Abishalom
Absalom
Bishlam
Islam
Jerusalem
Meshelemiah
Meshillemith
Meshillemoth
Meshullam;
Meshullemeth
Muslim
Salem
Salome
Shallum
Shallun
Shalmai
Shalmaneser
Shelemiah
Shelomi
Shelomith
Shelumiel
Shulammite
Solomon
YHWH-shalom
Everybody knows the familiar noun שלום (shalom), meaning peace, but the general meaning of its root-verb שלם (shalem) is that of wholeness, completeness or "unbrokenness" (and see for the opposite the verb רעע, ra'a). Our verb is used to characterize the uncut stones of the altar (Deuteronomy 27:6) and the temple (1 Kings 6:7). It tells of a "full" or perhaps "righteous" wage (Ruth 2:12), and the entirety of a population (Amos 1:6). It also tells of "full" and just weights, which are God's delight (Deuteronomy 25:15 and Proverbs 11:1), and of "whole" hearts devoted to the Lord (1 Kings 8:61). This verb may even denote the completeness of sin (Genesis 15:16), and in some rare cases it may denote friendship (Jeremiah 20:10, Psalm 41:10).
In the Hebrew language it's quite simple to indicate not only a condition (like shalem), but also the means to get there (to "shalem-ize"). The usage of this shalem-ize form in Scriptures is quite revealing. Wholeness is achieved or restored most often by some kind of restitutory payment or covenant: God pays a man according to his work (Job 34:11), but the wicked borrows and does not pay back (Psalm 37:21). The owner of an accidentally killed ox is paid restitution (Exodus 21:36); oil is sold to pay off a debt (2 Kings 4:7); and the Gibeonites swindle Joshua into making a covenant with them (Joshua 10:1). Likewise, shalem is used when vows are to be paid to the Most High, or when days of mourning are to be completed (Isaiah 60:20), and ties in directly to the Messiah and his salvific work (Joel 2:25).
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| The Hebrew word for peace - shalom - comes from a verb that means to be whole an unbroken |
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