21 Old Testament Verses About Blessings: Overflowing Abundance

Old Testament verses about blessings show us how much God loves caring for His people.

One favorite Bible verse showing the Lord’s blessings says, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26).

I chose this Bible verse because it feels like a warm hug from the Lord. 🤗🎁

It gives me hope and peace and encourages me by letting me know that the Lord is always with me (and You, too), protecting and showing His grace.

Reading this Bible verse makes me feel valued and loved, which only the Lord can give.

In the Old Testament, blessings often mean having what you need, being safe, and being able to do what God wants. 

These blessings come from God’s love and desire to give us a good life.

This post will look at 21 Old Testament verses about blessings.

We will see what these verses mean and how they show God’s heart to spiritually and materially bless us.

Like the promises made to Abraham to the blessings for obeying God’s commandments in Deuteronomy, we will see the amazing abundance God wants to give those who follow Him.

So, whether you have been a Christian for a long time or are just starting to read the Bible, these Old Testament verses about blessings will help you understand that God is the source of every good gift in your life. 

Old Testament Verses About Blessings

Genesis 12:2-3

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
-Genesis 12:2-3

Genesis 22:17-18

blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. 
-Genesis 22:17-18

Genesis 49:25-26

By the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
-Genesis 49:25-26

Exodus 20:12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. -Exodus 20:12

Exodus 23:25

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 
-Exodus 23:25

Leviticus 25:21

Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.
-Leviticus 25:21

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. 
-Numbers 6:24-26

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God... 
-Deuteronomy 28:1-14

1 Kings 3:13

And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 
-1 Kings 3:13

Job 42:12

Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning... 
-Job 42:12

Ruth 2:12

The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. 
-Ruth 2:12

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...But his delight is in the law of the Lord...He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. -Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 5:12

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. 
-Psalm 5:12

Psalm 23:1-2

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. -Psalm 23:1-2

Psalm 133:3

It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore. -Psalm 133:3

Proverbs 10:22

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. 
-Proverbs 10:22

Proverbs 11:25

The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. 
-Proverbs 11:25

Proverbs 16:20

He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. 
-Proverbs 16:20

Proverbs 22:4

By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. 
-Proverbs 22:4

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 
-Isaiah 41:10

Jeremiah 17:7

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters... -Jeremiah 17:7

What is a Blessing?

In the Bible, a blessing is a way of showing that God favors you.

It involves God giving you gifts, protecting, and providing for you. 

Blessings often mean having lots of children, success, and the ability to rule over the earth as part of having the right relationship with God.

The Hebrew word for blessing means “to give power for success, having many children, and doing well.”

In the Old Testament, blessings came from God’s promises and were given to people who obeyed God’s commands.

To be blessed meant receiving power from God to succeed and do what he wanted. 

Blessings included material things like wealth, fertile lands, many children, and victory over enemies.

But they also had a spiritual meaning—the blessing of being close to God and experiencing His peace and wholeness.

Spoken as a prayer asking for God’s favor or appearing as the good things God gives, Old Testament blessings reveal God’s heart as a loving Father who greatly wants to bless His children.

As we look at these Old Testament verses about blessings, we’ll see the amazing biblical truth about the blessing that echoes from Genesis to Revelation.

God’s Promises of Blessings in the Old Testament

Throughout the Old Testament, God promises to bless His people in various ways when they walk in obedience and right relationship with Him.

Here are some of the key blessings tied to different attitudes and actions:

Blessings for Obedience
“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands…then all these blessings will come upon you and accompany you…The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 8)

Blessings for Faithfulness  
“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness…Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3)

Blessings for Generosity
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed…Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.” (Proverbs 11:25, Luke 6:38)

Blessings for Humility
“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6)

Blessings for Righteousness 
“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12) “Blessings crown the head of the righteous.” (Proverbs 10:6)

Blessings for Trusting God
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord…He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) “Whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” (Proverbs 16:20)

Blessings for Following Commandments
This repeats the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 for keeping God’s laws, including prosperity, fertility, agricultural bounty, victory over enemies, and more.

When God’s people are faithful, humble, generous, righteous, and obedient, He promises to shower them with abundant spiritual and material blessings.

We’ll learn some of these specific blessing narratives in the sections below.

Section 1: The Abrahamic Covenant of Blessing

Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, has a very important place in the Bible’s story.

He was the one who received God’s big promise to bless him.

Through Abraham, God started His plan to bless all families on earth.

God’s promises to Abraham are first given in Genesis 12:2-3:

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

This shows how huge God’s purpose was – to make Abraham a way for God to bless the entire world. The blessings included:

• Many descendants that would form a great nation (Genesis 15:5)
• Owning the Promised Land of Canaan (Genesis 17:8)
• Abraham’s name being famous (Genesis 12:2)
• Protection and victory over enemies (Genesis 12:3)

Later, after Abraham obeyed God by being willing to sacrifice Isaac, God reminded him of the covenant blessings in Genesis 22:17-18:

"I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

These promises meant more than just material blessings for Abraham’s family.

He was blessed to be a blessing – God’s way of extending forgiveness and spiritual blessing to all peoples.

As spiritual descendants of Abraham through faith, Christians receive the promised blessings of forgiveness, being close to God, and eternal life through Christ, the offspring who blesses all nations.

God called Abraham to faithfully obey the covenant so that his family’s obedience would bless the whole earth.

This covenant started God’s plan to bless people and is a key part of the Bible’s teaching on blessing.

Section 2: The Promised Land of Blessing

Closely connected to God’s promises to Abraham was God’s promise to give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan as an inherited blessing.

This Promised Land had plenty of good things and showed how God would provide for His people, Israel.

In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Moses described the material blessings Israel would receive for obeying God’s commands after entering the Promised Land:

“The Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth…You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country…The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.” (verse 1, 3, 12)

These verses about blessings highlight:

• Success and being greater than other nations
• Having lots of crops, livestock, and children (“fruit of your womb”)
• Plenty of rain and good harvests
• Success and blessing in all they did

The land represented God’s blessing of shalom – the perfect provision and flourishing He intended for people before sin.

Owning the Promised Land allowed Israel to experience God’s material blessings realistically.

However, this earthly inheritance also pointed to a greater spiritual reality.

The New Testament shows that the Promised Land represents the eternal, heavenly inheritance for God’s redeemed people (Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Peter 1:4).

Just as Israel experienced God’s provision through the land, those in Christ can experience forgiveness, righteousness, and every spiritual blessing now and forever.

So, while the Promised Land brought real material blessings to Old Testament Israel, it ultimately pointed toward the greater spiritual blessing of salvation and restoration found in Jesus, the true Promised Land.

Section 3: Blessings in the Mosaic Covenant

God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai laid out blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.

These are described mainly in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

In Leviticus 26:3-13, God promises blessings like rain, fertile lands, peace, victory over enemies, having many children, and His presence with them if they follow His commands. 

Leviticus 26:4 says: “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”

However, this is followed by a warning of curses for disobedience in Leviticus 26:14-39, including drought, disease, attacks from enemies, famine, and finally being forced to leave the Promised Land.

These blessings and curses are explained even more in Deuteronomy 28. 

Moses first describes the incredible material and spiritual blessings Israel will receive for obeying the covenant:

“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to…You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.” (Deuteronomy 28:8,6)

“The Lord will open the heavens…to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” (Deuteronomy 28:12).

“The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands…you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:13-14)

In contrast, the next section (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) gives a scary, vivid description of the curses and punishment Israel would face for completely breaking the covenant:

“However, if you do not obey…all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country…The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 28:15-16,20)

It describes curses of disease, drought, defeat by enemies, famine, cannibalism during the siege, and finally being forced to leave the land – “the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.” (Deuteronomy 28:64)

The choice was clear – obedience would bring God’s promised blessings of success and peace, but disobedience would lead to terrible curses and punishment.

This set up Israel’s history of being blessed when obeying God but cursed when turning away from Him.

Section 4: Other Examples of Blessings

Even though the covenants with Abraham and Moses lay out foundational promises of blessings from God, the Old Testament contains many other powerful examples:

Blessings for Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3)

As discussed earlier, God blessed Abraham with promises of becoming a great nation, having many descendants, owning the Promised Land, and being a way for all peoples on earth to be blessed.

Blessings for Solomon (1 Kings 3:13)

After Solomon asked for wisdom to lead God’s people, the Lord blessed him with unmatched wisdom and promised him riches and honor—“so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

Blessings for Job (Job 42:12)

After enduring great suffering, “the Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part.” He was blessed with twice as much wealth as before and 10 more children.

Blessings for Ruth (Ruth 2:12)

For her loyalty and kindness to Naomi, Boaz blessed the foreigner Ruth:

“May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

These verses demonstrate that God’s heart is to lavishly bless those who fear and obey Him, whether Israelites or foreigners who trust Him.

From patriarchs to kings to the lowly, the Lord’s compassions never fail, and His blessings overflow to the humble.

We see material blessings like wealth, honor, descendants, and provision.

But also spiritual blessings of wisdom, refuge in God, and restoration after hardship.

Both show the Lord’s desire to bless those living in obedient relationships with Him.

Section 5: How to Receive Blessings

From the examples and teachings in the Old Testament, we can learn key attitudes and actions that position us to receive God’s promised blessings:

1. Trust in the Lord
   “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
2. Obey God’s Commandments
   “If you fully obey the Lord your God…all these blessings will come upon you and accompany you, if you obey the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)
3. Have Faith and Believe
   “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness…Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham.” (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3)
4. Be Humble and Grateful
   “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)
5. Be Generous and Kind
   “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)
6. Be Righteous and Just
   “For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)
7. Be Filled with the Holy Spirit
   While not explicit in the Old Testament, being filled with God’s Spirit is ultimately how we can live out these godly characteristics to receive blessing (Galatians 5:22-23).

The consistent teaching is that those who walk closely with the Lord, keeping His commands and living with Christ-like character, can experience abundant spiritual and material blessings.

As we’ll see in the New Testament, Jesus perfectly modeled the way to blessing through His unwavering trust, obedience, humility, generosity, and righteousness.

By abiding in Him, we can bear lasting fruit and have God’s full blessings released.

Linking Old Testament Blessings to New Testament Teachings

Although the Old Testament lays the foundation for the theology of blessing, this theme continues seamlessly into the New Testament. 

Jesus affirmed the covenant promises and drew directly from Old Testament verses about blessings in His teachings.

For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ beatitudes echo the heart of Old Testament blessings:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:3-6)

These beatitudes align perfectly with Old Testament promises of blessing for the humble (Proverbs 22:4), the righteous inheriting the land (Psalm 37:11), and being filled with God’s goodness (Jeremiah 31:14).

The apostle Paul also frequently referenced the Abrahamic blessing when instructing the churches:

“The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’” (Galatians 3:8)

“The promise was reaffirmed to Abraham…since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.” (Romans 4:9,16)

Just as Abraham was blessed to be a blessing, Paul saw the church as blessed to extend that blessing of salvation and righteousness by faith to all peoples.

From beginning to end, the Bible reveals God’s unchanging heart as a loving Father who longs to pour out blessings – both spiritual and material – on His children who walk in faith and obedience. The New Testament doesn’t abolish the Old Testament theology of blessing, but fulfills it in the person of Christ.

As modern-day disciples, we can confidently claim the promises of blessings when we follow Jesus’ example of humility, righteousness, and unwavering trust in the Father.

The same God who blessed Abraham, Israel, and the early church yearns to bless us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Conclusion

This post was all about Old Testament verses about blessings.

The Old Testament is filled with God’s desire to abundantly bless His people.

The biblical theology of blessing echoes throughout, be it covenant promises to the patriarchs, blessings for obeying God’s law, or examples of individuals experiencing God’s favor.

Blessings in the Old Testament included material provisions like wealth, fertility, victory, and spiritual blessings of being close to God.

The key was that those living in obedient faith, humility, and righteousness positioned themselves for God’s overflowing blessings.

The way to blessing is through:

• Unshakable trust in God’s promises
• Obeying God’s commands
• Encouraging humility, generosity, and righteousness
• Staying connected to God

While laying the foundation, the New Testament fulfills this theology of blessing in Christ.

Just as God blessed Abraham to bless all nations, we, too, are blessed in Christ to extend His redemptive blessings.

So don’t just read these verses – put them into practice!

As you walk in obedient faith and Christ-like character, you can experience God’s spiritual and material favor.

The same God who blessed Abraham, Israel, Job, and Ruth yearns to lavish you with abundant life from His presence.

Step into God’s overflowing blessings!

Let these ancient truths shape your mindset and actions.

For our faithful God delights in blessing those who take refuge in Him.

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