The Lord Bless You and Keep You: Numbers 6:24-26 Aaronic Blessing Print

The full Aaronic Blessing runs down this print in a single warm brown script: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. The letters are thin and even on a soft cream background with a light paper grain, and Numbers 6:24-26 sits beneath in small capitals. The print suits a nursery as much as a newlywed home.

The blessing Aaron's sons spoke over Israel

In Numbers 6:22-27, God gives Moses the words that Aaron and his sons, the priests, are to speak over the people of Israel. The blessing has three lines, and each names the Lord and runs a little longer than the one before: he blesses and keeps, he makes his face shine and is gracious, he turns his face toward you and gives peace. Verse 27 adds that in this way the priests put God's name on the people. Two tiny silver scrolls found at Ketef Hinnom in Jerusalem, dated to around 600 BC, carry a form of these words and are generally regarded as the oldest surviving text from the Hebrew Bible. Churches still speak it at the end of services, and it is often spoken over couples at weddings and over children at baptisms and dedications.

Read more: The Meaning of the Aaronic Blessing

A warm brown script on cream

The design uses one script for the whole blessing, with no change of font or size from the first word to the last. The letters are monoline, the same thin weight throughout, and slightly irregular, so the eight lines look like careful personal writing. The ink is a warm caramel brown, and the background is a soft cream with a faint paper grain. Line breaks fall in the middle of phrases, the Lord make his / face shine upon you, which keeps the block even in width. Numbers 6:24-26 sits below in small, tracked capitals in the same brown, and wide margins surround everything. The listing photos show it in walnut and oak frames, including one beside a present wrapped in red ribbon with pine and string lights.

A blessing for a nursery, and for a couple

Over a crib or a changing table, the blessing is something parents can read over a child at bedtime, and the soft brown suits both pastel and neutral nurseries. The listing suggests it as a baptism gift for a baby or a godchild and as a baby dedication gift. It also names weddings and bridal showers, anniversaries and vow renewals, and housewarmings, because the words work as a blessing over a couple or a whole household. Above a bed or sofa, the bonus 7:5 landscape file gives a wider print that fills the space better than a tall one. The photo with the wrapped present and pine shows how well the warm brown sits with Christmas decor, so it can go under the tree as a gift.

Files, bonus formats and print sizes

You receive four JPG files in 2:3, 3:4, 4:5 and 11:14, a multi-page PDF with all four, and two bonus files: a landscape 7:5 version for 50x70 cm, 20x28 and 28x40 inch frames, and a 16:9 version for digital frames and TV screens. The files hold 300 DPI up to 11x14 inches. At 16x20, 18x24 and 24x36 they print below 300 DPI and look clean at normal viewing distance, which is how a print above a crib or sofa is seen. The thin script lines are the detail to protect: print at the highest quality setting on matte or fine art paper, and switch off any sharpening filter in the print shop's software, which can roughen the brown strokes. Nothing is shipped and no frame is included.

Sizes and formats: 300 DPI up to 11x14, larger sizes for normal viewing distance

Frequently asked questions

Which wording does the print use?

The print sets the full blessing in modern wording: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. The listing photos show the complete text, so you can read every line before you buy.

What are the 7:5 and 16:9 bonus files for?

The 7:5 file is a landscape version for wide frames, 50x70 cm, 20x28 or 28x40 inches, which suits the wall above a bed or sofa where a portrait print can look narrow. The 16:9 file is sized for digital photo frames and TV screens, so the blessing can also appear on a screen at home.

Is it a good baptism or godparent gift?

Yes, the listing suggests it for a baby's baptism and for a godchild. Framed at 8x10 or 11x14, it fits a nursery shelf or the wall above a crib. If you would like a small keepsake with the child's name as well, the shop also has a personalized Christmas ornament with the same verse.

Will the script stay crisp at 24x36?

The files hold 300 DPI up to 11x14 inches. At 24x36 the resolution is lower, and the print is meant to be seen from a normal distance, as it would be above a sofa or bed, where the script looks clean. If the print will be seen up close, on a shelf or nightstand, 11x14 or smaller gives the sharpest lines.

Is this the Numbers 6 design from the Wedding Scripture Set of 4?

Yes. The set of four uses this same brown script design for Numbers 6:24-26, together with Ruth 1:16, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and the landscape Cord of Three Strands. Buy this single for a nursery or one wall, or the set for a couple who want all four verses. The nursery set of six has a different, watercolor botanical version of the blessing.