A word that appears 237 times in the Old Testament must be significant.
According to Kohlenberger III, John R. and William D. Mounce in their Concise Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary of the Old Testament, shalom can mean: Peace, safety, prosperity, well-being; intactness, wholeness; peace can have a focus of security, safety which can bring feelings of satisfaction, well-being, and contentment. Also, completeness; health; peace; prosperity; safety; well-being.
Old Covenant
Shalom might be the best-known word in the Hebrew language. It is foundational for understanding the New Covenant message of Jesus. If you want to grasp some of the Old Covenant thinking, read the following verses: 1 Samuel 20:42; 2 Kings 22:20; Isaiah 9:7; 60:17; 66:12; Zechariah 9:10.
New Covenant
Jesus offered his followers this blessing: “Peace be with you”. He used the Greek word eirene, which is the New Testament equivalent of shalom. The peace Jesus gave was not the peace of the world (John 14:27; 16:33; 20:21), but something only he could provide. Paul tells us that Christ-followers have peace (Rom. 8:6) and that we are called to live in peace with fellow believers (Rom. 12:18). Ultimately, we are privileged to be spiritual peacemakers between humans and God (Matt. 5:9).
Malcolm Cox
