Num 6:22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
Num 6:23 'Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: In this was thus shall ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them:
‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons.’ Since the task of blessing the people belonged to the priests, He directs His speech to them, handing down the form of blessing. Nevertheless, a father could bless his children, and elders others, as is evident in the case of Jacob, who blessed the sons of Pharaoh.
Thus shall you bless the sons of Israel. This passage beautifully portrays how highly the priests of the Lord are to be esteemed, through whom the Lord blesses us. But lest they themselves grow proud, thinking that they are the authors of the blessing, He adds: May the Lord bless you. Five things come to us from the blessing of the Lord. First, that He does good to us. Second, that He guards us. Third, that He directs us so that we do not fall into error. Fourth, that He has mercy on us. Fifth, that He looks upon us kindly and makes peace with us—though this can also be counted as a sixth benefit.
Num 6:24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;
‘May the Lord bless you and keep you.’ I have already noted (on Genesis 1) that for God to bless is to bestow benefits, whereas for man to bless God is to praise Him, and for one man to bless another is to speak good things to him.
Num 6:25 May the LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
‘May the Lord make His face shine upon you,’ that is, may He show you a cheerful and friendly countenance. For there are bright, joyful, and friendly faces. Indeed, the Lord seems, when He covers the sky with clouds, to hide His face from us and to be angry with us, as is clear in Genesis 9: ‘When I cover the sky with clouds, I will set my bow,’ lest you think that I wish to destroy the earth or wash it away by a flood.
There is another sense: May He illuminate, or make His face shine upon you, that is, may He direct you. For a lamp is accustomed to guide a man in darkness. This sense is explained in Psalm 66, where it is said: ‘May God have mercy on us and bless us; may He make His face shine upon us.’ And explaining what it means for Him to illuminate His face upon them, it continues: ‘That we may know Your way upon the earth, Your salvation among all nations.’ Thus, for God to illuminate or make His face shine upon someone is to make him know His way upon the earth, that is, His law or what must be done. This explanation seems more proper and more literal. Some explain it as: ‘Give us knowledge or understanding of Yourself,’ but the vision of the divine face was granted to no one at that time; therefore this sense does not seem as fitting as the second. Cajetan explains it as knowledge through faith.
Num 6:26 Nay the LORD lift up His face upon thee, and give thee peace.
‘May the Lord lift up His face upon thee,’ that is, may He show you a friendly countenance. For one who hates another lowers his face when he sees him, as we read of Cain: ‘Why has your face fallen?’ But if you do well, it shall be lifted up. One who loves, however, raises his face in order to see his friend. Hence it follows here: ‘And give you peace,’ as though explaining what was said before, so that lifting up His face toward someone is the same as making peace with him or being at peace with him.
This blessing can also be explained in another way, as though peace were being placed upon you or God were making Himself peaceful toward you. Thus: ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you,’ first, by guarding you from evils. ‘May He make His face shine upon you and have mercy on you,’ that is, may He look upon you as miserable in order to have mercy upon you. For the face of one who shows mercy is like light to one who is in the greatest misery, as though in darkness, according to that saying in Zechariah: ‘To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,’ and Isaiah 60: ‘Arise, be enlightened, Jerusalem.’ ‘May He lift up His face upon you and give you peace,’ that is, by granting it to you. And thus, in these three things, this blessing is summed up: in protection, in mercy, and in peace.
The Hebrews say that six things are required for this blessing. First, that it be spoken in the holy tongue. Second, that it be said while standing. Third, that the priests raise their hands. Fourth, that it be pronounced with a loud voice. Fifth, that they have their faces turned toward the people. Sixth, that it be done in the name of God, the Tetragrammaton (the ineffable divine Name, YHWH).
Num 6:27 So they shall put My name upon the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.'
‘They shall put My name upon the sons of Israel,’ that is, by invoking it so that I may bless them. And here that ineffable name, Jehovah, is placed. This invocation was made by saying, ‘May God bless you,’ or ‘I pray God that He may bless you and do you good.’ Thus in Genesis 48 you have concerning Jacob: ‘The angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys, and let my name be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.’ And I will bless them. The priests were thus ministers of the divine blessing.”
Do not consider it a small thing that the name of your God is invoked over you. Here you hear that God, in response to the invocation of His name, blesses His creature.
CONTINUE
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