Safe , i.e. (figuratively) well , happy , friendly ; also (abstractly) welfare , i.e. health, prosperity, peace
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שָׁלוֹם (shālôm) is a Hebrew noun for peace, well-being, welfare, safety, friendly relations, completeness, or a condition of things being well. It can occur in greetings and farewells, questions about a person's welfare, diplomatic proposals, covenants, relief from conflict, household safety, public order, and promises of restored well-being.
Reader summary
Full entry for שָׁלוֹם (H7965) · Open the biblical lexicon
שָׁלוֹם (shālôm) is a Hebrew noun for peace, well-being, welfare, safety, friendly relations, completeness, or a condition of things being well. It can occur in greetings and farewells, questions about a person's welfare, diplomatic proposals, covenants, relief from conflict, household safety, public order, and promises of restored well-being.
The BSB source-word alignment has 237 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include peace (57), in peace (32), of peace (18), . . . (11), safely (9).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 15:15. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (31), Isaiah (29), Psalms (27), 2 Kings (20).
שָׁלוֹם (shālôm) is a Hebrew noun for peace, well-being, welfare, safety, friendly relations, completeness, or a condition of things being well. It can occur in greetings and farewells, questions about a person's welfare, diplomatic proposals, covenants, relief from conflict, household safety, public order, and promises of restored well-being. No single English gloss captures every use, and the word does not mean that nothing is missing or broken in every passage.
The priestly blessing asks the Lord to give peace. Prophets connect peace with righteousness, justice, truthful speech, secure dwelling, restored relationship, and God's rule. They also expose false declarations of peace when wounds remain untreated and condemn leaders who announce peace for self-interest. Jeremiah 29 calls exiles to seek the city's welfare while they remain displaced; this is active communal responsibility, not approval of Babylon's injustice or a ban on lament and resistance.
Isaiah 9 names the promised ruler Prince of Peace, Micah 5 identifies the coming ruler with peace, and Isaiah 53 connects well-being with the servant's suffering. Christian readers may trace these themes to Jesus and to New Testament eirēnē language, but each passage and lexeme retains its own context. Shalom must not be used to force unsafe reconciliation, conceal abuse, suppress truth, or promise immediate health and prosperity.
H7965 appears 237 times in ordinary greetings, welfare inquiries, family and diplomatic relations, covenant blessing, legal and political speech, wisdom, worship, false-peace critique, and prophetic restoration.
Jacob sends Joseph to inquire about the welfare of his brothers and the flock, illustrating the word's ordinary well-being register.
Numbers 6 closes the priestly words with a petition for the Lord's favorable attention and gift of peace.
Before attacking a city, Israel is instructed to offer terms of peace, a wartime and political use governed by the chapter's setting.
The Lord tells the fearful Gideon, 'Peace to you,' assuring him that he will not die after the encounter.
The song associates steadfast trust in the Lord with sustained peace amid a larger vision of judgment and righteous rule.
The work of righteousness is peace, with quietness and security named as its result in the restoration vision.
Prophets and priests treat the people's wound lightly by saying 'Peace' when there is no peace.
In displacement, Judah's community is commanded to labor and pray for the host city's good, since local conditions will also affect them.
The prophet condemns leaders who announce peace when fed but prepare conflict against those who do not support them.
The worshiper is called to turn from evil, do good, seek peace, and pursue it.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Completeness and wholeness encompassing physical safety, relational harmony, and covenantal well-being—not mere absence of conflict
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 237 lexical occurrence verses.
False prophets misuse the promise of shalom to secure personal gain, distorting God’s covenant blessings. Isaiah 26:1-6
It signals that the Messiah’s reign restores comprehensive harmony between God and His people. Isaiah 26:12-18
Perfect peace results from steadfast trust in God. Isaiah 32:9-20
Peace is portrayed as divinely ordained, not self-achieved. Isaiah 39:1-8
Describes the lasting result of righteousness. Isaiah 48:17-19
Highlights Hezekiah’s limited perspective regarding future judgment. Isaiah 48:20-22
Describes the abundant covenant blessing of obedience. Isaiah 9:1-7
Clarifies that true peace is covenantal, not automatic. Micah 3:5-8
Peace defines the character of the Messiah’s reign and contrasts with prior turmoil.
Greek words that correspond to or develop the meaning of this Hebrew word in the New Testament.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
H7965 gives teachers a rich but disciplined vocabulary for peace. Its 237 occurrences range from ordinary questions about welfare and safe travel to priestly blessing, political treaties, public security, moral order, false-peace critique, and prophetic restoration. Usage must govern meaning; etymology and familiar slogans cannot make every verse signify total cosmic wholeness.
The prophets are especially important because they refuse peace language that covers untreated wounds, exploitation, or lies. Seeking shalom can involve prayer, truthful speech, justice, repair, protection, and patient communal labor. It does not require a harmed person to reconcile immediately, abandon boundaries, remain near an abuser, or stop naming danger.
Peace texts also do not guarantee health, wealth, freedom from anxiety, or the end of conflict in the present. They can sustain hope while honoring lament, medical care, trauma-informed support, and lawful accountability.
Num.6.26
H7965 is a noun with ordinary and theological uses. Its relationship to H7999 provides useful word-family background concerning completion or making whole, but etymology does not supply the sense of every occurrence. Greek eirēnē often carries peace language in the Septuagint and New Testament, yet its contexts must be studied independently.
The Septuagint and New Testament frequently use eirēnē for peace, and Christian interpretation may connect H7965 themes with Jesus' reign, reconciliation, resurrection greetings, and the gospel of peace. The bridge is canonical and translational, not permission to import the full Hebrew range into every Greek occurrence.
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain