clipped from www.wilsonmar.com Blessings and Benedictions Benedictions "Bene" means "good" as in the English word benefit. "diction" means "pronouncement" as in the English word dictation. Notice that benedictions are not about what people do for God, but what God does for people. That's consistent with the (protestant) gospel (good news) that God provides salvation through Jesus Christ not through what we do, but out of God's kindness. The Hebrew word for blessing, benediction — b'ra·khah, pl. B'rakhah·khot — comes from berekh ("knee"), thus making a connection between worship and kneeling. To "make a B'rakhah"is to say a blessing, to bless. Mt 9:8+. Source: Stern, D. H. 1989. Jewish New Testament : A translation of the New Testament that expresses its Jewishness (1st ed.) . Jewish New Testament Publications: Jerusalem, Israel; Clarksville, Md., USA