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Old 10-28-2009, 09:03 AM
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Default Shalom - peace

H7965 Shalowm
H3073 Y@hovahshalowm
H7999 Shalam
H8000 Sh@lam (Aramaic)
H8001 Sh@lam (Aramaic)
H8002 Shelem
H8003 Shalem
H8004 Shalem (name)
H8005 Shillem
H8006 Shillem (name)




Peace, To be Complete, To be sound, To be safe

Shalam - (שלם)

The thing to keep in mind with these words is that they are all spelled exactly the same way (Hebrew has no vowels as "letters") in the original text. Thus, the only way to tell the difference between them was from context, as the vowel and accent points we now use were invented by the Masoretics, well over a thousand years AFTER the OT was written (even today in Israel, it is not uncommon for people to write Hebrew without vowel points, and almost all public use of Hebrew, such as on street signs, billboards, etc. is without vowel points).

That being the case, the spelling on all but a few of them are identical. That means that the only way to tell the difference between 7965, 7999, 8000, 8001, 8002, 8003, 8004, 8005, and 8006 (these are Strong's numbers) would be context, as they are all spelled שלם (the exception is 7965, pronounced Shalom, which also has a variant spelling of שלום).

First point to note: with the exception of 7965, which has a variant spelling, we do not actually know if these words were originally pronounced exactly the same, of if a thousand years before the Mesoretics put vowel points on them, the Jews used the context to give them different pronunciations. What we do know is that if you just wrote the word שלם with no context, it was assumed to be the root word, which we now consider to be shalam (7999). If you wanted to write just one word, and you wanted the reader to assume it was the most common form of the word (the one used as a greeting), it would be written שלום - shalom, which is probably why that particular form has a variant spelling (so it could be distinguished when written with no context).

The reality probably was that originally all of these were the same word, which was used in a wide number of contexts, and its meaning varied depending on the context. Today, we separate them as different words using vowel points to distinguish them.

These words derive from the root which means "To be complete, to be whole, to be sound." From that idea comes the Jewish concept of "peace," that being true peace is a state of completeness, soundness, or wholeness. If something in your life is fractured, or broken, you cannot have peace (the NT concept of peace is based on a different idea, that peace is a lack of turbulence, not a function of being whole).

Since the Jews were less philosophical (than the Greeks), and tended to be fairly practical minded, this idea of completeness or wholeness usually meant "prosperity or welfare" in practical application. That is, wholeness and peace meant prosperous and safe from harm in daily life. The practical Jewish mind decided that you cannot have peace if you are starving, or deeply in debt, have suffered injury, or if something has been taken from you unjustly. Further, if you have suffered violence or theft, your life is no longer "whole," so the only way to return that "peace" to your life is for the culprit to make recompence (payment) for what they took from you (thus all the laws on restitution in the OT).

This also meant that if you were a "peaceful" person, you were prosperous and safe in your own home, and no one would suffer harm or loss at your hands.

So with that basis, we can examine the variances of meaning in how this word was used.

First, it was used to indicate that something was complete, whole, or "not broken." From this derives the idea of what it will take to "restore wholeness," which translated in practical life to "restitution, repayment, recompence." And you can prevent harm or loss by making a "peace covenant" in advance (7999). The Aramaic word corresponding to 7999 is 8000.
  • Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

    Exodus 21:33-34 "If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

    Job 9:4 God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed Him and come out unharmed?

    Psalm 76:11 Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared.

    Deuteronomy 20:10-12 "When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it."

    2 Samuel 20:19 "I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, even a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"
When you make a "peace covenant," it would often need to be sealed with a "peace offering" or "covenant sacrifice," so this word also indicated the offering or sacrifice that was used to seal the deal. Jesus is, of course, the ultimate and final peace offering (8002).
  • Num 6:14 'He shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering and one ram without defect for a peace offering
By extension, then, this word referenced a person of whom no one has anything to fear. If your are a peaceful person, you have done no harm to anyone, and have no plans to do harm to someone, then this word applied to you. Likewise, if you were a person who made things whole or a peacemaker, then this word applied to you, and by extension, that act of making things whole (full of peace) was this as well (8003).
  • 2 Chronicles 15:17 But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa's heart was blameless all his days.

    1 Chronicles 12:38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.

    The more LITERAL translation of this verse would be:

    1 Chronicles 12:38 All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

    Genesis 34:21 "These men are friendly with us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them.

    2 Chronicles 8:16 Thus all the work of Solomon was carried out from the day of the foundation of the house of the LORD, and until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.
There is one reference in the OT where God uses this word to indicate that HE will repay someone for their evil behavior (from the idea that they WILL pay for what they have done), and this usage is separated out to a "different" word (same spelling), as 8005.
  • Deuteronomy 32:35 'Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.'
The most common usage of this word was in the greeting and simple idea of "peace," which is the word we recognize as Shalom. It appears this way in scripture hundreds of times.

When this form was being used, particularly if the context was not sufficient to make it clear, it is often found in the alternate spelling of שלום. This was the common greeting among the Jews, and was used both when first greeting someone, and when leaving them (in much the same way that we say "hello" or "goodbye"), and indicated that you were wishing them peace and prosperity, as well as indicating that you posed no threat. It also was used to describe a state of peace, prosperity and safety (the three had to go hand in hand, or you did not have true shalom).

The Aramaic word corresponding to this is 8001.
  • Deuteronomy 20:10-12 "When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it."

    1 Samuel 17:22 Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

    Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

    Genesis 15:15 "As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age.

    Joshua 10:20-21 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

    2 Kings 20:19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good." For he thought, "Is it not so, if there will be peace and truth in my days?"

    Job 21:9 Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.

    1 Samuel 20:12-13 Then Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you? If it please my father to do you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

    Genesis 37:14 Then he said to him, "Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
There is a man in the OT with this as a name (usually pronounce Shillem - 8006).
  • Genesis 46:24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni and Jezer and Shillem.
There is also an altar in the OT that is called "Yahweh is Peace" or "Jehovah is Peace" (depending on your transliteration preference), and uses shalom (with the alternate spelling) as part of the title - יהוה שלום. Strictly speaking, this is two words, not one, but Strong listed it separately as one word (3037 - I suppose on the idea that it was one title).
  • Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
It is also the name of a city - Salem, meaning "peace." The name of this city was later expanded out to "Foundation of Peace," which is the city we know as Jerusalem (it is pronounced Yerushalaim or Yerushalayim in Hebrew), and is found with two alternate spellings in the OT - ירושלם and ירושלים.
  • Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

    1 Kings 2:11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.
Hope this helps with your study.

Grace and peace to you,

Rhomphaia
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