Shalom Meaning: More Than Peace, a Wish for Wholeness

Shalom meaning and definition: peace and much more

English usually translates shalom as peace, and that is correct. But the Hebrew idea is wider. It covers:

1. Peace between people or nations, the end of conflict or a treaty of friendship.
2. Personal well-being, being safe, healthy and at ease.
3. Completeness, nothing missing or broken, everything in its right place.
4. Right relationships, with neighbours, with family and, in religious use, with God.

So when someone wishes you shalom, they are wishing that your life is whole and well, not only that you avoid trouble. Some writers compare it to serenity, but shalom points outward to a community as well as inward to a calm mind.

The Hebrew root behind shalom

Hebrew builds words from three-consonant roots. Shalom comes from the root sh-l-m, which carries the sense of being whole, sound or complete. The same root gives shalem, whole or complete, and words about paying in full, as if to settle and complete a debt. The name Solomon is traditionally connected to this root as well. Arabic salaam, heard in the greeting as-salaam alaikum, comes from a related root in a sister language, which is why the two greetings sound so alike.

What does shalom mean in the Bible?

Scripture uses shalom across the whole range above. A few well-known uses show this:

• Asking after someone's welfare. Characters greet one another by asking, in effect, "Is it shalom with you?", meaning are you well.
• The priestly blessing in Numbers 6 ends with the wish that God would give the people peace.
• Prayer for a city. Psalm 122 asks readers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and Jeremiah 29 tells exiles to seek the welfare of the city where they live.
• A title of hope. Isaiah 9 speaks of a coming ruler called the Prince of Peace, in Hebrew Sar Shalom.

In Jewish tradition, shalom is also seen as a goal people work toward through justice and kindness. Christians reading the New Testament find the same idea in the greeting "peace be with you," which echoes the Hebrew way of greeting. Each tradition reads these passages in its own way. Browse the faith and belief pages for neighbouring terms such as covenant and selah.

Shalom as an everyday greeting

In modern Hebrew, saying "Shalom" is as ordinary as saying hello. People use it when answering the phone, entering a shop or leaving a friend's home. Two common phrases build on it:

• Shalom aleichem (shah-LOHM ah-LAY-khem): peace be upon you, a fuller greeting. The traditional reply reverses it: aleichem shalom.
• Shabbat shalom: a peaceful Sabbath, said from Friday evening through Saturday. Many Ashkenazi communities also use the Yiddish gut shabbes.

How English speakers use it

English speakers sometimes use shalom as a friendly sign-off in letters or messages, especially within Jewish communities and in some churches. It also appears in the names of synagogues, hospitals and peace groups. If you are not Jewish, using shalom with Jewish friends is generally received as a kind gesture, as long as it is sincere and not a joke. Like namaste or ciao, it carries more feeling than a plain hello because of its meaning. Greetings from many languages are collected in the phrases and greetings section.

Shalom in sample sentences

• The rabbi closed the evening by wishing everyone shalom.
• "Shalom," said the shopkeeper as we left, and we said it back.
• For the prophets, shalom meant a society where the poor were treated fairly.
• Her card ended with the words "Shalom and love."