Numbers 6:24

Num 6:24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

Ver. 24. The Lord bless thee.] Here some observe the mystery of the holy Trinity. See it explained in 2Co 13:14.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Num 6:24-26. The Lord bless thee — Bestow upon you all manner of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Keep thee — That is, continue his blessings to thee, and preserve thee in and to the use of them; keep thee from sin, and its bitter effects. Shine upon thee — Alluding to the shining of the sun upon the earth, to enlighten, and warm, and renew the face of it. The Lord love thee, and make thee know that he loves thee. We cannot but be happy, if we have God’s love; and we cannot but be easy, if we know that we have it. Lift up his countenance — That is, look upon thee with a cheerful and pleasant countenance, as one that is well pleased with thee and thy services. Peace — Peace with God, with thy own conscience, and with all men; all prosperity is comprehended under this word.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6:24-26 Psalm 67:1 contains an abbreviated version of this benediction, much like one inscribed on a silver amulet excavated at Ketef Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem’s Old City. On a second, larger silver amulet from the same tomb, the complete benediction was inscribed in words almost identical to those here. In the days of the Second Temple (from Ezra to the time of Jesus), priests pronounced a blessing at each day’s sacrifice or at the end of services. This blessing is still used in Jewish and Christian liturgy as a way of seeking divine blessing (as in 6:27).

6:24 The blessings sought in the first half of this verse include health, wealth, and fertility, while the protection mentioned in the second half was needed for all manner of dangers. This supplication is echoed in the language of Pss 121:3-8; 140:4; and 141:9. These heartfelt appeals are still good models for prayer and for the blessings that God’s people can seek for all humanity. The entire poem draws attention to the Lord as the source of all good things.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 24. The Lord bless thee] There are three forms of blessing here, any or all of which the priests might use on any occasion. The following is a verbal translation: -

1. May Jehovah bless thee and preserve thee!

2. May Jehovah cause his faces to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee!

3. May Jehovah lift up his faces upon thee, and may be put prosperity unto thee!

This is a very comprehensive and excellent prayer, and may be paraphrased thus: -

1. May God speak good unto thee, by giving thee his excellent promises! (See Clarke on Ge 2:3.) May he preserve thee in the possession of all the good thou hast, and from all the evil with which thou art threatened!

2. May the Holy Trinity illuminate thy heart, giving thee the true knowledge of thyself and of thy Maker; and may he show thee his graciousness in pardoning thy sins, and supporting thy soul!

3. May God give thee communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit, with a constant sense of his approbation; and grant thee prosperity in thy soul, and in all thy secular affairs!

This I suppose to be the spirit and design of this form of benediction. Others will doubtless interpret it after their manner. Several wise and learned men believe that the mystery of the Holy Trinity is not obscurely hinted at in it. God the FATHER blesses and keeps his followers. God the SON is gracious unto sinners in remitting their offences, which he died to blot out. God the HOLY SPIRIT takes of the things which are Christ's, and shows them unto genuine Christians, and diffuses the peace of God in their hearts. In a word, Christ, the gift of the Father by the energy of the Holy Spirit, came to bless every one of us by turning us away from our iniquities.

1. EVERY genuine Christian is a true Nazarite. He is separated from the world, and dedicated solely to the service of God.

2. His life is a life of self-denial; he mortifies and keeps the flesh in obedience to the Spirit.

3. All this enters into the spirit of his baptismal vow; for in that he promises to renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh-to keep God's holy word and commandments, and to walk in the same all the days of his life.

4. The person who is faithful has the blessing of God entailed upon him. Thus shall ye bless the children of Israel, &c., &c. See Clarke on Nu 6:5 and "Nu 6:7".

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Lord make his face to shine upon thee,.... Cause himself, the sun of righteousness, to arise and shine upon them, and give both spiritual light and heat unto them; grant his gracious presence, the manifestations of himself, communion with him, clearer discoveries of his love, of interest in him, and an increase of spiritual light and knowledge of his Gospel, and the truths of it, and of his mind and will:

and be gracious unto thee; by granting larger measures of grace out of his fulness, by leading more abundantly into it, and making fresh and frequent applications of it; grace is often wished for from Christ as well as from the Father.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Bless thee, i.e. bestow upon you all manner of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Compare Gen 12:2.

Keep thee, i.e. continue his blessings to thee, and preserve thee in and to the use of them; keep thee from sin and its bitter effects.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

24. Bless thee — This priestly benediction touchingly individualizes the whole congregation by the use of the singular pronoun. “He calleth his own sheep by name.”

And keep thee — The Targum adds, “from demons of the night, and things that cause terror, and from demons of the noon and of the morning, and from malignant spirits and phantoms.” The addition is quite human. The keeping power of God, exercised toward his children amid peril, is a source of wonderful comfort and confidence. The blended agency of God and the believer in this keeping is beautifully expressed by St. Peter — “Kept by the power of God through faith” (1Pe_1:5) — while the inheritance is also “reserved” or kept “in heaven for you.” In this keeping free agency is not violated. See Joh_17:12, note.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 24-26. The Lord,... the Lord,... the Lord. Are we to see in this threefold use of the Divine name a shadowing forth of the Holy Trinity? It is obvious that it cannot be proved, and that it would not even have suggested any such idea to the priest who gave, or to the people who received, the benediction. To them the threefold form merely added beauty and fullness to the blessing. (cf. Ecc_4:12) But that is not the question. The real question is whether the Old Testament was written for our sakes, (1Co_9:10 1Co_10:11 2Ti_3:15, 2Ti_3:16) and whether the God of the Jews was indeed the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Joh_5:17 Joh_8:54) If so, it is not possible for us to avoid seeing in this benediction a declaration of the threefold Being of God, and it is not possible to avoid believing that he meant us to see such a declaration, veiled indeed from the eyes of the Jew, but clear enough to the Christian. For a somewhat similar case compare Isa_6:3 Rev_4:8.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Bless thee - Bestow upon you all manner of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Keep thee - That is, continue his blessings to thee, and preserve thee in and to the use of them; keep thee from sin and its bitter effects.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

יברכך [THE LORD] BLESS THEE — that thy property may increase (Sifrei Bamidbar 40).

וישמרך AND MAY HE GUARD THEE — that no robbers come upon thee to take away thy property. For a human being who gives a present to his servant cannot guard him against everybody, and if a band of robbers attack him and take it away, what pleasure can he, then, derive from this present?! The Holy One, blessed be He, however, both gives and guards — against everybody (Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 10). Many Midrashic interpretations are given of this verse in the Sifrei (Sifrei Bamidbar 40).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

THE ETERNAL BLESS THEE, AND KEEP THEE. By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the meaning thereof is because “the blessing” comes from on High [downward], and the meaning of shmirah [“keeping” — and He ‘keep’ thee] is that you should “keep” it, like Remember [the Sabbath-day], and ‘Shamor’ (Keep) the Sabbath-day. Furthermore, the Great Name will make His countenance that watches over you shine [upon you]. And so did the Rabbis say in the Sifre: 41. “Rabbi Nathan says: [The Eternal make His countenance shine upon thee.] This is a reference to the light of the Divine Presence.” And He be gracious unto thee, that you may find favor in His sight, similar to that which the Rabbis have said [that when G-d completed the creation of the world He said]: “My world! My world! Would that you will find favor in My sight all the time [as at this moment]!” Furthermore, the Eternal lift up His countenance to the heavens above and give thee peace — all in your house. And so the Rabbis said in the Sifre: 42. “[And He give thee peace.] Rabbi Nathan said: This is a reference to the peace of the kingdom of David.” So shall they put My Great Name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them, for it is I that speaketh, behold, here I am, and peace.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

May Hashem bless you. This refers to an increase in life and wealth.

And protect you. This means that Hashem should protect this increase that it not be stolen.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.