: Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 

Luke 1:42: Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.

Luke 24:50: Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 

Leviticus 9:22: After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. 

Joshua 22:6: So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home. 

Hebrews 11:21: It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

Hebrews 6:7: When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing.

1 Peter 3:9: Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

Genesis 1:22: Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 2:3: And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

Revelation 5:12: And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
    to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and blessing.”

Revelation 7:12: They sang,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
    and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
    forever and ever! Amen.”

Ezekiel 34:26: I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.

Romans 12:14: Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

Luke 6:28: Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

Matthew 5:3-10: “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you  and give you peace.

Proverbs 16:20: Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

=> Want to read more about blessings to pray for your family? Read How to Pray a Blessing Over Your Child | 44 Biblical Blessings to Pray Over Your Child(ren) .