Numbers 6:22-27: The Blessing

It was an extraordinary discovery. While excavating a burial site at Ketef Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem, the archaeologist Gabriel Barkay spotted something that seized his attention. In the ground were two small, rolled plaques of thin silver. Unrolling them, Barkay was astounded to be holding a shortened version of Numbers 6:24-26, known as the Aaronic Blessing.  These plaques, dated from the late seventh century B.C., are the earliest written citations of Scripture.

Three times in the Aaronic Blessing the name of God is  mentioned, emphasizing the fact that all blessing comes from the LORD.  The blessing is phrased in the singular you, which means that it is a personal blessing, being communicated in a corporate setting. As we examine the Aaronic Blessing, let’s give praise to God, “from Whom all blessings flow.”