Que Dios me la bendiga

[poli]

I know this is a very common phrase meaning may God bless you.
As an English speaker it confuses me. I would normally say que Dios te (le) bendiga if I hadn't heard otherwise. Is it wrong to say it that way?

[Rusty]

The sentence in the title means 'may God bless her for me'.
The proposal you listed needs a direct object pronoun (te or la/lo).

[poli]

That's what I thought too, but in common conversation among Pentacostals, I would hear que Dios me la bendiga as a way of ending a phone call to a female pastor. I always thought it was a use specific to Puerto Rican Spanish, but today I heard it among Colombians in a sitcom and the context was the same.

[Rusty]

What they're saying literally means 'May God bless her for me', meaning 'I wish/desire/ask God to bless her' (God blessing her is what I want Him to do).
The indirect object pronoun (the usage of me being el dativo de interés) would generally only be said where a personal wish is pressed.

[poli]

I think that's right. Thanks.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Since they address the pastor with the "usted" form, it's just a way to say "God bless you".
"Que Dios la bendiga" would be the simple way to say it, but adding "me" adds an affection emphasis. They're implying that they are praying to God to bless this person; something like "may God bless you, who are important to me", or "God bless you for me", as Rusty said.
As a side note, Colombians use "usted" a lot, even among people they have a close relationship with, like family or partners.


We use this "me" when we feel something affects us personally, even if it's not "rationally" the case:

- El niño no me come bien. -> We're not saying the kid won't eat us, but that he won't "eat for us". As a parent, I feel as a personal offense that the boy won't eat enough.
- Cuídateme mucho, m'hija. -> An older person is asking someone they love to take care of herself. Something like "take care of your self for me". If something bad happens to you, I will be directly affected by it.
- ¡No te me mueras! -> You obviously can't always beat death on volition, but it's a way to express that I worry about you and would be horribly upset if you die.