Word Study for H8001 (שְׁלָם)

shᵉlâm /shel-awm'/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to שָׁלוֹם

Meaningprosperity

KJV usagepeace.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shᵉlâm — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Aramaic word shᵉlâm, represented by H8001, corresponds to the concept of prosperity and peace. It is a specific term that appears 4 times in the Bible across 4 unique verses, primarily in contexts of official communication.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H8001 is consistently used as a formal greeting or salutation within royal decrees and letters. It is a declaration of peace extended from a king to his subjects or officials. For instance, both King Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius use the exact phrase "Peace be multiplied unto you" to begin their proclamations to all people, nations, and languages (Daniel 4:1, Daniel 6:25). Similarly, it is used as a salutation in a letter sent to King Darius Ezra 5:7 and in an answer sent from a king to his officials in Samaria Ezra 4:17.

Related Words & Concepts

One key related word is often paired directly with shᵉlâm:

H7680 sᵉgâʼ (to increase; grow, be multiplied): This term is used to amplify the blessing of peace in the royal decrees of Daniel. The wish is not just for peace, but for peace that will "be multiplied" (Daniel 4:1, Daniel 6:25), indicating a desire for abundant and growing prosperity and stability within the kingdom.

Theological Significance

The significance of H8001 is centered on its use in the context of governance and authority.

Royal Salutation: The term functions as a formal, authoritative pronouncement of well-wishing. It is a word of statecraft, used by powerful kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Darius to establish a tone of goodwill in official communications.
A Wish for Stability: By wishing peace upon "all people, nations, and languages" (Daniel 4:1, Daniel 6:25), the rulers express a desire for order and prosperity throughout their vast domains.
Formal Correspondence: Its use in Ezra demonstrates that it was a standard and respectful greeting for official letters directed to or from the king, establishing a protocol of peace (Ezra 4:17, Ezra 5:7).

Summary

In summary, H8001 is a specialized Aramaic term for peace reserved for high-level, official correspondence. Its usage is exclusively tied to the letters and decrees of kings. The word signifies a formal bestowal of peace and prosperity, often amplified with the hope that this peace would be multiplied, reinforcing the king's role as the guarantor of order and well-being for all people under his rule.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 4 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

שְׁלָמְ
שְׁלָם
שְׁלָמָ

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 4 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Ezra and Daniel (2 verses each); never once in the other 37.

Ezra

Daniel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.