Okay.  What does it mean to “bless” someone?  If you are “blessed”, what are you?? I have received many “blessings” in my life.  If so, then what did I get? As Christians, we spend a lot of time talking about blessings.  Especially in a church setting, being blessed is a very fashionable thing to discuss these days.

X:  “How are you doing today?”

Y:  “Oh, I’m blessed, brother!  How about you?”

X:  “My family and I are very blessed!  So many blessings!! God is good.”

But, do we really know what we are talking about?

Bless, Blessed, Blessing, etc.

In the New International Version, there are 389 conjugations, forms, or variations of the word “bless” –  301 in the Old Testament and 88 in the New Testament. Since we are dealing with an English language version of both Old and New Testament writings, we have three languages involved that need to be understood in context before we can truly comprehend what the word(s) means.

Can you say that in English?

Let’s start with our Bible, the English language versions.  In both the Old and New Testaments, when we mean bless, we use the term, uh, bless …duh.  Bless comes from an old English word, blēdsian or blētsian.  This comes from the root word blōd which means “blood”.  Since it’s only usage at the time of the original translation was in the context of pagan and Celtic rituals, the word meant basically “to mark or consecrate with blood.”  If you had a sword that you wanted to bless before battle, you might cut your hand and bleed on it a little to set your sword apart from other warriors’ weapons.  Yours would be special because it was marked with your blood.  Pagans were funny like that.

Some groups would slaughter an animal, maybe a pig or a goat, and consider that a blood sacrifice.  This ritual was to satisfy the powers that be.  If you killed off your best cow, maybe the Great Beyond would show favor on you in the coming battle, or with this season’s harvest. The “blessing” might be good rains leading to a bountiful harvest of food.

I find it intriguing that this particular word was selected by early English translators.  Have we been blessed by being marked or consecrated with blood? It’s kind of neat to think that a byproduct of word selection is to point out that we have been consecrated by blood.

The challenge here is that the original intent wasn’t to even reference a blood sacrifice.  Therefore, let’s dive into the words used in Biblical times.

It’s all Greek to me!

The term used in the New Testament Greek is makarios.  It means happy, fortunate, or well off.  When we think about being “blessed” in the current context, this Greek term is what we think of.  We are blessed to be a blessing. …But, the authors of the letters and books included in the New Testament were written by Jews that spoke either Aramaic or Hebrew.  The writings were in Greek, though.

Can I borrow your Aramaic dictionary?

The closest that I can find for a sounding of the Aramaic word for “bless” is brikh.  The true term is unknown, but it is thought to have connotations of prosperity in a spiritual sense.  Additionally, many think that it is based on the ancient Hebrew term that is detailed below …and similar in sound.

What about Latin?

Since many of our Biblical traditions and understandings have passed through the Latin Vulgate, an early translation of scripture into Latin, we need to bring up the latin term benedicere.  It means to worship or praise – assumably the Greater Power.  Again, not what us modern folk think of in reference to blessing.

So, what did the Israelites have to say about it?

This brings us to the Old Testament and the original Judeo-Christian concept of blessings.  The word is בָּרוּך. Roughly spelled out in English phonics, the word is barak, or barukh.  Since we are dealing with ancient Hebrew, not the modern language, we have to dig a little deeper.

The term used in non-Biblical contexts is similar to the word for knees, or to be brought to your knees, or more commonly to kneel.  Literally, it is to be brought closer to the presence of God Almighty. When you bless something, you bring it closer to God. When you are blessed, you are brought closer to God.  When you receive a blessing, you receive something or have an experience that brings you closer to God.

In this context, the whole concept makes a lot more sense.

How can a bad thing become a blessing?  You lose your job and later see it as a blessing?  You get cancer and discover that the journey has blessed you and your family?  From Matthew, how can being poor in spirit be a blessing?

To be blessed is to be brought closer to God.

When viewed in this light, it all makes sense.  Sometimes even seemingly good things can not necessarily be a blessing.  How many times have you heard of someone winning the lottery and it has ruined their lives?  If it doesn’t bring you closer to God, it is not a blessing. At the same time, something that seems terrible upfront might become an incredible blessing purely because it brings you to your knees and draws you into a closer relationship with your Lord and God.

Therefore, if you receive a great windfall, view it as a gift.  If it brings you closer to God, only then is it a blessing.