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שַׁלְוָה

𐤔𐤋𐤅𐤄

shalvâh

H7962 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A state of ease, tranquility, or security, emphasizing absence of anxiety, trouble, or conflict; used of personal calm, communal well-being, or material prosperity. The term can denote both inward peace and the outward conditions of security and well-being, sometimes with implications of complacency or false security.

Semantic Range

tranquility, security, ease, quietness, prosperity, absence of trouble, complacency, sense of false security, peaceable condition

Root / Etymology

שָׁלָה (shalah) is the verbal root, meaning 'to be quiet, at ease, or secure.' שַׁלְוָה (shalvâh) is a feminine noun form derived from this root, describing the state or condition resulting from being at ease or secure.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שַׁלְוָה primarily denotes a desired condition of tranquility or security in various passages (e.g., Job 3:26, Psalm 122:7). In the context of the monarchic and exilic periods, it is sometimes portrayed positively as a blessing (Jeremiah 33:6), but elsewhere cautioned as a potentially self-deceptive or unstable state, vulnerable to disruption (Ezekiel 16:49; Psalm 30:6). It contrasts with terms like שָׁלוֹם (shalom), which often conveys broader concepts of wholeness or right relationships, whereas שַׁלְוָה focuses more narrowly on quietness, lack of disturbance, or material ease. In later Hebrew, especially in wisdom literature, it sometimes warns against false confidence in one's security (Proverbs 1:32). Standard English translations render the term as peace, prosperity, quiet, security, or ease, though none capture all contextual nuances. The meaning shifts from personal experience (inner peace) to community prosperity or perceived invulnerability, reflecting the complex relationship between peace, prosperity, and ethical conduct in ancient Israelite thought.

Translation Consistency

primary "peace" 2 occurrences

‘Peace’ best matches the typical range of שַׁלְוָה — inner calm, absence of trouble, and outward well‑being/prosperity — while remaining natural and widely understood in English. It covers both personal tranquility and a condition of security or peaceable prosperity (and is preferable to more formal options like ‘tranquility’).

Alternatives (6 occurrences):
"peace-of" (2x) "tranquil security" (2x) "prosperity" (1x) "secure tranquility" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁלָה; security (genuine or false); abundance, peace(-ably), prosperity, quietness.

Bantu Hebrew

Language Bantu Word Transliteration Meaning
Makua tolola to calm (oneself), to grow calm
Shona zorora to rest, to be at leisure, to relax, be at ease
Sotho zola to be calm, peaceful, at ease
Tswana zola to be calm, peaceful, at ease
Venda dzola to be calm, at peace, tranquil
Xhosa Zola be calm, be quiet, tranquil, or peace
Yao zolera to be calm, tranquil, composed
Zulu Zola be calm, be quiet, tranquil, or peace
+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

שלה (sh-l-h) — to be at ease, be tranquil, be secure

Root שלה to be at ease, be tranquil, be secure
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7887 שִׁילֹה in Shiloh
H7944 שַׁל the careless misstep
H7951 שָׁלָה I was at ease
H7952 שָׁלָה may you become complacent
H7953 שָׁלָה he will draw out

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7962-05 וְ/שַׁלְוָה veshalevah HC/Ncfsa and quietness secure ease and peace 2
H7962-06 וְ/שַׁלְוַ֣ת veshalevat HC/Ncfsc and abundance and tranquility-of and peace-of 2
H7962-02 בְּ/שַׁלְוָ֞ה beshalevah HR/Ncfsa in a state of security in tranquil security in tranquil security 1
H7962-03 שַׁ֝לְוָ֗ה shalevah HNcfsa prosperity secure tranquility secure tranquility 1
H7962-04 וּ/בְ/שַׁלְוָ֖ה uveshalevah HC/R/Ncfsa and in peace and in tranquil security and in tranquil security 1
H7962-01 בְּ/שַׁלְוֺתַ֔יִ/ךְ beshaleotayikhe HR/Ncfpc/Sp2fs in your prosperity in your states of ease in your prosperity 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7962-01 Jeremiah 22:21 בְּ/שַׁלְוֺתַ֔יִ/ךְ beshaleotayikhe HR/Ncfpc/Sp2fs in your prosperity in your states of ease in your prosperity
H7962-06 Ezekiel 16:49 וְ/שַׁלְוַ֣ת veshalevat HC/Ncfsc and abundance and tranquility-of and peace-of
H7962-03 Psalms 122:7 שַׁ֝לְוָ֗ה shalevah HNcfsa prosperity secure tranquility secure tranquility
H7962-06 Proverbs 1:32 וְ/שַׁלְוַ֖ת veshalevat HC/Ncfsc and complacency and tranquility-of and peace-of
H7962-05 Proverbs 17:1 וְ/שַׁלְוָה veshalevah HC/Ncfsa and quietness secure ease and peace
H7962-04 Daniel 8:25 וּ/בְ/שַׁלְוָ֖ה uveshalevah HC/R/Ncfsa and in peace and in tranquil security and in tranquil security
H7962-05 Daniel 11:21 בְ/שַׁלְוָ֔ה veshalevah HR/Ncfsa in tranquility secure ease and peace
H7962-02 Daniel 11:24 בְּ/שַׁלְוָ֞ה beshalevah HR/Ncfsa in a state of security in tranquil security in tranquil security
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