The Priests’ Blessing

According to Numbers 6:22–26, the priests are to bless the people in God’s name YHWH (rendered “the Lord” in the translation), that is, to call upon God to bless and protect the people. The occasions for this blessing are not specified, but other Torah passages (Deuteronomy 10:8; 21:5) mention that blessing the people in God’s name is one of the priests’ characteristic duties, indicating that it must have been a regular practice. Abridged versions of this blessing were found inscribed on two rolled-up silver amulets from sometime between the late First Temple and early Second Temple periods in one of the tombs at Ketef Hinnom in Jerusalem (see “Tombs from Ketef Hinnom Cemetery”). In the amulets, the blessing is accompanied by additional phrases referring to God as a helper who “rebukes the evil” and delivers people from it. The amulets were likely worn to protect their owners from harm during their lifetime, but the fact that they (like many other amulets in Israel) were found in a tomb suggests that they were intended to protect the owners in death as well. The opening lines of the first amulet also include a passage that is nearly identical to Deuteronomy 7:9. This is the oldest known extrabiblical quotation of passages also found in the Bible itself. The Priests’ Blessing continued to be used in later Jewish magical amulets and in parental blessings of their children on the Sabbath evening.