📖 Biblical Definition
Jehovah-Shalom (יְהוָה שָׁלוֹם) — "the LORD is peace" — is the covenant name given by Gideon to the altar he built at Ophrah after the Angel of the LORD revealed Himself and reassured him: "Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom" (Judges 6:23-24). Shalom is not the absence of conflict; it is wholeness, integrity, restoration to right order under God. Christ Himself is the incarnate Jehovah-Shalom: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" (Ephesians 2:14). In Him hostility ceases — between sinner and God, between Jew and Gentile, between brothers.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
SHA'LOM, n.
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A Hebrew word, signifying peace, completeness, soundness, welfare. Jehovah-Shalom — the Lord is peace; a name of God revealed at Ophrah.
📖 Key Scripture
Judges 6:24 — "Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom."
Isaiah 9:6 — "His name shall be called... The Prince of Peace."
John 14:27 — "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth."
Philippians 4:7 — "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern psychology offers calm without Christ; biblical shalom is grounded in His face.
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Gideon was terrified when he met the Angel of the Lord, because Jewish theology rightly held that no man could see God and live. The Lord answered with two words: Shalom lecha — peace to you. The peace was not from Gideon's achievement; it was a gift from the One who could have struck him dead. Gideon built an altar to the name of that peace.
Modern psychology can deliver calm — meditation apps, breath-work, mindfulness — but it cannot deliver shalom. Shalom is wholeness in covenant with God; it is the integration of a life under His face. Christ promises this shalom in John 14:27 in explicit contrast to what the world offers. The world's peace dissolves at the next news cycle. Jehovah-Shalom holds steady in earthquakes.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew YHWH-Shalom (H3068 + H7965).
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H3068 — YHWH — the LORD
H7965 — shalom — peace, wholeness, welfare
G1515 — eirene — peace; New Testament equivalent
Usage
"The world offers calm; Jehovah-Shalom offers wholeness."
"Shalom is a gift from the One who could have struck you dead; that knowledge keeps it sweet."
"Modern psychology smooths the surface; only the Lord makes the depths still."