04/29/2020
priestly b e n e d i c t i o n //
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“The location of this (or pious wish) in this context indicates that one of the 's central tasks was to be a source of blessing for God's people. This blessing, like the preceding Nazirite , deals with the of Israel. As the nation prepared to move out toward the , God gave this benediction to the to offer for the of the people. God's will was to bless all His people, not just the Nazirites. The priests were the mediators of this blessing from God to the ...
“This is threefold, and each segment contained two parts. In each line of , the second part was a particular application of the general request stated in the first part. The first part hoped for God's action, that would result in the people's benefit in the second part. The three blessings were increasingly emphatic...
“The first blessing is the most general. God's ‘blessing’ is His poured out. The priest called on Him, not only to provide for His people, but to defend ("keep," guard) them from all (cf. Matt. 6:13). The second blessing is more specific. God's "face" is the revelation of His personality (i.e., Himself) to people. God's graciousness refers to the manifestation of His favor and grace in the events of life. The third blessing is the most specific. The priests, in pronouncing this blessing, would be calling on God to manifest His "power" for His people. Specifically, this would produce "peace" (Heb. shalom). "Shalom" does not mean simply the absence of aggravation; it is the sum of all God's blessings” (Dr. , Notes on ).
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“Each of the three clauses, in a different way, gives expression to God's commitment to —a commitment which promises earthly security, prosperity, and general well-being” (Philip J. Budd, Numbers, p. 77).
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“…the blessing concludes the section of text dealing with the bulk of Israel's priestly legislation, and, implicitly, that if these laws are kept, the blessing of God will follow” (Timothy R. Ashley, The Book of Numbers, pp. 149-50).
