Numbers 6:24-26 is the priestly blessing that God told Moses to give the people of Israel through Aaron and his sons. It asks the LORD to bless, guard, favor, and give peace to his people, and it is the oldest set of words in the Bible that the church still speaks over congregations today.
The blessing sits in the book of Numbers, in a section of Israel’s law about priests, offerings, and the Nazirite vow. It appears as God’s instruction for how the priests should send the people off, and it closes with God’s promise to put his name on them and bless them himself.
24 ‘The LORD bless you, and keep you. 25 The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. 26 The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’
Numbers 6:24-26 (WEB)
Numbers 6:24-26 Summary
The blessing has three lines, and each one is longer than the last. The first asks that God bless and keep. The second asks that his face shine on the people and that he be gracious to them. The third asks that he lift up his face toward them and give them peace. Each line builds on the one before, moving from protection to favor to a settled, whole peace.
Notice the repetition of “The LORD” at the start of every line. The name is repeated three times, which places God himself at the center of the words. The priests are not offering their own wishes. They are speaking what God has already said he will do, and the people are meant to hear it as God’s own word over them.
Context of Numbers 6:24-26
Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses. It records Israel’s journey from Sinai toward the promised land, and it is full of instructions, census counts, and stories of both faithfulness and rebellion. The blessing comes in the middle of a passage about priestly duties and the Nazirite vow, a special commitment to separation for the LORD.
The verses just before the blessing describe the Nazirite’s offering, and the verse right after it, Numbers 6:27, has God promise that he will put his name on the people and bless them. So the blessing is framed as a divine act, not simply a human custom. The audience is the community of Israel, who would hear these words spoken by the priests at the edge of their worship and their daily life.
Numbers 6:24-26 Verse by Verse
Psalm 121:7-8
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil. He will keep your soul. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forward, and forever more.
(WEB)
This psalm shows the same concern for protection found in the blessing’s word keep. It promises that the LORD will guard your life and watch over your going out and your coming in, which mirrors the request for God to keep his people from harm.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
(WEB)
Paul connects God’s peace to a guarded heart and mind, which echoes the third line of the Aaronic blessing. The peace described here is the same whole, settled peace that the priests asked God to give the people.
A Prayer Based on Numbers 6:24-26
Lord, you have told us that you bless and keep those who belong to you. I ask today that you would watch over me and the people I love, guarding us from harm and giving us what we truly need. Let your face shine on me, and let me know that you are near and that your kindness toward me is real. Lift your face toward me when I am anxious, and give me the peace that only you can give, a peace that holds steady when everything else feels uncertain. Help me to live today as someone who is seen and loved by you. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was supposed to say the blessing in Numbers 6:24-26?
God told Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons, the priests, to speak these words over the people of Israel. The blessing was given through the priesthood, but God stated that he himself would put his name on the people and bless them.
What does it mean that God makes his face shine?
In the Old Testament, a face turned toward someone signals favor, attention, and relationship. When God’s face shines on a person, it means he looks on them with kindness and delight. The phrase expresses God’s warm, personal regard for his people.
Is the Aaronic blessing still used today?
Many churches and synagogues still use the Aaronic blessing, often at the end of worship services. It is valued because it places God’s own words over the congregation, reminding people that their blessing comes from him rather than from the one who speaks it.
