Shalom! What does it mean? You hear it spoken among those with Hebrew roots, but what are they saying and what are they implying. Shalom means peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.
Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The Lord be with you!" Ruth 2:4
Hebrews have a traditional greeting with the blessing, “peace unto you,” or in the Hebrew, “shalom aleichem,” with the other person responding, “unto you peace,” or “aleichem shalom.” The first person is asking for peace with the second person by saying "peace unto you", while the second person is agreeing that they desire that peace as well by saying "unto you peace". So by responding with the opposite phrase, the second person is now actually establishing that "peace and unity in the plural--between the two of them."
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. Judges 6:24
"A blessing of peace—peace throughout the world and in one’s personal life—is one of the greatest blessings one can give and receive, and therefore we each other with this."
It's important that we all understand where this peace comes from. The Lord is peace, as Gideon proclaimed in Judges 6:24. Knowing that this greeting of peace is a blessing of godliness from the Lord into other's lives and their homes and communities, is more of a reason for all Christians to greet each other asking for unity in this way. Shalom Aleichem, my friend! Shalom, Aleichem!
Quotes from The Jewish Hello: Explaining the Shalom Aleichem Greeting By Dovid Zaklikowski
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