שָׁלַם
𐤔𐤋𐤌
shâlam
H7999 verb
SILEX Entry
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
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.
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
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot 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 |