Shalom I leave you, My shalom I give to you; but not as the world gives! Do not let your heart be troubled or afraid. [John 14:27 (TLV)]
Today’s verses are from the Tree of Life Version (TLV) that was produced by a diverse team of Christian and Messianic Jewish scholars. With the possible exception of the book of Job, all the Bible’s writers were Jews and Jesus was a Hebrew-speaking Jewish rabbi. No matter how good the translation, there are times English doesn’t capture the fullness of the original words used and this translation embraces the rich Hebrew roots of Christianity. To help the reader better understand the intent of the original manuscripts, some original Hebrew names, like Adonai (Lord) and Elohim (God), Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit), and Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) were used and some Hebrew terms, like shalom, amen, hineni, matzah, and mikveh (ritual bath), were restored. Fortunately, this translation offers a glossary for its Gentile readers.
Shalom is one of those beautiful Hebrew words that loses its full meaning when translated into English. Usually translated as peace, shalom is more than a sense of calm, serenity, or the absence of hostilities or war. Meaning wholeness, soundness, health, safety, harmony, tranquility, and prosperity, shalom conveys an inward sense of fullness and completeness in mind, body, and circumstance. With its implication of permanence, a connection to God is necessary for shalom. As Jefferson Bethke says, “Shalom is when you are dancing to the rhythm of God’s voice.”
Rather than Hebrew or Aramaic, the language of the people, the New Testament’s writers wrote in Greek, the language of scholars. They weren’t in error in their reporting nor did the Bible’s translators err in their renditions; they simply were limited by the language they used. Neither Greek nor English have a word that fully captures the spiritual depth of shalom.
On the night of Jesus’ birth, when the multitude of angels announced “Peace on earth!” they wouldn’t have used the Greek word eiréné used by Luke. [2:14] Those shepherds were Jewish and the word would have been shalom. When Jesus told the woman with the blood to go in peace and be healed, it was to go in shalom not eiréné, the word Mark used. [5:34] Eiréné, defined as peace, quietness, national tranquility, or absence of conflict, doesn’t fully apprehend shalom’s meaning.
Addressing people with “Hello” or “Good Morning” is simply a greeting but, when “Shalom” is used as a greeting or farewell, it is a blessing of peace. The Jews of Jesus’ day regularly greeted one another with shalom or shalom aleichem (peace be upon you). The person then returned the blessing with aleichem shalom (unto you peace). Since a connection with God is essential to shalom, both greeting and response were a way of bringing godliness into their encounter and the physical world with their words.
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, he didn’t greet her with chaire, the Greek word translated as “hail” or “greetings.” [Luke 1:28] He would have blessed her with the word shalom. When Jesus greeted the women Easter morning, He would have said “Shalom” and, when He appeared to the disciples later that day, He probably said “Shalom aleichem!” Considering their shock at seeing the risen Christ, it’s understandable why both women and disciples failed to properly return His greeting with “Aleichem shalom!”
Shalom is a blessing of peace—peace throughout the world and in one’s personal life—and it is one of the greatest blessings one can give or receive. The peacemakers to whom Jesus referred in the Beatitudes weren’t mediators or political negotiators. They were people whose connection with God gave them shalom. They became peacemakers by transferring their inner sense of fullness, harmony, and well-being (their shalom), to the world around them.
The full meaning of shalom reminds us that true peace is not the absence of conflict or trouble; it is the presence of God. Shalom, my friends; shalom!
In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be. [Cornelius Plantinga]
Devotions of the Heart 