בָּרַךְ (ba.rakh)
ba.rakh
to bless
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 263 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb barak carries a dual sense of physical posture and spiritual speech. Its core meaning is to kneel, a gesture of humility before God or authority. From this bodily act of bending the knees, the word naturally extends to mean blessing, as kneeling was the traditional way to invoke divine favor on another person.
In Scripture, this connection appears clearly in passages like Psalm 95:6, where worshipers are called to kneel before the Lord, and in Genesis 24:27, where Abraham’s servant kneels to praise God after finding a wife for Isaac. The act of kneeling signifies acknowledging that all good gifts come from above.
Interestingly, barak can also mean to curse when used euphemistically, particularly against God or the king. This reflects an ancient cultural understanding that speaking ill of authority was treasonous, so cursing became a dangerous taboo. Translators often render barak as "bless" in most contexts, preserving its primary sense of invoking goodness upon someone.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word barak carries a beautiful duality. It begins with the physical act of kneeling, a posture of humility before God or authority. From this bent knee comes the spoken word of blessing, invoking divine favor upon another person. This connection reminds us that true blessing flows from a heart that acknowledges all good gifts come from above.
In Scripture, we see God initiating this pattern. He blessed creation in Genesis 1, and later promised to bless Abraham so that he would become a blessing to others. This is not merely a wish for prosperity, but a call to participate in God’s generous character. When we kneel in worship or speak words of kindness, we echo this ancient rhythm of grace.
Understanding barak invites us into a deeper appreciation of how God interacts with His people. It is an invitation to receive His favor and to extend it to those around us, fostering a community marked by humility and generosity.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 263 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [be] blessed37×
- and/ he blessed27×
- bless22×
- blessed10×
- to/ bless9×
- he will bless/ you8×
- and/ they blessed8×
- and/ he blessed/ him8×
- he will bless6×
- and/ he will bless/ you6×
- you have blessed5×
- may he bless/ you5×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בָּר֥וּךְ13×
- וַ/יְבָ֣רֶךְ8×
- בָּר֤וּךְ8×
- וַ/יְבָ֥רֶךְ6×
- בָּר֣וּךְ6×
- וַ/יְבָ֧רֶךְ5×
- בָּרֲכ֣וּ5×
- בֵּרַ֥ךְ5×
- יְבָרֶכְ/ךָ֥4×
- בָּרֲכ֥וּ4×
- לְ/בָרֵ֣ךְ3×
- יְבָרֶכְ/ךָ֙3×
Key Verses
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Genesis 1:28
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
This verse shows God initiating blessing by commanding humanity to be fruitful, establishing blessing as part of creation's design.
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Genesis 12:2
I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
Here God promises to bless Abraham personally so that he might become a channel of blessing to all nations.
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Genesis 24:27
He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. As for me, Yahweh has led me on the way to the house of my master’s relatives.”
The servant kneels and blesses Yahweh, linking the physical posture of worship with the verbal acknowledgment of God's faithfulness.
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Genesis 24:60
They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your offspring possess the gate of those who hate them.”
Rebekah’s family blesses her with words of fruitfulness, mirroring the original creation mandate given in Genesis 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does barak mean in the Bible?
How is barak different from other words for blessing?
Where does barak appear most often?
Every Occurrence (263 verses across 23 books)
Genesis 59 verses
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the…
Genesis 1:28God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish…
Genesis 2:3God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
Genesis 5:2He created them male and female, and blessed them. On the day they were created, he named them Adam.
Genesis 9:1God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
Genesis 9:26He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
Genesis 12:2I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
Genesis 12:3I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who treats you with contempt. All the families of the earth will…
Genesis 14:19He blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.
Genesis 14:20Blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave him a tenth of all.
Genesis 17:16I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she will be a mother of…
Genesis 17:20As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him…
Genesis 18:18since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?
Genesis 22:17that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the…
Genesis 22:18All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’”
Genesis 24:1Abraham was old, and well advanced in age. Yahweh had blessed Abraham in all things.
Genesis 24:11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out…
Genesis 24:27He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his loving kindness and his truth…
Genesis 24:31He said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the…
Genesis 24:35Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. He has become great. Yahweh has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male…
Genesis 24:48I bowed my head, and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right…
Genesis 24:60They blessed Rebekah, and said to her, “Our sister, may you be the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let your…
Genesis 25:11After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.
Genesis 26:3Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these…
Genesis 26:4I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your offspring. In your…
Genesis 26:12Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him.
Genesis 26:24Yahweh appeared to him the same night, and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Don’t be afraid, for I am with…
Genesis 26:29that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you…
Genesis 27:4Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die.”
Genesis 27:7‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’
Genesis 27:10You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
Genesis 27:19Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of…
Genesis 27:23He didn’t recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him.
Genesis 27:25He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless you.” He brought it near to…
Genesis 27:27He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, “Behold, the smell of my…
Genesis 27:29Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother’s sons bow down to you.…
Genesis 27:30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau…
Genesis 27:31He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, “Let my father arise, and eat of his…
Genesis 27:33Isaac trembled violently, and said, “Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it to me, and I have eaten of…
Genesis 27:34When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father,…
Genesis 27:38Esau said to his father, “Do you have just one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father.” Esau lifted up…
Genesis 27:41Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of…
Genesis 28:1Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,
Genesis 28:6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as…
Genesis 28:14Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the…
Genesis 30:27Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me…
Genesis 30:30For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I…
Genesis 35:9God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
Genesis 39:5From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for…
Genesis 47:7Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:10Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
Genesis 48:3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Genesis 48:9Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” He said, “Please bring them to me, and I…
Genesis 48:15He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my…
Genesis 48:16the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my…
Genesis 48:20He blessed them that day, saying, “Israel will bless in your name, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh’”…
Genesis 49:25even by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty, who will bless you, with blessings of heaven above,…
Genesis 49:28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them, and blessed them. He blessed…