Sometimes a single phrase carries the weight of the universe. The priestly blessing, spoken over the people of Israel generation after generation, reaches its climax with these words:
“The Lord lift up His face upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:26).
The Hebrew language, dense and precise, unveils layers of meaning far beyond what a surface glance can grasp. Let us begin with the first phrase:
“Yissá Adonai panav eleycha” — “The Lord lift up His face upon you.”
“Yissá” (יִשָּא) comes from the root verb “nasa” (נָשָּא), meaning to lift, carry, or elevate. This is not merely a physical gesture. It is a gesture of favour. In ancient times, when a king lifted his face toward a subject, it was a sign of acceptance. The opposite of rejection. A face is lifted when there is interest, when there is affection. The Lord does not turn away His face; He raises it. He looks upon us as one who deeply values what He sees.
This “face”, panav (פָּנָיו), is the plural form of panim, and it never appears in the singular. Why? Because the face of G‑d does not bear a single expression. It reflects the plurality of His being — mercy, judgement, tenderness, power, justice, consolation. When the text says that the Lord lifts His face upon you, it means that all divine attention is turned toward you. It is a gaze that knows you, sees you as you are, and does not turn away. A gaze that restores wounded identity, that calls you by the true name only G‑d knows.
And where does this gaze lead? To peace.
“Ve-yasem lecha shalom” — “and give you peace.”
But in Hebrew, the verb “to give” isn’t used. Instead, it says yasem (וְיָשֵׂם), which means to place, to establish, to implant. G‑d doesn’t merely offer peace like handing over a gift. He implants it. He embeds it like a deep root in the soul. It is not dependent on circumstances, politics, or emotional calm. Shalom, peace, is more than the absence of war. It is wholeness. It is alignment with the Creator. It is a heart that rests because it knows who sustains it. It is reconciliation — with oneself and with heaven.
The word shalom (שָׁלוֹם), in traditional gematria, has the value of 376. Fascinatingly, this is the same value as Yeshuá (יֵשׁוּעַ), the Hebrew name of Jesus. Coincidence? Perhaps not. For the peace G‑d implants within us finds its fullest expression in the person of the Messiah. He is the face of G‑d among men, as John 1:14 declares:
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.”
But to understand the full weight of this blessing, we must look back — all the way to Eden.
The Manifest Presence of G‑d in Eden
Genesis 3:8 tells us:
“They heard the voice of the Lord G‑d walking in the garden in the cool of the day…”
The Hebrew reads: qol Adonai Elohim mithalekh bagan, the voice of G‑d “moving about” in the garden.
While the term “face” is not explicitly mentioned here, the sense of Presence is undeniable. Jewish tradition holds that humanity originally lived panim el panim, face to face with the Creator. It was perfect revelation, direct communion, the original state of harmony.
The Fall: Hiding from the Face
The verse continues:
“…and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord G‑d among the trees of the garden.”
The Hebrew says pnei Adonai — the face of the Lord.
This is the rupture. The man who once lived before the face of G‑d now hides from it. Guilt, shame, and sin broke the relationship. The face that once brought life now brings fear. The separation is not merely spatial. It is existential. The soul has been torn from its source of peace.
From Eden to the Face That Restores
Expulsion from Eden meant expulsion from the revealed Presence. But the entire biblical narrative is the story of G‑d seeking to restore that encounter. The priestly blessing, with its longing that the Lord lift His face upon us, echoes this divine desire for reconciliation.
In the Tabernacle, G‑d dwells once again among men, yet behind veils. Moses experiences a glimpse of Eden as he speaks to G‑d “face to face” (Exodus 33:11), but even then, he cannot behold the fullness of divine glory. Humanity longs for the face it lost. It cries out for light.
Yeshuá: The Face of G‑d Among Us
John 1:18 declares:
“No one has ever seen G‑d; the one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known.”
In Hebrew thought, to reveal is to uncover the face. Yeshuá, then, is the face of G‑d shining once more upon humankind. He looks upon lepers, sinners, outcasts — and in each gaze, divine favour is restored. On the cross, He feels the pain of the hidden face (“My G‑d, why have You forsaken Me?”), so that we might once again receive the Father’s gaze.
Revelation: The Face Recovered
The final promise is in Revelation 22:4:
“They shall see His face.”
The end of the story is not abstract heaven, it is full reconciliation. The biblical journey closes where it began: G‑d and humanity, face to face. But now, redeemed, restored, sealed with His Name on our foreheads.
Personal Reflections
1. You are seen. Even in your pain, confusion, or failure, the face of G‑d can still rise upon you. His favour is not earned through perfection but embraced through surrender.
2. Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the assurance that the One who sees you walks with you. He establishes peace within the chaos.
3. A call to Presence. To live under G‑d’s face is to seek constant communion, through prayer, through Scripture, through a living awareness.
4. The transforming gaze. G‑d’s gaze is never neutral. It purifies, corrects, welcomes, and commissions. To be seen by G‑d is to be changed into His likeness.
5. Reflect the face. As the moon reflects the sun, we are called to carry this light. “You are the light of the world,” said Yeshuá. To receive His face is also to extend it to others.
Live under the Face that is lifted.
Perhaps today you feel far from Eden, like someone who has lost their way among the trees, burdened by the shame of Adam. Perhaps you walk through a shadowed valley, sensing only absence. Yet the Father still walks in the garden. He still calls your name. He still longs to lift His face upon you. The priestly blessing is not a relic of the past. It is a living reminder that the Creator sees you, seeks you, and desires to plant peace within your heart like a seed that grows in fertile soil. This is not empty optimism, but deep spiritual realism: G‑d still lifts His face. He still shines His light on those who seek Him. He still calls. So lift your face as well. Seek His. Receive the peace that has a name and a face, Yeshuá.
And live as one touched by the light that never fades. One day, it shall be the only light we see.
Until then, may He continue to lift His face upon you and grant you the shalom that heals, sustains, and transforms.
Adivalter Sfalsin
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