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And on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the Lord- II Chronicles 20:26
The valley of Berachah lies between Bethlehem and Hebron, not far from En-Gedi. The word Berachah means "a blessing." After the people of Judah and Jerusalem were given victory over their enemies by God, the people met in a certain valley to bless (adore, worship, and praise) the Lord. It was given that name because the people met there to rejoice in God's blessings to them.
We want to take a closer look at the word "blessed" and consider its original meaning. In Genesis 2:3 it says, "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." When God blessed the seventh day, He set it apart or sanctified it, He consecrated it to His holy purposes.
When God blessed (set apart) this day of the week, it became a blessing (day of rest, worship, and renewal) to the rest of creation. Men can pause and reflect on God's goodness; they can rest and prepare for another week of labor and stress. We can also take one day in seven to bless our creator and worship Him for His grace and undeserved mercy.
In Genesis 28:1, "Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: you shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan." It appears that the author of Genesis divides this little meeting into three segments.
1-He blessed Jacob.
2-He charged Jacob.
3-He talked (spoke) with Jacob.
As Isaac blessed Jacob, he also asked God to bless him and bestow on him the blessing of Abraham. This was also the blessing or promise (Abrahamic Covenant) that God made to Abraham, Genesis 28:4.
This is where we want to stop and take a closer look at this word "bless." The Websters dictionary of 1828 gives only positive meanings to this word. Most of the modern dictionaries do the same thing. But if we go back to the lexicon and the Old Testament, we find that this word (#1288 bless) could also be used to mean a curse. By putting both of the meanings together (good and bad), I came up with a general meaning; here it is. Blessed: The use of words to vocally pronounce a blessing (good) or a curse (bad) upon or against someone.
Here is one example for us to consider; in Job 2:9, Job's wife tells him to curse God and die. The word that was translated "curse" in this sentence is the same word as bless in the Hebrew lexicon, (#1288 bless). According to the Morris Study Bible, it could have read like this; "Bless God and die." In the context in which it was used, the statement by Job's wife was meant to be a curse with negative thought and motive. See Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament.
Here is another example with a different use of the word bless. In Proverbs 27:14 it says, "He who blesses his friend with a loud voice in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him." The Complete Jewish Study Bible renders the verse like this: "Whoever greets his neighbor in a loud voice at dawn, might just as well have cursed him." It seems like this verse is warning against