Blessing in Action. A study into the verbal forms of the Priestly Blessing with special attention to its genre, structure and to parallel texts mainly from a syntactical perspective.

Abstract

In this thesis the meaning of the verbs in the Priestly Blessing, as found in Numbers 6:24-26, is studied. These verbs are considered in their mutual coherence, within their textual context and in relation to the genre of the Priestly Blessing. Parallel texts, selected by grammatical construction, are considered in order to establish use and meaning of these verbs in other contexts. It is argued that the grammatical form and the mood of the verbs of the Priestly Blessing determine its genre to a great extent. The genre is argued to be a "blessing wish." Furthermore it is argued that the Priestly Blessing has a chiastic structure and that the semantics of the verbs confirm this.