A name of God
Jehovah Shalom, the LORD Is Peace
Jehovah Shalom means the LORD is peace. Gideon built an altar with this name when he was trembling for his life, certain that seeing God meant death, and God met his fear with the word peace. The name declares that peace is not merely something God gives; it is who He is, and He speaks it into our fear.
“Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”Judges 6:24
What the name means
Jehovah Shalom joins the covenant name of God with the rich Hebrew word shalom. Shalom means far more than the absence of conflict. It carries the sense of wholeness, completeness, well being, and everything set right, a life in flourishing harmony with God and others. To name God Jehovah Shalom is to confess that He is the source and the substance of this wholeness, that true peace flows from His presence and nowhere else. It is striking that the name was given to a frightened man, for it teaches that God's peace enters our fear rather than waiting for calm circumstances. Jehovah Shalom reveals a God who reconciles, who quiets the anxious heart, and who makes His people whole.
Where it appears
The name appears in the days of the judges, when Israel was oppressed and Gideon was threshing wheat in secret to hide it from raiders. The angel of the LORD appeared to him, and Gideon was afraid, believing he had seen God face to face and would die. God said to him, Peace be unto thee, fear not, thou shalt not die. In gratitude and awe Gideon built an altar to the LORD and called it Jehovah Shalom. The setting is one of oppression, weakness, and dread, and into it God spoke a word of peace, revealing His name at the very moment His servant most needed to hear it.
How you see it in Christ
Jesus is the peace that this name promises. Isaiah called the coming child the Prince of Peace, and Paul wrote that He Himself is our peace, having broken down the wall between us and God. On the cross Christ made peace through His blood, reconciling us to the Father we had offended. Risen, He came to His frightened disciples and said, Peace be unto you, showing them His wounded hands. He does not offer peace as the world does, but a peace that guards the heart in trouble. So the God who calmed Gideon's fear is the same who says to us, let not your heart be troubled. In Jesus, Jehovah Shalom draws near, making peace with God the ground of every other calm.
Questions people ask
What does shalom really mean?
Shalom is a Hebrew word that means far more than the absence of conflict. It describes wholeness, completeness, well being, and flourishing, a life set right and in harmony with God and others. So Jehovah Shalom, the LORD is peace, points to a God who not only ends strife but makes His people whole and restores all that sin has broken.
Why did God reveal this name to a fearful man?
Gideon was hiding from oppressors and terrified that seeing God meant death when God spoke peace to him and gave the altar its name. This teaches that God's peace enters our fear rather than waiting for calm. Jehovah Shalom is revealed precisely to the anxious and weak, assuring them that peace is found in His presence, not in easy circumstances.