Hmmm. What is the 'Biblical' meaning of bless, blessed, blessing? (Was Re: Is Jesus' Spirit in You?)


"Rob Perkins" <rperkins@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:11gn4irlrp4cr75@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Gene Fuller wrote:
>
>>>God Bless,
>>
>>
>> He still does.
>>
>> BTW, doesn't the verb "bless" need an object? Who or what is it that you
>> are
>> asking Him to bless? Or is it more of a command?
>>
>> I mean no offense, but that expression sort of makes the hair stand on
>> the
>> back of my neck. <G>
>
> I took it as just shorthand for "God bless you", and I draw from my own
> study that "bless" has to do more with "say nice things about" or
> "predict something pleasant" than rearranging the universe for a person.
>
> And, just tangentially, I recall that a philosophy teacher whose class I
> once took at BYU equated prayer with learning how to issue commands God
> was willing to obey...


Actually, I usually take that "God bless" as you do, Rob, but it still makes
the hair stand on the back of my neck. It sounds to me sort of as if we want
to make a nice parting statement, but we don't want to spend much time on
it. Or it sounds sometimes as if we simply want to sound religious and
mention God, but have nothing much we want to say other than that. Again, I
don't mean offense. I speak of what I would think about what I had said, if
I said that. Of course the standard English "Goodbye" is close, but we all
know that it is essentially meaningless today, even though it may once have
been derived from "God be with you" or something close.

I shouldn't pick on someone's tag line, but they are just so convenient!
That one reminds me of how careless we are in so many ways. You know the
criticism of "Mormon Standard Prayers". We have certain things that we say
all the time. "We are thankful for this beautiful building we have to meet
in", possibly uttered in a prison prayer meeting. "We ask that those who are
not here this week may be here next week." Everybody in the whole world who
was not here this week? Where would we put them? "We are thankful for the
moisture thou hast sent", which was slightly less than a heavy due all the
way up to a 4 inch rain in a couple of hours. This is sort of like a bride
sending a thank you note for a wedding gift and personalizing it with "I
know that beautiful doo-dad will be used somewhere in our home for a long
time. It was what I had wanted." When it was a "dish mop".

But there is a good precedent, at least, for this expression. I used to
listen to Red Skelton on the radio around 60 years or so ago, and then on
his television show. I am not sure he always did, but in his later years, he
always signed of with "God bless".

I wonder what the use and derivation of the word is in Scripture. I will go
to my trusty (and I hope trustworthy) copy of the LDS Collectors library for
a few examples.

1st example, Matthew 5:44 -- hmmm must be the beatitudes. 44 But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Here is what the lexicon therein says was translated "bless"

eulogeo {yoo-log-eh'-o}
Greek: verb
Possible Definitions:
1) to praise, celebrate with praises
2) to invoke blessings
3) to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers; to ask God's blessing on a
thing, pray him to bless it to one's use, pronounce a consecratory blessing
on
4) of God, to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on;
favoured of God, blessed
eulogeo {yoo-log-eh'-o}
Greek: verb
from a compound of 2095 and 3056;
Translated as:
bless (43 times)
praise (1 time)
Total: 44 times
Strong's Number 2127

Hmmm. First meaning is close to what Rob said. It also sounds like what
happens at a funeral when a eulogy is read. I bet that is where the word
eulogy came from! <G>

Second meaning adds little. My grade school teacher told us not to use a
form of a word in the definition. Whoever wrote this must not have had "my"
teacher! Meaning number three adds very little, uses "blessing" again, as
well as "bless" but hints at consecrating, doesn't it? I guess if we want to
use meaning 4, the wording would be "May you be blessed of God" or some
such. Actually, when I reply "He already has" or "He always does", meaning 4
is about what I am talking about. Lets look at another example.

All of the examples I have found so far are translations of the same Greek
word I gave before. But not always the same meaning seems to apply. For
example in ! Corinthians 10:16, it appears that the 3rd definition fits
well.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood
of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of
Christ?

The Greek word for "blessing seems to be almost the same, but is a noun
form rather than a verb form.

eulogia {yoo-log-ee'-ah}
Greek: noun feminine
Possible Definitions:
1) praise, laudation, panegyric: of Christ or God
2) fine discourse, polished language; in a bad sense, language artfully
adapted to captivate the hearer, fair speaking, fine speeches
3) an invocation of blessing, benediction
4) consecration
5) a (concrete) blessing, benefit
eulogia {yoo-log-ee'-ah}
Greek: noun feminine
from the same as 2127;
Translated as:
blessing (11 times)
bounty (2 times)
bountifully (2 times)
fair speech (1 time)

How about the Hebrew and the Old Testament? Here is Genesis 12:3

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

All the occurrences of "Bless" including "blessed" comes from the same
Hebrew word.

barak {baw-rak'}
Hebrew: verb
Possible Definitions:
1) to bless, kneel
1a) (Qal)
1) to kneel
2) to bless
1b) (Niph) to be blessed, bless oneself
1c) (Piel) to bless
1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored
1e) (Hiph) to cause to kneel
1f) (Hithp) to bless oneself
2) (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) to praise, salute, curse
barak {baw-rak'}
Hebrew: verb
a primitive root;
Strong's Number 1288
Total: 16 times
Strong's Number 2129

I found "blessing" used as a noun in Gen 27:38:

Brakah {ber-aw-kaw'}
Hebrew: noun feminine
Possible Definitions:
1) blessing
2) (source of) blessing
3) blessing, prosperity
4) blessing, praise of God
5) a gift, present
6) treaty of peace
Brakah {ber-aw-kaw'}
Hebrew: noun feminine
from 1288;
Strong's Number 1293

In spot checking, I found "blessed" in Malachi 3

12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome
land, saith the LORD of hosts.

That one is from a different Hebrew word

'ashar {aw-shar'} or 'asher {aw-share'}
Hebrew: verb
Possible Definitions:
1) to go straight, walk, go on, advance, make progress
1a) (Qal) to go straight on, make progress
1b) (Piel)
1) to go straight on, advance
2) to lead on (causative)
3) to set right, righten
4) to pronounce happy, call blessed
1c) (Pual)
1) to be advanced, be led on
2) to be made happy, be blessed
'ashar {aw-shar'} or 'asher {aw-share'}
Hebrew: verb
a primitive root;
Strong's Number 833

I wonder how we can put more meaning into our prayers.

.

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