Jehovah-shalom

Biblical Text

Jehovah-shalom is the name Gideon gave to an altar he built in Judges 6. While Israel was oppressed by Midian for seven years (Judges 6:1), the angel of the LORD appeared under the oak at Ophrah. Gideon was then threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The angel called Gideon to deliver Israel, and Gideon asked for a sign. When Gideon presented a young goat and unleavened cakes (bread baked without leaven), the angel touched them with the tip of his staff, and fire rose from the rock and consumed the offering. The angel then vanished. Gideon feared that he would die because he had seen the angel of the LORD face to face (Judges 6:22). The LORD said to him, "Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" (Judges 6:23). Gideon then built an altar there and called it "Jehovahshalom" (Judges 6:24). The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) renders the name as "Yeohowa Sallom."

Background and Meaning of the Term

The name combines the divine name Jehovah with the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom refers not only to the absence of war but more broadly to wholeness, safety, and well-being. In Judges 6:23, the phrase "Peace be unto thee" is likewise a greeting containing the word shalom in the original ("peace to you"). The name can therefore be read as a confession responding to the word God had just spoken. The text adds that the altar remains "unto this day" in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Scholars differ on the exact location of Ophrah. Gideon next tore down his father's altar to Baal and built another altar to the LORD (Judges 6:25–32).

Wider Biblical Significance

The Old Testament contains several instances in which a place or altar was given a name of the form "Jehovah-…" to commemorate an act of God. Examples include Jehovah-jireh on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:14) and "Jehovah-nissi" after the battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:15). The theme of God as the giver of peace continues in the prophecy that calls the Messiah "The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). The New Testament connects this theme with Jesus Christ. It confesses Christ as "our peace" (Ephesians 2:14), and Jesus tells his disciples that he leaves them peace (John 14:27). The Pauline epistles frequently call God "the God of peace" (Romans 16:20; Philippians 4:9).

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Nature of the name: In the text, "Jehovah-shalom" is the name of an altar rather than a title of God. In popular Bible studies and sermons, however, it is commonly grouped with Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-nissi, and others as one of the "compound names of God" and presented as a name revealing God's character. This is a theological application of the text; the text itself does not classify it this way. See the article Names of God for more on this topic.
• Meaning of the peace: In the context of the passage, peace means the assurance that Gideon will not die despite encountering God and, beyond that, the restoration of the community through deliverance from Midian. Some interpreters note that narrowing this to mean only personal peace of mind or prosperity is an application that goes beyond the context.
• The angel of the LORD: In the text, the "angel of the LORD" who appeared to Gideon is referred to interchangeably with the LORD himself (Judges 6:14, 6:16). Since the patristic era, some traditions have read this angel as the preincarnate Christ. Other interpreters regard him as an angel acting as God's representative.

In the Korean Church

The name is frequently treated alongside Jehovah-jireh and Jehovah-nissi in sermon series and Bible studies on the "names of God." It is used as a text proclaiming the peace God gives in the midst of fear.