What Is the Purpose of Patriarchal Blessings in the LDS Church?

LDS Perspective

Patriarchal blessings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serve as sacred ordinances that connect recipients to their spiritual heritage and provide divine guidance for their lives. Following the biblical pattern established by Jacob, who blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh, and Lehi, who gathered his family to pronounce blessings and prophecies, the practice was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. In 1834, Joseph Smith ordained his father, Joseph Smith Sr., as the first Patriarch to the Church, establishing a formal office to administer these blessings to the Saints. The purpose is to extend the ancient practice of fathers blessing their children to all worthy members, particularly those whose fathers are deceased or not members of the Church. The primary pur

Historical Perspective

According to official Latter-day Saint materials, patriarchal blessings are ordinances administered by ordained patriarchs that declare the recipient's lineage in the house of Israel and provide personalized spiritual counsel intended to offer "guidance, comfort, and protection." The Church frames these blessings as direct revelation from God to the individual, with the patriarch serving as a revelatory intermediary who identifies the recipient's tribal affiliation—most commonly declaring them of the tribe of Ephraim—while providing inspired direction regarding their mortal mission and eternal potential. Recipients are instructed to study these blessings throughout their lives, with the understanding that promised blessings are conditional upon faithfulness and obedience to Church commandm