“So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’”
Jeremiah 27:9
The Hebrew word shalom is used three times in Jeremiah 29:7 and is translated “peace,” “prosperity,” “prosper[s].” It appears at least once in the majority of the thirty-nine Old Testament books. Its significance isn’t limited to the number of times it’s used, however. The concepts embodied in this rich word are noteworthy and far exceed the notion of “quiet from war.” The general idea is that of well-being encompassing health, prosperity, safety, wholeness, soundness, completeness—personally, communally, and cosmically. The King James Version reflects the literal repetition of the word peace: “Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” In Isaiah 9, the source and scope of universal well-being come into focus. Jesus is our shalom, our “Prince of Peace” (v. 6), and His reign will result in universal wholeness (v. 7).
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