Five-minute study · Day 249 · Isaiah 26
Isaiah 26:3
A word worth stopping on: peace שָׁלוֹם shalom
'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.' The Hebrew for 'perfect peace' is shalom shalom. The word is doubled. In Hebrew, doubling a word intensifies it: qadosh qadosh qadosh means 'holy, holy, holy,' the highest degree of holiness. Shalom shalom means peace to the fullest extent, peace with nothing missing. And shalom itself is already bigger than the English word 'peace.' It means completeness, wholeness, well-being, nothing broken, nothing lacking. Shalom shalom is wholeness doubled, everything intact, everything in its right place.
Word study: peace
- Hebrew
- שָׁלוֹם
- Pronounced
- shalom
- Strong's
- H7965
- Definition
- Peace, completeness, wholeness, welfare, soundness, safety, prosperity. From the root shalam (to be complete, to be whole, to make restitution). Encompasses physical health, material sufficiency, relational harmony, and spiritual well-being. Broader than the English 'peace' (absence of conflict).
Shalom appears 236 times in the Hebrew Bible. BDB defines it as 'completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.' The root shalam means 'to be complete, to be whole, to be in a state of soundness.' Shalom is the noun form: the state of completeness itself. The word covers territory that English divides among multiple words: peace, well-being, health, wholeness, prosperity, safety, harmony.
Oswalt's commentary on Isaiah 1-39 in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament identifies Isaiah 26 as part of the 'Isaiah Apocalypse' (chapters 24-27), a section that looks forward to God's final judgment and the renewal of the world. Isaiah 26:1-6 is a song of trust, celebrating the 'strong city' (26:1) that God has made secure. Verse 3 is the theological center of this song: the person whose mind is stayed on God will be kept in shalom shalom.
The doubling is the key feature. Hebrew uses repetition for intensification. Isaiah 6:3, the seraphim cry 'Holy, holy, holy' (qadosh, qadosh, qadosh), expressing the superlative degree of God's holiness. Ecclesiastes 1:2, 'vanity of vanities' (havel havalim), expresses the supreme degree of futility. Isaiah 26:3, shalom shalom, expresses the superlative degree of peace: total completeness, ultimate wholeness, peace with nothing missing and nothing broken.
The word 'stayed' translates samuk, from samak ('to lean, to support, to sustain'). The mind (yetser, 'imagination, inclination, frame of mind') is samuk, supported, leaned against, resting its weight on God. The image is architectural: a structure leaning against a wall, supported by something stronger than itself. The shalom shalom is a consequence of this leaning. The mind that rests its weight on God receives wholeness in return.
Shalom in the Old Testament is frequently used as a greeting (Genesis 43:27, 'he asked them of their welfare [shalom]'), a blessing (Numbers 6:26, 'The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace [shalom]'), and a descriptor of covenant relationship (Psalm 55:18, 'He hath delivered my soul in peace [shalom] from the battle that was against me'). Shalom is the condition of a life where everything essential is present and functioning. When doubled, the word describes that condition raised to its fullest possible degree.
Historical context · Isaiah's ministry approximately 740-680 BC; the 'Isaiah Apocalypse' (chapters 24-27) likely composed during or shortly after Isaiah's lifetime
The Isaiah Apocalypse and the Doubled Word in Hebrew Poetry
Isaiah chapters 24-27 are sometimes called the 'Isaiah Apocalypse' or 'Little Apocalypse' because of their cosmic scope and eschatological themes. These chapters describe worldwide judgment (24:1, 'the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste'), the punishment of cosmic powers ('the host of the high ones,' 24:21), the establishment of God's reign on Mount Zion (24:23), a feast for all nations (25:6-8), the abolition of death (25:8), and songs of victory and trust (26:1-19). The material looks beyond the immediate historical situation to a future transformation of the entire created order.
Scholars debate the dating of these chapters. Some assign them to Isaiah himself (8th century BC), viewing them as prophetic vision. Others date them to the post-exilic period (6th-5th century BC), seeing them as a later addition to the Isaianic corpus. Oswalt argues for essential Isaianic authorship, noting that the theological themes (trust in God, the futility of human pride, God's sovereignty over nations) are consistent with Isaiah's message throughout the book.
The doubling of shalom in 26:3 employs a feature of Hebrew that has no direct English equivalent. Hebrew uses repetition for emphasis in ways that English handles with adjectives or adverbs. 'Very deep' in Hebrew is 'deep deep' (amoq amoq, Ecclesiastes 7:24). 'Very quickly' is expressed through doubled verbs. The most famous example is the trisagion of Isaiah 6:3, where the threefold repetition of qadosh creates the absolute superlative: holier than holy, the highest possible degree.
The Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 culminates in shalom: 'The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace [shalom].' This priestly benediction was spoken over Israel regularly in the Temple liturgy. Archaeological evidence supports its antiquity: two tiny silver scrolls found at Ketef Hinnom in Jerusalem (dated to the late 7th or early 6th century BC) contain the earliest known text of the priestly blessing, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by four centuries. Shalom was the culminating word of Israel's most ancient blessing, the final gift pronounced over the congregation. When Isaiah doubled it, he was intensifying the most valued condition in Israel's spiritual vocabulary.
For reflection
Shalom shalom. The word is doubled because the single word was already large and it needed to be larger. Shalom means nothing missing, nothing broken. Doubled, it means that condition raised to its absolute peak: complete completeness, whole wholeness. The verse says this state belongs to the mind that is samuk, leaned against God, resting its full weight on something stronger than itself. Your mind leans on something. Right now, at this moment, it is resting its weight somewhere: on a plan, a fear, a relationship, an outcome, a bank balance, a diagnosis. Where is your yetser leaning? The shalom shalom comes from the direction of the lean.
Shalom shalom: peace doubled for intensification. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, nothing missing. Doubled, it reaches the superlative degree. The Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls contain the earliest known text of Israel's shalom blessing.
Sources: BDB; Oswalt, 'Isaiah 1-39' (NICOT)