Bless

And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.
Gen. ii. 3.

The quality of mercy is . . . twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Shak.

It hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee.
1 Chron. xvii. 27 (R. V. )

Bless them which persecute you.
Rom. xii. 14.

Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them.
Luke ix. 16.

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Ps. ciii. 1.

The nations shall bless themselves in him.
Jer. iv. 3.

And burning blades about their heads do bless.
Spenser.

Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest.
Fairfax.

* This is an old sense of the word, supposed by Johnson, Nares, and others, to have been derived from the old rite of blessing a field by directing the hands to all parts of it. "In drawing [their bow] some fetch such a compass as though they would turn about and bless all the field." Ascham.

Bless me! Bless us! an exclamation of surprise. Milton. -- To bless from, to secure, defend, or preserve from. "Bless me from marrying a usurer." Shak.

To bless the doors from nightly harm.
Milton.

-- To bless with, To be blessed with, to favor or endow with; to be favored or endowed with; as, God blesses us with health; we are blessed with happiness.