Interpretations on Ps. Blessing - Jesus Christ

St. Athanasius the Great

Describing all that He does in the economy of those who dwell on earth, He lifts up a song to Him, saying that He is the God of Israel, Who alone could perform these miracles. What are the miracles? Are they not those who destroyed the dominion of Satan, and delivered those who were subjected to their wiles from the torment of demons? Note, then, that none of what is said in the psalm befits Solomon, born of the wife of Urina, not a word: before the sun his name(Ps. 71:17), nor others: all the tongues will work for him(Ps. 71:11), nor the following: before the moon kind of birth(Ps. 71:5). And from all this it is clear that the psalm speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Interpretation of the Psalms.

Blzh. Theodoret of Kirsky

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who works wonders alone"; that is, the very One about whom the prophecy is spoken will also perform the miracles mentioned above. He is both the God of Israel and the Lord of all.

Evfimy Zigaben

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, work miracles alone.

Here the Divine David revealed here what was hidden. For he preaches Christ as the God and God of Israel, which means that Christ is the God of Israel, who worked miracles in ancient times for the forefather of the Jews, Israel. And one added not to distinguish the Son from the Spirit, but to distinguish from the false gods.

Athanasius says: What miracles did He do, if not those that abolished the power of Satan and delivered from the cruel power of demons subject to their influence? Unnamed: One is talking about the nature of St. Trinity, which is God, and not about her persons, of the same nature and consubstantiality.

Lopukhin A.P.

Art. 18-19 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, one who works wonders, and blessed is the name of his glory forever and ever, and all the earth shall be filled with his glory: be, be.

Blessed be the Lord forever!

The verses do not belong to the writer of the psalm, they represent the addition of the compiler of the collections of songs of the Psalter, which we meet at the end of each collection of psalms.

The psalm, as we have said, represents the image of that ideal of king and kingship, which Solomon drew for himself and to which he made efforts to possibly approach. But the famous, historical Solomon only began his reign in the spirit indicated by the psalm. There were no wars under him, the Jews enjoyed external contentment - each had his own vineyard and his own tent, as well as respect among foreigners; with his judicial decisions, he amazed his contemporaries and his name became known throughout the world. In the second half of his life, as you know, he even deserved condemnation from God. And in the essence of the ideal drawn here, the latter is unbearable for a person in general. The king is depicted as eternal (v. 5), his possessions are the whole earth and peoples (v. 8-11), his kingdom is the full embodiment, the realization of the world (v. 12 and). Such kingship can only belong to God. The ideal of the kingdom drawn by Solomon was realized in Jesus Christ, whose teaching is the teaching of love and forgiveness, His kingdom is the kingdom of peace and truth, and its purpose is to spread throughout the earth and forever.

The historical Solomon only partially, at the beginning of his activity, realized his ideal, which will be fully achieved and can only be achieved in the kingdom of Christ. Therefore, the entire content of the psalm has a figurative-Messianic meaning. Then the verse, in addition to the direct meaning already indicated by us, may have the following. Bare peaks can generally denote pagan peoples who, behind the falsity, did not have their own religions, neither the correct teaching about God, nor lofty morality, and almost did not have the righteous.

With their acceptance and assimilation of Christianity, they will have more of the latter than in Lebanon, i.e., among the Jews, which has actually already taken place, since the Jews did not accept the teachings of Christ, while the pagans readily followed and follow Him.

Gen 9:26 ... Then he said: blessed Lord God of Sims;
Gen 14:19 ... blessed Abram from the Most High God, Lord of heaven and earth;
Gen 14:20 ...and blessed God Almighty...
Gen 24:27 ...and said: blessed The Lord God of my lord Abraham,
Gen 26:29 ... now you blessed Lord...
Gen 27:33 ...he will be blessed...
Exo 18:10 ...and Jethro said: blessed Lord...
Numbers 22:6 ...I know who you bless blessed,..
Numbers 22:12 ...for he blessed...
Numbers 24:9 ... He who blesses you blessed and whoever curses you is cursed!
Deut 7:14 ... blessed you will be greater than all nations;
Deuteronomy 28:3 ... Blessed are you in the city and blessed on the field...
Deut 28:3 ... blessed you are in the city and blessed in the field...
Deut 28:4 ... blessed the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your ground,
Deut 28:6 ... blessed you at your entrance...
Deut 28:6 ...and blessed you on your way out...
Tue 33:20 ... blessed spreading Gad;
Deut 33:24 ... blessed among the sons of Asher,
Judges 17:2 ... His mother said: blessed My son is with the Lord!
Ruth 2:19 ...let it be blessed accepting you!
Ruth 2:20 ... And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law: blessed it's from the Lord...
Ruth 4:14 ... And the women said to Naomi: blessed Lord...
1 Samuel 15:13 ... then Saul said to him: blessed you are with the Lord;
1 Samuel 25:32 ... And David said to Abigail: blessed Lord God of Israel...
1 Samuel 25:33 ...and blessed your understanding, and blessed are you...
1 Samuel 25:39 ...and said: blessed Lord...
1 Samuel 26:25 ... And Saul said to David: blessed you, my son David;
2 Samuel 18:28 ...and said: blessed The Lord your God, who betrayed the people,
2 Samuel 22:47 ... the Lord lives and blessed my protector!
1 Kings 1:48 ...and the king said this: blessed Lord God of Israel...
1 Kings 2:45 ...but let Solomon be king blessed,..
1 Kings 5:7 ...and said: blessed Now the Lord...
1 Kings 8:15 ...and said: blessed Lord God of Israel...
1 Kings 8:56 ... blessed God],..
1 Kings 10:9 ...Let there be blessed The Lord your God...
1 Chronicles 16:36 ... blessed Lord God of Israel, from age to age!
1 Chronicles 17:27 ... For if You, Lord, bless, it will be blessed forever...
1 Chronicles 29:10 ...and David said: blessed You are the Lord God of Israel our father,
2 Chronicles 2:12 ... blessed The Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth,
2 Chronicles 6:4 ...and said: blessed Lord God of Israel...
2 Chronicles 9:8 ...Let there be blessed The Lord your God...
Ride 7:27 ... blessed Lord God of our fathers...
Ps 17:47 ...As the Lord lives and blessed my protector!
Ps 27:6 ... blessed Lord...
Ps 30:22 ... blessed Lord...
Ps 40:14 ... blessed The Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!
Ps 65:20 ... blessed The God who did not reject my prayer...
Ps 67:20 ... blessed Lord every day...
Ps 67:36 ... blessed God!..
Ps 71:18 ... blessed The Lord God, the God of Israel,
Ps 88:53 ... blessed Lord forever!
Ps 105:48 ... blessed Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!
Ps 117:26 ... blessed coming in the name of the Lord!
Ps 119:12 ... blessed You, Lord!
Ps 123:6 ... blessed The Lord, who did not give us a prey to their teeth! ..
Ps 134:21 ... blessed The Lord is from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem!
Ps 143:1 ... blessed The Lord is my rock...
Proverbs 5:18 ... let your source be blessed;..
Isaiah 19:25 ...saying: blessed My people are the Egyptians,
Jer 17:7 ... blessed the man who trusts in the Lord
Jer 20:14 ...the day my mother bore me, let it not be blessed!..
Dan 3:95 ... blessed God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
Zech 11:5 ...and those who sold say: blessed Lord;..

Mt 21:9 ... blessed Coming in the name of the Lord!
Mt 23:39 ...until you say: blessed Coming in the name of the Lord!
Mark 11:9 ... blessed Coming in the name of the Lord!
Luke 1:42 ...and blessed fruit of your womb!
Luke 1:68 ... blessed Lord God of Israel...
Luke 13:35 ... blessed Coming in the name of the Lord!
Luke 19:38 ...saying: blessed King coming in the name of the Lord!
John 12:13 ... hosanna! blessed coming in the name of the Lord, King of Israel!
1 Peter 1:3 ... blessed
Rom 1:25 ...Which blessed forever..
2 Corinthians 1:3 ... blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 1:3 ... blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1Mac 4:30 ... blessed You, the Savior of Israel,
2 Mac 1:17 ...In everything blessed Our God who betrayed the wicked...
2 Mac 15:34 ...and they said: blessed Who has kept His place undefiled!
3Mac 7:20 ... blessed Savior of Israel forever!
2nd ride 4:40 ... blessed God of truth!
2nd ride 4:60 ... blessed You, who gave me wisdom,
2nd ride 8:25 ... blessed the only Lord, the God of my fathers,
Jude 13:17 ... blessed You, our God,
Jude 13:18 ...and blessed The Lord God who created the heavens and the earth...
Tov 3:11 ... blessed You, O Lord my God,
Tov 8:5 ... And Tobiah began to speak: blessed Thou, God of our fathers,
Tov 8:15 ... blessed Thou, O God, with every blessing pure and holy!
Tov 8:16 ... blessed You who made me glad...
Tov 8:17 ... blessed You, who pardoned two only-begotten! ..
Tov 11:13 ...and wept and said: blessed You God...
Tov 11:16 ... blessed The God who brought you to us...
Tov 13:1 ... blessed God, who lives forever, and blessed his kingdom!
Tov 13:18 ...and they will praise, saying: blessed God,

Julia asks: How can an ordinary person, a creation of God, bless God? God is blessed and so, He is Holy. Does the person have the right to do so? because, as it seems to me, only God can bless people. If a person can bless God, are there any restrictions on this? Thank you.

Peace and joy to you from the Lord of heaven and earth!

To understand the meaning of the word "bless" when it comes from the mouth of a person and is directed to God, let's read some of the verses of the book of Psalms, remembering that we have before us an example of Jewish poetry, the main feature of which is parallelism in the expression of thought, i.e. the same thought can be expressed in different words and phrases:

With love in the Lord, blessed and exalted,
Sasha.

Read more on the topic "Words and phrases from the Bible":

1. Blessed are those who sow in the land of the Lord. Blessing can bring 100 times prosperity.

(Gen. 26:12-14) “And Isaac sowed in that land, and in that year he received a hundredfold barley: thus the Lord blessed him!”

2. Blessed are the believers (Abraham's seed)

(Gen.22:18) "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed the voice of God."

(Acts 3:25-26; Gal. 3:8-9; Ps. 28:11).

3. Blessed are those called of God.

(Gen.12:2,3) “Go to the land which I will show you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be blessed. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.”

4. Blessed are the righteous.

(Ps. 5:13; 1:1-3) “You bless the righteous, O Lord, with good will, as with a shield, you crown him.”

5. Blessed are those who are forgiven by God

(Ps. 31:1,2) “Blessed is the one whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

6. Blessed are those who trust in God

(Ps. 33:9; 39:4; Jer. 17:7-8.) “Blessed is the man who trusts in God! Blessed is the man who puts his hope in the Lord. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the waters and taking root by the stream; it does not know when the heat comes; its leaf is green, and in times of drought it is not afraid and does not cease to bear fruit.

7. Blessed are the merciful

(Ps.40:1; Pr.22:9; Luke.14:13; Deut.15:18) "The merciful will be blessed, because he gives to the poor of his bread."

8. Blessed are the chosen ones

(Is.44:1-5.) “... do not be afraid, beloved, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants.”

9. Blessed are the joyful

(Ps.89:16,17,53.) “Blessed is the people who know the trumpet call! They walk in the light of Your face, Lord; they rejoice in your name all day long, and in your righteousness they are lifted up.”

10. Blessed are those who learn from the Lord

(Ps.93:12) "Blessed is the man whom You admonish, O Lord, and instruct with Your law."

11. Blessed are those who come in the name of the Lord

(Ps.117:26) "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

12. Blessed are those who bring tithes and offerings.

(Mal. 3:8-12; Deut. 14:29.) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and though in this test Me, shall I not open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out bless you to excess?"

13. Blessed are those who will not be offended by Jesus.

(Mat. 11:6) "And blessed is he who is not offended by Me."

14. Blessed are the vigilant servants.

(Luke 12:37-38) "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake."

15. Blessed are those who fear the Lord

(Ps. 30:20.) "How many blessings do you (Lord) have in store for those who fear you."

16. Blessed are those who obey the Word.

(Deut. 7:12-13.) “If you obey these laws, and keep and do them, then the Lord your God will keep a covenant and mercy towards you, as He swore to your fathers, and will love you and bless you ".

17. Blessed are those who wander in the Lord and their descendants.

(Is.65:23; Mark.10:16; Gen.26:3,24; Prov.20:7; Prov.5:18). “Travel through this land; and I will be with you, and I will bless you: for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands…”

18. Blessed are those who bless God

(2 Sam. 22:47; Ps. 40:14; Deut. 10:8; Ps. 15:7; 62:5; 65:84102:1,2,20,21,22; 133:1-3; Ps .25:12;33:4;146:1,2,11). “I bless the Lord at all times; Praise be unceasingly in my mouth." “I bless You in my life; in your name I will lift up my hands."

19. Blessed are those who bless the persecutors, those who curse, those who offend.

(Matt.5:44; Luke.6:28; Rom.12:14; Jas.3:9) "Bless those who persecute you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you."

20. Blessed are those who bless food

(Mat. 14:19; Mark. 6:41; 8:7; 14:22,61). “Jesus blessed, and breaking it, gave bread to the disciples, and the disciples to the people.”

21. Blessed are those who give thanks to God for food and nourishment.

(Deut. 8:10) "And when you eat and are satisfied, then bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you."

22. Blessed are those who call on the name of God.

(Numbers 6:27) "So let them call my name (says the Lord) on the children of Israel, and I (the Lord) will bless them."

23. Blessed are those who obey God.

(James 1:25; Rev. 1:3; 22:7,14) "Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and enter the city through the gates."

24. Blessed are those who fight with the Lord.

(Deut. 15:4,10) "The Lord bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, that you may take it as an inheritance."

25. Blessed are those who glorify God.

(Ps. 67:1,6,7) “Let the peoples praise You, O God, let all the peoples praise You. The earth has given its fruit, God bless us, our God.”

26. Blessed are those who consecrate heights to God.

(Jer.31:23; Ezek.34:26) "I will give them and the surroundings of My hill a blessing, and I will send down rain in due time, it will be rains of blessing."

27. Blessed are the pious.

(1 Chronicles 17:25; 13:14; Prov. 3:33; 2 Sam. 7:29) "... And the Lord blessed the house of Abeddar and all that was in it." "God blessed the home of the pious."

28. Blessed are the blessing cities.

(Prov. 11:11; 10:22) "By the blessing of the righteous a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed."

29. Blessed are those who bless the people.

(1 Chronicles 16:2,36; 1 Kings 8:14,55; Ps.32:12) “Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord…” “David blessed the people in the name of the Lord.”

30. Blessed are those who receive the Lord's Supper.

(1 Corinthians 10:16) “The cup of blessing with which we bless, is it not communion with the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not communion with the Body of Christ?”

31. Blessed are those who pray in spirit and mind.

(1 Corinthians 10:16) “I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.”

32. Blessed are those who hear the Word

(Pr.10:7, Job.29:11) “The memory of the righteous will be blessed. The ear that heard me pleased me...

33. Blessed are the disciples of the Lord (Luke 6:20-23)

34. Blessed are the intercessors

(Ps.63) "Hear, O God, my voice in my prayer."

35. Blessed are those who seek unity with their brothers.

(Ps. 123:1,3) “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together (in unity)! It's like precious oil!"

We talk about blessings, ask for blessings in prayers, read about blessings in the Bible, and have you ever wondered what that really means? When everything is going well, in the right direction? Prosperity - health, wealth, and whatnot? God's favor? What exactly is this? We can easily agree that this is something very positive, but when we try to attach some definition to the concept of blessing, it suddenly seems startlingly dubious. As believers, we talk about blessing all the time, but is it possible that we don't know exactly what we're talking about?

The first time we encounter a blessing is in the Bible, in the very first chapter, and this helps us understand the essence of this amazing mystery;

And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. (Genesis 1:22)

This scripture is consistent with the idea of ​​prosperity - fruitfulness and multiplication. Then we see in verse 28:

And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

God blesses creation, and then he blesses Adam and Eve. But the blessing is a little different... Yes, in the blessing there is fruitfulness and multiplication, but also permission and power, to subdue and rule over the creatures. At the very end of the creation process, God creates Shabbat. This is also the first chapter in the Hebrew Bible because it is part of creation. And God bless Shabbat:

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, for on it he rested from all his works, which God created and created. (Genesis 2:3)

So what is the blessing now? In part, the model of blessing as multiplication and fruitfulness is destroyed here - what does it mean that God “blesses” Shabbat? He blesses him and makes him holy, because He is holy. This is His special day of rest, reflecting how God Himself rested after His creative work.

Definition of blessing

My friend Philip Little, a wonderful Bible teacher, defines blessing this way:

At its core, a blessing is a God-given power to make something or someone do what they were created and intended to do. The creatures were supposed to fill the earth and multiply - so God gave them His blessing - His power - to do this. Human beings also had to multiply numerically, but also to take care of the rest of creation. They were also given the power to do so. When it comes to Shabbat, God gives it His power to fully be the day it was meant to be - a holy day of rest and union with God.

What about when we bless God?

When we bless God (and every Jewish blessing first of all blesses God - BARUCH ATA ADONAI ELOHHENU MELECH HHAOLAM - Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe), we simply recognize Him as the full and sole source of all blessing. Through His power, we have everything we have and who we are.

What about blessing others?

When we bless others in the name of God, we are actually praying that God will send his blessing to them. When we bless someone, we ask God for His perfect will and purpose in that person's life. It is also a recognition that we cannot do this without His power. It is not only a matter of desire, but a matter of creation - to do the best for what we were created and designed to do. He tells us what to do in His Word, and His blessing is His power given to us to do it. He gives us His commands, and He is the only one who gives us the ability to be effective in obeying them.

Remember where the blessing comes from

We see this pattern of command and blessing very clearly in Deuteronomy 8:

“All the commandments that I command you today, try to fulfill, so that you may live and multiply, and go and take possession of the land, which the Lord promised with an oath to your fathers. And remember all the way that the Lord your God has led you through the wilderness for forty years now... For the Lord your God is leading you to the good land... And when you eat and are satisfied, then bless the Lord your God for the good land which He gave you."

Thus God gives command and blessing, and warns Israel against forgetting where the blessing came from:

“Take heed that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, and His laws, and His ordinances, which I command you today. When you eat and are satisfied, and build good houses and live in them, and when you have many herds and flocks, and you have a lot of silver and gold, and you have a lot of everything, then see that your heart is not haughty and you have not forgotten the Lord your God... and lest you say in your heart, “My strength and the strength of my hand have obtained this wealth for me,” but that you remember the Lord your God, for He gives you strength to acquire wealth, in order to fulfill, as now, His covenant, which He swore by an oath. confirmed to your fathers."

It is God who gives us the ability and strength to be fruitful and successful, and we need to make sure that we keep this in our minds. It is definitely not our hard work and luck, but God's blessing that has equipped us with everything we need to get to the point of success where we are now.

Don't miss the fun!

In addition, in this passage we see that the concept of multiplication is repeated several more times. This is an important part of the blessing. Everything that comes from God will always grow and increase. We trace it in the multiplication of families, flocks, herds and property. Blessing in relationships is considered here, as well as the economic aspect of blessing. Special attention is also paid to the blessing of the whole society, and this is very important to remember. We are not given blessings to accumulate for ourselves - first of all, we must honor and bless God, the source of all blessings; secondly, remember to be obedient to His commands, and His power gives us everything we need for this, and also to transfer His blessings to others.

God promised that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He was blessed to be a blessing as the people of Israel accomplished what God had always wanted to accomplish through this people - to bring light to all nations through the birth of the Messiah. In turn, He intended, in response to His shown mercy to all nations, to be a blessing to the Jewish people, also returning God's mercy to them. What did God mean by what Israel's return to Him would be? His people will reveal themselves as even greater wealth for the whole world! (Rom. 11:12) And we are very glad that you are joining in the blessing of the people of Israel!