Form and Reformulation of the Biblical Priestly Blessing

Author(s): Michael Fishbane

Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society , Jan. - Mar., 1983, Vol. 103, No. 1,
Studies in Literature from the Ancient Near East, by Members of the American
Oriental Society, Dedicated to Samuel Noah Kramer (Jan. - Mar., 1983), pp. 115-121
Published by: American Oriental Society

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/601864

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 FORM AND REFORMULATION OF THE
BIBLICAL PRIESTLY BLESSING
MICHAEL FISHBANE
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
NUM 6:23-27 CONCLUDES A CYCLE OF PRIESTLY INSTRUC-
TIONS to the people of Israel with an additional in-
struction to the Aaronids. It opens with a comment to
these priests, delivered by Moses, "In this manner
shall you bless (tubdrdkz2) the Israelites," and then
proceeds with the blessing itself:
(v. 24) May YHWH bless yjbdrekika Y.
you and protect you; vjyismejrekd
(v. 25) May YHWH brighter yd'jr Y. pandv
His countenance to- 'Dleka vihun-
ward you and grant nekka
you grace/ favor;
(v. 26) May YHWH raise His y-vid' Y.
countenance toward panav Deleka
you and give you vj yvdsm hAkd
s'alom. sal6m
At the conclusion of this blessing, another instruction
follows, in v. 27: "And when they shall put (vjsdma)
My Name over the Israelites, I shall bless them ('abdrd-
kem)."' It is at once apparent that in both form
and content the narrative instruction in v. 27 balances
that found in v. 23, and thus provides a stylistic
The Sam reading is wsymw; probably a pl. imperative in
order to balance the command-instruction in v. 23. Com-
parably, the LXX transposes v. 27 to the end of v. 23, and
thereby tightens the nexus between the verses. However,
v. 27 is resultative, and so no verse transposition is necessary;
see infra also for comments on the formal symmetry of the
MT which reinforces this point. In any event, the precise
meaning of v. 27, and its relationship to the previous prayer,
is an old crux. See the most recent review by P. A. H. de
Boer, "Numbers 6:27," VT 32 (1981), 1-13. However, his
reconstruction, which claims that 'al, "over" is a misreading
of an original divine epithet "The Most High of the Isra-
elites" is problematic because it leaves the verb without an
object and it is gratuitous because it is the divine name
YHWH which recurs in the blessing itself.
115
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envelope to the poetic blessing.2 In addition, the final
instruction in v. 27 clarifies the encased benediction in
at least two respects. First, it serves to emphasize that
while the Aaronids articulate the Priestly Blessing
(PB), it is YHWH alone who blesses; and second, it
serves to emphasize that the core of the blessing is not
simply the specification of the blessings-central as
this is but rather the ritual use of the sacred divine
Name, thrice repeated. The PB is thus realized to be a
series of optative expressions (e.g., "May YHWH
bless ...; May YHWH brighten His countenance
May YHWH raise His countenance .. .") refer-
ring to actions which YHWH, alone, will perform.
The priests, by contrast, are merely the agents of the
blessing: they articulate it; but their words, in them-
selves, do not effect reality. Moreover, from a purely
semantic standpoint, one must admit that the precise
force of the priestly articulation is somewhat am-
biguous. While it is clear that the PB is composed of
three cola, each of which has two verbs, or stated ac-
tions (though the relative length of the first bi-colon to
the second varies),3 it is not clear whether six separate
actions are intended. The transitional waw in each
colon may be considered to be copulative (i.e., bless
2 The narrative framework is, moreover, textually linked to
the blessing; cf. the stem bdrek in vv. 23-24, and the stem
gim in vv. 26-7.
These 'asymmetries' have resulted in different dubious
reconstructions. Cf., for example, the proposal of D. Freed-
man, "The Aaronic Benediction (Numbers 6:24-26)," in No
Famine in the Land, Studies in Honor of John L. McKenzie,
edited by J. Flanagan et al., 1975, 35-8, who reconstructs the
piece to produce a new, more 'symmetrical' structure (but
one hardly less symmetrical overall than the MT); or the
proposal of 0. Loretz, "Altorientalischer Hintergrund Sowie
Inner- und Nachbiblische Entwicklung des Aaronitischen
Segens (Num 6:24-26)," UF 10 (1978), 116, who, on the
basis of metric criteria, isolates the 'original' components of
the blessing from later accretions (though, thereby, a new
asymmetry is introduced, since the waw-clause is retained
only for the first blessing!).
 116 Journal of the American Oriental Society 103.1 (1983)

and protect; brighten and grant; etc.) or the second
verb may be merely the result of the first so that the
transitional waw indicates consequence (i.e., the bless-
ing is-in its result protection; the brightening of the
divine countenance is-in its result grace or favor;
etc.). The second option suggests that the second
action stated in each colon is but the concrete manifes-
tation of a beneficent divine state.4 So regarded, the
PB would articulate three blessings, not six.
In addition to its formal presentation in Num 6:24-
26, there are hints elsewhere in Scripture that the PB
was enunciated by the priests on various occasions.
Thus in what appears to be a deliberate reference to
the PB in Lev 9:22, it is said that Aaron, after the
appointment of the priests, raised his arms and
"blessed" the people (cf. Num 6:23); and in Deut 10:8
and 21:5 it is stated that the Levitical priests have
been set aside as a special class, to serve YHWH "and
to bless in His name (al/barik bism6)" (cf. Num
6:27). Apart from these circumspect allusions, it is
certain that the PB had an appreciable impact on the
liturgical life of ancient Israel. This certainty is not
derived from the repeated requests in the Psalter for
divine blessing, for the manifestation of the radiant
divine countenance (cf. the refrain in Ps 80:4, 8, 20),
or for grace and favor (cf. Pss 25:16; 86:16). For these
expressions often occur piecemeal in the psalms, and
may as much derive from common metaphorical usage
as from the PB as the direct source. Certainty of the
impact of the PB on ancient Israelite piety can rather
be ascertained only where the clustering of terminol-
ogy leaves no reasonable doubt as to the source. Ps
67:2, for example, provides just such a positive case;
for in this instance the psalmist opens his prayer with
the invocation, /elohii vyihanninui vibardkinui vd'er
Pdndam 'ittdnu seldh: "May Elohim have mercy/show
favor and bless us; may He cause His countenance to
brighten among us selah." In this piece, it is not only
clear that priestly liturgists or their lay imitators-
have been inspired by the language and imagery of the
PB; but they have reused it with minor modifications.
The verbs have been selectively chosen and regrouped
innovatively; and there is a use of verbs from both
halves of each of the PB's cola, suggesting that, for
the liturgists of Ps 67:2, the PB consisted of six
separate actions (cf. supra). In v. 3 (and its sequel) the
desired consequences of divine grace, blessing and
discussed by E. Dhorme, "L'emploi metaphorique des noms
de parties du corps en hebreu et en akkadien," RB 30 (1921),
4 Cf. P. Miller, "The Blessing of God," Interp 29 (1975), 383ff.; A. L. Oppenheim, "Idiomatic Accadian," JAOS 61
243, and the authorities cited.
(1941), 256-8; idem, "Studies in Accadian Lexicography, I,"
luminosity are spelled out ("that all the earth may
know Your ways").
Among other clear examples of the impact of the
PB on the liturgical life of ancient Israel, as reflected
in the Psalter, Ps 4 may be noted particularly since
it provides a literary form manifestly different from
that found in Ps 67. In this last, the PB is first
(partially) cited and only applied thereafter. By con-
trast, the key terms of the PB are, in Ps 4, spread
throughout the piece, serving at once as its theological
touchstone and as its ideational matrix. The psalmist
first calls upon YHWH to "favor me (bdnnjni)" and
hear his prayer (v. 2); then, after citing those dis-
believers "who say: 'who will show us (yar'Dna) good,"
the psalmist calls upon YHWH to "raise over us the
light of Your presence (nisdh 'alena '6r pdnekd)"
(v. 7);5 and finally, the psalmist concludes with a
reference to s7il6m (v. 9).
The various and abundant references to the PB in
the Psalter, but particularly the recurrence of similar
language there and in many biblical genres, where a
direct use of the language of the PB cannot be posited
as its source, suggest that such imagery as 'shining the
face' in favor, or 'raising the face' in beneficence, and
so on, were widely diffused throughout the culture.
And more: the various and abundant use of such
imagery in ancient Near Eastern literature,6 particu-
larly from Mesopotamia7 where it recurs in a wide
range of genres, suggests that ancient Israel absorbed
such imagery as part and parcel of its rich patrimony.
The source of the diffusion of this imagery, the chan-
nels of its transmission, and the relevant dates and
periods can hardly, at this point, be reconstructed
with any confidence. Nevertheless, two particular Meso-
potamian documents may be invoked with decided
interest in this context. A close comparison of them,
in conjunction with the biblical PB, reveals a remark-
able similarity of language and literary form. These
In this context Yar eni is a pun on PB j d')r; and nesah is
a play on yissa' (if it is not simply an orthographic error). I
find no basis for the emendation of M. Dahood, Psalms I
[Anchor Bible] 1966, 26, which introduces new problems.
6 For Ugaritic literature, cf. UT 1126:6.
7 For Akkadian literature, cf. the examples collected and

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 FISHBANE: Form and Reformulation of the Biblical Priestly Blessing 117

correspondences are so strong, in fact, that whatever
the ultimate Near Eastern sources for the aforenoted
biblical imagery in its various reflexes and genres, an
indubitable prototype for the liturgical form and
language of the PB may be recognized.
Of the two Mesopotamian texts which offer striking
from the 6th century."1 It describes how the goddess
Gula,
(19) pa-ni-gu tu-sah-hi-ram-ma (20) ina bu-ni-su
nam-ru-ti (21) ki-ni tap -pal-sa-an-ni-ma (22) tts?-
ri-im-mi ra-am-ma

parallels to the biblical PB, the first is from a 9th

century kudurru-inscription.8 In it, Nabu-apla-iddina, turned her countenance toward me (viz., Nabu-
the king of Babylon, bestows priestly revenues upon na'id); with her shining face she faithfully looked at
one Nabu-nadin-gum, the priest of Sippar. Upon doing me and actually caused (him; i.e., Marduk) to show
so, im-me-ru zi-mu-su, "his countenance brightened" mercy.

(iv 39); and it-ru-sa bu-ni-su, "he turned his attention

(to the priest)" (iv 42); and ina bu-ni-su nam-ru-ti zi- Of obvious note here is the formal sequence of turning
me-su ru-us-su-ti, "with his bright gaze, shining coun- and bestowing a shining countenance, followed by the
tenance" (iv 43-44) . . . arad-su i-rim, "he granted his bestowal of mercy by Marduk (tis-ri-im-mi ra-am-
servant (the priestly dues)" (v 13). As Y. Muffs has ma); for this strikingly corresponds to the idioms
fully explained in his analysis of terms of volition in found in the biblical PB.2 This formal nexus suggests
gift-giving contexts, the metaphorical expressions used that while the Akkadian and Hebrew idioms in these
in this official grant document are actually technical documents circulated as independent phrases in each
legal idioms conveying such notions as thinking about, cultural sphere this particular formal clustering in
considering and intending (to give a gift).9 Thus, Mesopotamia may have influenced their structuring in
behind the florid style lies a technical genre and Israel. But this is far from certain; for the biblical PB
vocabulary denoting the grace and benefaction of a may just as well reflect an independent combination
superior to his underling-here a priest. The docu- of shared Near Eastern idiom groups. Whatever the
ment, with its metaphorical language, is then a legal case, all three texts-the two Mesopotamian, the one
instrument establishing the transfer of revenue rights. Israelite-are applied to different situations. Accord-
The parallels with the biblical PB are readily apparent; ingly, it must be stressed that the formal clustering of
for also in Num 6:24-26 there is described the (hoped idioms in the biblical PB is as much an expression of
for) moods of a superior's attention and consideration,the ancient Near Eastern literary history of this pat-
in cognate terms like yd'er pandv, and the PB cli- tern, broadly viewed, as are the biblical reformulations
of this pattern in Pss 4 and 67, more narrowly viewed.
maxes with its reference to the gift of adl6m, the favor
of peace or well-being.'0 The examples of Pss 4 and 67 aside, over a genera-
Even more striking in its linguistic and formal tion ago L. Liebreich proposed another possible refor-
resemblance to the PB is a neo-Babylonian document mulation of the PB in the biblical Psalter.'3 He
asserted that the entire ensemble referred to as the
'songs of ascent,' Psalms 120-30, reuses the key lan-
guage of the PB; and that it is this last which gives the

Orientalia n.s. 11 (1942), 123f.; and see the two examples to

follow.
" The transcription and translation follows H. Lewy, "The
8 L. W. King, Babylonian Boundary-Stones and Memorial- Babylonian Background of the Kay Kauis Legend," AnOr
Tablets in the British Museum, London, 1912, No. 36. 172(1949), 5If.
9 Studies in the Aramaic Legal Papyri from Elephantine 12 Muffs, op. cit., 132f., n. 2, has pointed out the relation-
[Studia et Documenta ad lura Orientis Antiqui Pertinentia, ship between tusrimi (the bestowal of mercy) and irWm (the
VIII], 1969, 130-4. I have largely followed Muff's transla- giving of a gift) in the kudurru-inscription cited earlier; and
tion; cp. that in CAD, I, 155a. has also compared this latter term to Susa Tnun-to which
'0 Hebrew ?dl6m appears to combine Akkadian fulmu/ corresponds the Hebrew verb hanan. These links and cor-
falmu ("be well; unimpaired; at peace") and salimu/sullimu
respondences establish an even closer nexus between the
("be favorable; gracious"); cf. M. Weinfeld, "Covenant Ter-
Mesopotamian texts and the PB than the terminological and
minology in the Ancient Near East and its Influence on the
sequential parallels noted above.
West," JAOS 93 (1973), 191f., and n. 31, and the references
'3 "The Songs of Ascent and the Priestly Blessing," JBL 74
cited. (1955), 33-6.

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118 Journal of the American Oriental Society 103.1 (1983)
ensemble its coherence. Moreover, Liebreich made the
strong claim that all this reflects an interpretation or
reapplication of the old PB for the post-exilic com-
munity. In his words, we have in "this group of
Psalms . . . the earliest interpretation of the Priestly
Blessing, an interpretation that may be considered to
be the precursor of the homilies on the Priestly Bless-
ing in Midrashic literature."'4 Quite apart from the
omission of Pss 4 and 67 as early examples of the
reapplication of the PB, Liebreich's contention ap-
pears intriguing. But secondary reflection suggests
that it is ill-advised given the commonplace nature of
the words and verbs emphasized, and, especially, given
the fact that these words and verbs do not occur in
clusters which either dominate or transform the mean-
ing of the psalms in question. Thus, it is one thing to
say that certain well-known liturgical and theological
terms and idioms were liberally used in the 'songs of
ascent' even by priestly liturgists-in order to convey
the sense of blessing and peace so much hoped for by
the post-exilic community. But it is quite another
matter to assume, on the basis of references to blessing
and protection, that any one of the psalms let alone
the ensemble is an interpretative reuse of the PB.
However, the dismissal of Liebreich's suggestion
does not mean that reinterpretations of the PB do not
exist in post-exilic biblical literature. Indeed, to the
contrary, Mal 1:6-2:9 is a great (and hitherto un-
noticed) counterexample. As we may now observe,
Malachi's vitriolic critique of cultic and priestly be-
havior in the post-exilic period is, at once, a systematic
utilization of the language of the PB and an exegetical
transformation of it. With great ironic force, the
prophet turns to the priests and says:
Where is your fear of Me (m6rd'i), says YHWH of
hosts, to you, priests who despise My Name (semi)
. . . You offer polluted meat upon My altar ... (and)
bring it to your governor. Will he accept you, or will
he be gracious/favorable to you (hay&i??d panika)?
... So, now, beseech the countenance of God (halla-
nda' pjne- Me) that He may have mercy upon us
(vihdnnjnt2); ... will He be gracious/favorable to
14 Ibid., 33. Loretz, op. cit., 118, has claimed that thecountenance
PB
already contains exegetical expansions; but first, his 'exegeti-
pandv 'elhka vihunnekka), and the raising of the
cal expansions' are not exegetical in any meaningful sense,
and further, the whole enterprise rests on his reconstruction
of the text's strata, and this is dubious. See supra, n. 3.
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you (hayis?d' mikkem panim)? Would that there was
one among you to close the door (of the Temple), that
you not kindle (td'ira) My altar in vain (hinnam) ...
I will not accept your meal-offerings ... (for) My
Name (?emi) is awesome (n6rd') among the nations
(1:6-14).
After this condemnation, Malachi levels a harsh state-
ment of ensuing divine doom upon the priests:
If you do not hearken ... and give glory to My Name
(semi), says YHWH of hosts, I shall send a curse
(mje 'rh) among you and curse (v 'dr6ti) your bless-
ings (birk6tikem) . . . Behold, I shall . . . scatter dung
upon your faces (pinekem) ... and raise you (vin-
asa' Detkem) to it"5 ... For you know that I have
sent you this covenant, that My covenant be with the
Levites ... and My covenant was with them (viz., the
Levites) for life and peace (ha?al6m); and I gave
them fear that they might fear Me (m6rd' vav-
yird'ini) and ... My Name (semi). A true Torah was
in their mouth; . . . but you have turned from the path
... and so I shall make you contemptible ... for you
do not guard/protect (Q3mirim) My ways; but (you
rather) show partiality/favor (ven5?Vim pdnirn) in
(the administration and teaching of) the Torah.
(2:2-9)
From this translation and transcription, it is imme-
diately evident that all the key terms of the PB are
alluded to or otherwise played upon in the prophet's
diatribe. On the one hand, the dense clustering of
these terms makes it clear that Mal 1:6-2:9 has more
than casual, terminological similarities with the PB.
Indeed, the transformed uses and reapplications of
these terms indicate that Malachi's oration is exe-
getical in nature. In brief, the prophet has taken the
contents of the PB, delivered by the priests, with its
emphasis on blessing, the sanctity of the divine Name,
and such benefactions as protection, gracious/
favorable countenance, and peace-and negated them!
The priests have despised the divine Name and service,
and this has led to a threatened suspension of the
divine blessing. Even the governor will not give his
gracious acknowledgement of the offerings. The only
hope is in YHWH's gracious acknowledgement and
mercy. The gift in the PB of a brightened divine
which leads to grace/favor (ya 'Dr Y.
'" Cf. LXX.
 FISHBANE: Form and Reformulation of the Biblical Priestly Blessing 119

divine countenance (yiss'' Y. pdndv 'elekd) which
leads to peace or well-being, are punningly countered
by the prophet's wish that the priests no longer ignite
(td'ira) the altar in vain (hinndrm), and by the antici-
pated divine curse (mje'e-rdh ... vWdr-ti). Indeed, the
priests' perversion of their sacred office is such that
they who asked YHWH to raise His countenance
(yis's'a Y. pandv) in boon for the people now "raise
the countenance" (theirs and others) in overt partiality
and misuse of the Torah and its laws (nW-se'im panirm
battdrah). Given this state of things, how can the
priests hope that YHWH will raise His countenance
in beneficence? In truth, says the prophet, the priests
have spurned the divine gift-entrusted to them -of
?dldm, so that what will be "raised" for them, or
against their "faces" (pjne~kem ... vena-s&a' 'etkem
'Dldv), will be the polluted refuse of their offerings-
nothing more. Those who neglect their office, and do
not "guard knowledge" (yfnisra-da'at) or "guard/
protect" (s3rnmeirim) YHWH's ways, can hardly be
permitted, implies the prophet, to invoke the Lord's
blessing of protection (viviskmireka) upon the people
of Israel.
A more violent condemnation of the priests can
hardly be imagined. Nor does the ironic texture of the
diatribe stop with the preceding lexical and conceptual
cross-references between Mal 1:6-2:9 and the PB. On
closer inspection, one will observe that the prophet's
speech is replete with interlocking puns that condemn
the priests 'measure for measure.' Note, for example,
the initial ironic appeal to "beseech" (halls) God,
which is countered by the reference to the priests's
desecrations (meihallrlim);'6 the initial reference to theof the sacerdotal blessing into a curse is thus expressed
"governor" (pehah), which is echoed in the punish-
ment of utter blasting and ruination by God (hippah-
tem);'7 the failure of the priests to fear YHWH's
awesome (nored) presence, which leads to the extin-
guishing of the altar lights (td'ira) and the onset of
divine curses (mrn'erdh ... vi'driti);18 and the priestlyspeech inheres in its destabilizing liturgical mockery:
condemnation (b6ztD) of the divine Name, which
leads to the condemnation of the priestly offering
(nibzeh) and the priests themselves (nibzim).'9
Both through the reworking of and plays on the lan-
guage of the PB, and through internal puns like those
just suggested, the ironic bouleversement, or inversion, former into the negative forecasts of the latter. One
of the priests' language, actions and hopes is textured. may even wonder whether Malachi's diatribe has its
16 Mal 1:9, 12.
'" Mal 1:8, 13.
" Mal 1:10, 14; 2:2.
'9 Mal 1:6, 12; 2:9.
Indeed, in this way, the priests' cultic language is
desacralized and their actions cursed. By unfolding
the negative semantic range of most of the key terms
used positively in the PB, the rotten core and conse-
quences of the language and behaviors of the priests
echoes throughout the diatribe. Contrast, for example,
PB yda'-r Y. pandv 'e-lekad and Malachi's vindsa-'
Detkem 'e-ldv or n3s'Dirm pdnirm; or PB vJ? -r vs.
Malachi's tira or men'erdh; or PB vihunnekkd vs.
Malachi's hinnadm; and others. The prophetic speech
of Malachi, itself spoken as a divine word, is thus
revealed to be no less than a divine exegesis and
mockery of the priests who presume to bless in His
Name. The sacerdotal language of the PB is, in this
way, systematically inverted and desecrated. The
priests, bearers of the cultic PB and sensitive to its
language, could not have missed the exegetical irony
and sarcastic nuance of the prophet's speech.
A final comment concerning the relationship be-
tween form and content in Mal 1:6-2:9 may be added
to the foregoing reflections. As against the fairly
balanced and symmetrical style of Num 6:23-27, the
reuse of it in Mal 1:6-2:9 is imbalanced and unsym-
metrical. If, to explicate this point, the formalized
style of the positive blessing in the PB is the objective
literary correlative of the hopes for protection, well-
being, mercy and sustenance expressed therein, then
the disorder of Malachi's condemnation-its narrative
effusiveness, its redundancies, and its disjointed and
scattered allusions to the PB-is the corresponding
correlative of the fracture and disruption of harmony
forecast in the threats and curses. The transformation
not only on the manifest level of content, but on the
deeper level of structure and form as well. The original
language of sacral blessing has thus been scattered
and desacralized-an objective correlative of the con-
tent. In this way the deep ironical core of Malachi's
a mockery which curses the forms and language of
order, cosmos and blessing as entrusted to the priest-
hood. The Mischgattung created by this interweaving
of liturgical language with prophetical discourse thor-
oughly transforms the positive assurances of the
very Sitz im Leben in an antiphonal outcry in the
gates of the Temple-one that corresponded to, per-
haps was even simultaneous with, the recital of the PB
in the shrine by the priests. Viewed thus, the mounting
crescendo of exegetical cacaphony in the prophet's
speech served as an anti-blessing, as a veritable con-

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120 Journal of the American Oriental Society 103.1 (1983)
trapuntal inversion of the sound and sense of the
official PB.
It would take us well beyond the scope of this study
to follow the many threads of the exegetical afterlife
of the PB in post-exilic Israel and Judaism. Neverthe-
less, several established points, and several new ones,
may be briefly considered. Thus, to start from the
known, it may be recalled here that the Rule Scroll
from Qumran contains particularly striking reuses of
the biblical PB. Of particular importance for the
present discussion is the fact that, as in Malachi's
discourse, these are systematic reinterpretations of
Num 6:23-27. However, by contrast with Malachi's
variation, which contains covert or embedded exegesis,
the variations in the Rule Scroll are explicit and
lemmatic: each phrase is cited and its meaning(s)
given. Positive blessings and esoteric knowledge and
salvation are bestowed upon the elect of the com-
munity, while curses and ignorance and doom are the
lot of the less fortunate (cf. 1 QS II, 2-9). This
reapplication of the PB to wisdom and Torahistic
piety is in itself a remarkable incorporation of the
main ideological and pietistic trends of Qumran the-
ology into the biblical PB. What is even more strik-
ing, as M. Gertner has already noticed,20 is that the
reapplication of phrases of the PB to wisdom and
Torahistic piety already occurs in late biblical litera-
ture-specifically, in Ps 119:135, where the psalmist
says pa-nika hd'er bej'abdekd vilammeidt-ni 'et-huq-
qekd, "Brighten your countenance toward your ser-
vant and teach me your laws." In this version, the
brightened divine countenance serves to bestow neither
grace nor sustenance nor even wisdom per se. The
request is rather for the beneficence of divinely guided
Torah instruction. And since Torah instruction was
an exoteric feature of the community, one may further
wonder whether the request to God to teach the
supplicant Torah is not, in fact, a request for instruc-
tion in the deeper meanings of the laws-their esoteric,
even exegetical side. It may not be accidental that in
this psalm, which is an eight-fold acrostic, all eight
verses beginning with the letter pe, of which Ps 1 19:135
is one, have some terminological or punning connec-
tion to the language of the PB (note especially, yda'r,
v. 130; pinih- Slal vThadnne-n. . .mekd, v. 132; and
Deswmirdh, v. 134).
In following the threads of the PB beyond the
Hebrew Bible, one may point to several other remark-
able reapplications of it. In the Gospels, for example,
20 "Midrashim in the New Testament," JSS 7 (1962), 276.
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a very compelling instance of an exegetical reuse of
the PB occurs in the liturgical piece found in Luke
1:67-79, the Benedictus. As Gertner has shown, this
piece, ostensibly comprised of two sections (vv. 67-76,
76-79), in different styles and rhythms, and with
seemingly different content, is, in fact, a complex
reinterpretation of the ancient PB.2' However, in "the
narrative framework" of the birth legend, "this mid-
rashic homily had to be shaped as a piece of liturgy
and not as a didactic sermon. For although its content
is a doctrinal interpretation of a scriptural text its
function in the context of the legend is a liturgical
exposition of the child's destiny."22 In readapting his
material, opines Gertner, "Luke has reworked here
extant homiletical material, adapting it to his require-
ment and creating a truly Christian version of an
older Jewish midrash."23 Just what that older version
was, we can only guess.
One final instance of exegesis of the PB in the
Tannaitic period may be noted here-both because
it exemplifies the tradition to which the homiletician
of Luke 1:67-79 was heir, and for purely formal
reasons. For in the preceding discussion, two distinct
types on the spectrum of literary form have been
isolated. One type was embedded exegesis, in which
the language of the PB underpins a reinterpretation or
reapplication of it; the other was called lemmatic
exegesis, in which citations from the PB are directly
followed by reinterpretations. A third type may be
added. In it, the entire PB is first cited and then
followed by a comprehensive paraphrase. The example
I have in mind occurs at the conclusion of the central
Amidah prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Quite remark-
ably, it has gone virtually unnoticed that the great
prayer for peace, the so-called Sim Shalom prayer,
which follows the recitation of the PB, is nothing
short of an exegetical paraphrase of the old biblical
blessing and a reapplication of its contents in terms of
peace.24 Other thematics occur, as well: the Torah, for
example, is considered a gift of God's mercy and a
manifestation of the effulgent divine countenance. But
this aside, it is the topic of peace which dominates the
prayer starting from the opening line, which connects
2' Ibid., 273-4, 277-8.
22 Ibid., 274.
23 Ibid.
24 Cf. Liebreich, op. cit., 36, who refers to "references" in
the Sim Shalom prayer "to other parts of the Blessing";
though he does not see that the prayer is an exegetical
adaptation of the PB.
 FISHBANE: Form and Reformulation of the Biblical Priestly Blessing 121

with the final line of the PB (veavd!m ljkd sal6m) just
recited. The Sim Shalom prayer, which now follows,
together with its ancient variant, the Shalom Rab
prayer," is thus an ancient homiletical meditation on
Grant
selected thematics of the PB for the laity. Even to this
day, the PB is only recited by the communal precentor
or by descendents of the ancient family of Aaron. To
them, as of old, belongs the PB; to the people belongs
the prayer for peace:
peace (?im !ld6m), goodness and blessing
(bjrdkdh); mercy (Men), and grace and compassion.
For by the brightening of Your countenance (b&'6r
pdnekd), You have given us, 0 Lord, our God, a
Torah of life, and the love of kindness, and charity,

and blessing (abrdkdh), and compassion, and life

25 This prayer is also an exegetical adaptation of the PB, and peace (?Jl6m). So may it be pleasing in Your eyes
linked to it verbally; cf. L. Finkelstein, "The Development of to bless (hjbdrik) Your people, Israel, at all times
the Amidah," JQR 16 (1925), 3 If. with Your peace (bi?l6mekd).

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