The Blessing (Numbers 6:22-27)

YHWH bless you,
and keep you.
YHWH shine His face upon you,
and be gracious to you.
YHWH lift His countenance on you,
and give you peace.

God instructs the priests to bless the congregation every day with the above blessing. It is a beautiful and powerful reminder of God’s love for His people.

First, the blessing—announced to the community of the whole people—is addressed in the singular “you”. It is a blessing for all the people, but it is declared to each and every individual.

Second, consider the words:

“Bless” literally means “to kneel,” but the sense is to benefit and favor. I think the kneeling imagery is relevant though, still.

“Keep” is to protect, to watch over.

So, the blessing begins with God declaring that He will protect, watch over, and benefit YOU.

“Shine His face upon you” conveys the imagery of God looking you right in the face. Consider a father looking his child in the face and smiling at you with love all over that face. That is the imagery here.

“Lift His countenance on you.” Why would the blessing say that God should “lift” His countenance, His face? Picture again the idea of a father and his child. He gets down on the ground, at the kid's level. He picks the kid up in his hands and raises them up with that smiling face lifted up towards the child.

I like to think that this is the message that the blessing is conveying. God is a loving father, delighting in His children, while also watching over them and blessing them.