Yahweh Shalom means “Yahweh is Peace” or “The Lord Our Peace”.

 

The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon to commission him to liberate Israel from  the Midianites (Judges 6:1-22). The Lord greeted him with peace, so Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:23,24).

 

The Talmud says “the name of God is ‘Peace’” (Pereq ha-Shalom, Shab. 10b), (Judges 6:24); consequently, one is not permitted to greet another with the word shalom in unholy places such as a bathroom (Talmud, Shabbat, 10b). The name Shlomo, “His peace” (from shalom, Solomon, שלומו), refers to the God of Peace.

 

“Shalom” translated “peace” appears 170 times and means “whole,” “finished,” “fulfilled,” “perfected.”

It is related to “well,” “welfare.” See Deut. 27:6;  Dan. 5:26;  I Kings 9:25;  8:61;  Gen.15:16;  Ex. 21:34;  22:5,6;  Lev. 7:11-21.

 

Shalom means that kind of peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship to God and to one’s fellow man.

 

Shalom can also mean “hello” and “goodbye” and is  used as an actual greeting.

 

We can experience incredible peace in midst of a storm in our lives.

 

The way we gain God’s peace over our lives is by trusting Christ and living in obedience to His commands. When we surrender our own will we find that our burden has been lifted from us and we find ourselves immersed in a supernatural peace.  Sometimes this is called a “peace that surpasses all understanding”. (Romans 5:1)