289. "And blessing!" This symbolically means, all these being in Him and from Him in those angels of the lower heavens.

A blessing means every good that a person has from the Lord, such as power and wealth, and everything that accompanies these, but especially every spiritual good, such as love and wisdom, charity and faith, and the accompanying joy and happiness, which have to do with eternal life. And because all of these come from the Lord, it follows that He has them in Him; for if He did not have them in Him, they could not be present in others from Him.

It is for this reason that in the Word the Lord is called blessed, and also a blessing, which is to say, blessing itself.

That Jehovah, or the Lord, is called blessed, is apparent from the following passages:

...the high priest asked (Jesus)..., "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" (Mark 14:61)

(Jesus said,) "you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:39, cf. Luke 13:35)

(Melchizedek) blessed (Abram) and said: ."..blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." (Genesis 14:18-20)

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem... (Genesis 9:26)

Blessed be Jehovah (who) has heard (my) voice... (Psalms 28:6)

Blessed be Jehovah, for He has shown me His marvelous clemency... (Psalms 31:21)

Blessed be Jehovah... from everlasting to everlasting! (Psalms 41:13)

So likewise Psalms 66:20; 68:19, 35; 72:18-19; 89:52; 119:12; 124:6; 135:21; 144:1, Luke 1:68.

It is owing to this that blessing is mentioned in this verse, as again in verse 12, and in chapter 7, 7:12. And in the book of Psalms:

Glory and honor You have placed upon Him, for You have made Him a blessing forever. (Psalms 21:5-6)

The subject is the Lord.

[2] It can be seen from this what blessing God means in the Word: that it is to attribute all blessing to Him, to pray for Him to bless, and to thank Him for blessing, as can be seen from the following passages:

(Zacharias's) mouth was opened... and he spoke, blessing God. (Luke 1:64, 68)

(Simeon) took (the infant Jesus) up in his arms and blessed God... (Luke 2:28, 30-31)

I will bless Jehovah who has given me counsel. (Psalms 16:7)

...bless (Jehovah's) name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. (Psalms 96:1-3)

Blessed be the Lord from day to day... Bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. (Psalms 68:19, 26)