Many people will read or pray over others the following scripture verses in
Numbers 6:24-25:
“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace”
Our Heavenly Father instructed Moses to tell his brother Aaron as the High Priest/Cohen haGadol to give this blessing to the people of Israel.
Pronouncing this blessing over the people was not to be said just one time because His sons were to repeat this blessing over the children of Israel. Hebrew literature states clearly that the words,“his sons” is a reference to all the Levites or priests serving under Aaron the High Priest. Our Heavenly Father had a purpose for this blessing, it was more than an encouraging statement, there was something deeper in the words He gave them to say.
Initially we should look carefully at what it means to give a blessing.
In verse 23 it says; “On this wise shall you bless…”
The first 3 words “On this wise…” are not easy to understand and in Hebrew is just the one word: koh.
The Hebrew word koh follows a written command in many scriptures.
Strongs #3541 koh: thus, so, here, in this manner
Original Word: כֹּה
Part of Speech: demonstrative adverb; adverb
Transliteration: koh
Pronunciation: koh
Phonetic Spelling: (ko)
KJV: also, here, + hitherto, like, on the other side, so (and much), such, on that manner, (on) this (manner, side, way, way and that way), + mean while, yonder
NASB: thus, so, also, here, this, this is what, this way
Word Origin: [from the prefix k and H193 (אוּל – Mighty)1]
1. (properly) like this
2. (by implication, of manner) thus (or so)
3. (also, of place) here (or hither)
4. (of time) now
Here, Aaron and the Levites were commanded
to bless the people of Israel.
The word bless in Hebrew is barak and it has a very broad meaning.
It could mean anything from a simple greeting to actually imparting something tangible. E.g.
abundantly, altogether, at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, greatly, indeed, kneel (down), praise, salute, still, thank blessed, blesses, cursed, greet, abundantly bless.
Strongs #1288 barak: To bless, to kneel
Original Word: בָרַךְ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: barak
Pronunciation: bah-rahk
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-rak’)
In this case the Levites were to impart six tangible things from our Heavenly Father to the people.
In verse 24 (1) Bless you and (2) Keep You.
In verse 25 (3) Cause His face to shine upon you and (4) be gracious to you.
(5) Lift up His countenance upon you and (6) give peace to you.
What does it mean in verse 25…
The Lord make His face shine upon you?
In the Hebrew it is
“ya’er Yahweh panaw ‘eleka”
6437 panah/panaw: To turn, to face, to look, to prepare
Original Word: פָנָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: panah
Pronunciation: pah-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-naw’)
KJV: appear, at (even-)tide, behold, cast out, come on, X corner, dawning, empty, go away, lie, look, mark, pass away, prepare, regard, (have) respect (to), (re-)turn (aside, away, back, face, self), X right (early)
Literally it is translated:
Cause to shine Jehovah your face upon you.
The sentence construction here is rather strange.
Cause to shine – ya’er, is in a Hiphil future form.
What is difficult is that the Hiphil is related to the word ya’er’ not to penayan.
Clearly it is not
to cause your face to shine,
but
cause a shining of your face.
Is this the same thing?
Recall Moses face shone
when He had been in the presence of the Lord?
So maybe not, especially when we take a look at the words shine and face.
The word shine is from the root word avar.
This word does mean to shine, but its primitive original meaning it has the idea of a revelation of light or truth, in the way of a film over the eyes being removed. A type of spiritual blindness, similar to Shaul/Paul who after prayer something like scales fell from his eyes; and he was able to see the truth having been both physically and spiritually blind.
So could we say it this way?
YHVH/Heavenly Father cause the revelation of light or truth to be seen on His face and such revelation and truth be upon you.
In Hebrew the word face is panah.
Panah has the idea of approaching, turning, front, hence face.
6437 panah: To turn, to face, to look, to prepare
Original Word: פָנָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: panah
Pronunciation: pah-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-naw’)
KJV: appear, at (even-)tide, behold, cast out, come on, X corner, dawning, empty, go away, lie, look, mark, pass away, prepare, regard, (have) respect (to), (re-)turn (aside, away, back, face, self), X right (early)
NASB: turned, turn, facing, looked, look, clear, faces
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to turn
2. (by implication) to face, i.e. appear, look, etc
