שָׁלַם

𐤔𐤋𐤌

shâlam

H7999 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׁלם to be complete, to make whole, to restore, to pay, to fulfill

Definition

To be complete, whole, or unharmed; to make whole, restore, or repay; to bring to a state of completeness; to fulfill obligations or agreements. In various contexts, denotes restoration, restitution, payment in kind, fulfillment of vows or requirements, the act of making peace or being at peace, and occasionally the well-being or prosperity that results from wholeness or restoration.

Semantic Range

to be whole or sound, to be safe, to restore, to make restitution, to repay, to fulfill (a vow/agreement), to recompense, to bring to completion, to make peace, to prosper

Root / Etymology

Root: שׁ־ל־ם (שלם). Core root meaning relates to wholeness, completeness, integrity. The verb שָׁלַם is the Qal form meaning to be complete or sound; in the Piel, Hiphil, and other stems it means to make whole, restore, pay, or repay.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׁלַם functions both as a stative verb (to be complete) and as a dynamic verb (to make whole, to repay). It has a wide range of applications, from legal restitution (Exod 21:34, Lev 6:5) to the fulfillment of vows (Ps 50:14), repayment or recompense (Prov 11:31), establishing peaceful conditions (Isa 27:5), and denoting a state of well-being or security in both personal and communal contexts (Ps 41:9). The noun forms (שָׁלֹם, שְׁלוֹמָה) derive from the same root, indicating peace, well-being, or completeness. The English translations 'peace' or 'recompense' often capture only part of the word's semantic range. In the Second Temple and later periods, derivatives of this root become the standard terms for peace and well-being, but in early Israelite usage, the restoration of relationship (human-human or human-deity), payment of debt, or making of amends is typically central. Unlike related verbs such as גָּמַר (to finish, complete), שָׁלַם specifically involves the notion of restoring to wholeness or paying what is due. The KJV rendering 'peace' reflects a later, extended sense of derivatives of this root; the primary lexical meaning is focused on restoration, completeness, and fulfillment.

Translation Consistency

primary "repay" 68 occurrences

Shalam most often functions in contexts of restitution, recompense, and fulfilling obligations (debts, vows, recompense for wrongs). The P2 data shows 'repay'/'pay' as the dominant renderings, and 'repay' is the most natural, specific English verb that covers repayment, restitution, and making amends (including fulfilling obligations), while still being reasonably adaptable to related senses like restoration or making peace.

Alternatives (48 occurrences):
"repaid" (11x) "pay" (5x) "made peace" (4x) "fulfill" (4x) "restore" (3x) "completed" (3x) "make peace" (2x) "brought to completion" (1x) "peaceable ones" (1x) "finished" (1x) "made whole" (1x) "make an end of" (1x) "bring me to an end" (1x) "like a restored one" (1x) "fulfilled" (1x) "render" (1x) "make whole" (1x) "peace" (1x) "repayers" (1x) "fulfilling" (1x) "that he will make whole" (1x) "prospered" (1x) "whole" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively, to be (causatively, make) completed; by implication, to be friendly; by extension, to reciprocate (in various applications); make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-) pay (again), (make) (to) (be at) peace(-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper(-ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward, [idiom] surely.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שלם (š-l-m) — wholeness, completeness, restoration, repayment, fulfillment

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3824 לֵבָב whole, intact
H4919 מְשִׁלֵּמוֹת Recompenses
H4920 מְשֶׁלֶמְיָה and to Yahweh-has-made-whole
H4921 מְשִׁלֵּמִית Recompensing Woman
H4922 מְשֻׁלֶּמֶת Recompensed Woman

Word Forms

46 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7999-42 יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם yeshalem HVpi3ms he shall make restitution he will make whole he will repay 31
H7999-01 אֲשַׁלֵּֽם ashalem HVpi1cs I will pay I will make whole I will repay 6
H7999-39 וְ/שִׁלַּמְתִּ֥י veshilameti HC/Vpq1cs and I will repay and I will repay and I will repay 6
H7999-13 שַׁלֵּ֨ם shalem HVpa he shall make full restitution whole repaid 6
H7999-41 יַשְׁלִ֑ים yashelim HVhi3ms fulfills he will make whole he will repay 4
H7999-25 וּ/מְשַׁלֵּ֧ם umeshalem HC/Vprmsa and repays and one who makes whole and one who repays 3
H7999-29 וַ/אֲשַׁלֵּ֛ם vaashalem HC/Vph1cs and I will pay let me repay fully and I will restore 3
H7999-24 תְשַׁלֵּ֖ם teshalem HVpi2ms will repay you will make whole you will repay 3
H7999-46 יְשֻׁלַּם yeshulam HVPi3ms will-be-fulfilled he will be repaid he will be repaid 3
H7999-38 וְ/שִׁלַּ֤ם veshilam HC/Vpq3ms and restore and he made restitution and he finished 3

Occurrences in Scripture

116 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7999-19 Genesis 44:4 שִׁלַּמְתֶּ֥ם shilametem HVpp2mp have you repaid you made whole have you repaid
H7999-42 Exodus 21:34 יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם yeshalem HVpi3ms shall make restitution he will make whole he will repay
H7999-13 Exodus 21:36 שַׁלֵּ֨ם shalem HVpa pay whole shall pay
H7999-42 Exodus 21:36 יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם yeshalem HVpi3ms he-shall-pay he will make whole he will repay
H7999-42 Exodus 21:37 יְשַׁלֵּם֙ yeshalem HVpi3ms he shall pay he will make whole he will repay
H7999-13 Exodus 22:2 שַׁלֵּ֣ם shalem HVpa he shall repay whole he shall repay
H7999-42 Exodus 22:2 יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם yeshalem HVpi3ms he shall repay he will make whole he will repay
H7999-42 Exodus 22:3 יְשַׁלֵּֽם yeshalem HVpi3ms he-shall-pay he will make whole he will repay
H7999-42 Exodus 22:4 יְשַׁלֵּֽם yeshalem HVpi3ms he shall make restitution he will make whole he will repay
H7999-13 Exodus 22:5 שַׁלֵּ֣ם shalem HVpa he shall make full restitution whole repaid