Aaronic Benediction – Priestly Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Amen.


“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” [Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV]

One of the priestly duties was to bless the people in the Name of Yahweh (BeShem Yahweh).
Compare Deuteronomy 10:8, “At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh to stand before Yahweh, to serve him and to bless the people in his name until this day.” and Deuteronomy 21:5a. “Then the priests, the descendants of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh…”

Therefore, Numbers 6:24-26 is known as the Aaronic Benediction or the Priestly Blessing.

These words are reflected also in Psalm 67:1,2 as “God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us.”

Some Christians use this prayer as a blessing upon children.