What the Bible Says About Peace

"Peace" appears 429 times in the King James Bible. The first is Genesis 15:15, "And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace". The last is Revelation 6:4, where power is given to the rider of a red horse "to take peace from the earth". With peaceable, peaceably and peacemakers, the words come 450 times, 334 in the Old Testament and 116 in the New, in 420 verses.

The 429 don't all stand for the same word. 87 are the peace offerings, and they stand for shelem, a Hebrew word of their own. 57 speak of keeping silent, as in "hold your peace." Most of the rest are shalom in the Old Testament and eirēnē in the New. Below are passages on peace, each quoted word for word with its reference. Short notes give the Hebrew and Greek words behind the English. A table near the end counts the words behind peace, and a list gives every verse where the King James text says it.

Perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

In Hebrew, "perfect peace" is the word shalom twice in a row. Strong's Concordance defines shalom as "safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace."

Shalom comes twice in a row in five verses. In the other four the KJV prints peace twice, in 1 Chronicles 12:18, Isaiah 57:19 and Jeremiah 6:14 and 8:11. Verse 4 is on the strength page.

Go to thy fathers in peace (Genesis 15:15)

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. (Genesis 15:15)

This is the first "peace" in the King James Bible. It's shalom, the word behind 186 of the KJV's 450 peace words, more than any other. Verse 1 is on the fear page.

Hold your peace (Exodus 14:14, Esther 4:14 and Proverbs 17:28)

The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. (Exodus 14:14)

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)

Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:28)

In all three verses the peace is charash, a verb. Strong's definition of charash opens "to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough" and goes on to "to be silent, to let alone." In Esther 4:14 "altogether holdest thy peace" is the verb twice.

The KJV's peace means keeping silent 57 times. In 56 of them the KJV says hold, held, holdest, holdeth or holden with peace, and the other is "Peace, be still" in Mark 4:39. Charash stands behind 26 of the 57, more than any other word.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee (Numbers 6:24 to 26)

24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Here "peace" is shalom.

Jehovah-shalom (Judges 6:24)

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:24)

Jehovah-shalom is two Hebrew words, the name the KJV prints LORD and shalom. Strong's gives its sense as "Jehovah (is) peace" and calls it "a symbolical name of an altar in Palestine." Verse 23 is on the fear page.

It is well (2 Kings 4:26)

Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. (2 Kings 4:26)

Each "well" is shalom, four times in one verse. The KJV renders shalom well 14 times, as in "Is he well?" in Genesis 29:6, and welfare 5 times, as in "he asked them of their welfare" in Genesis 43:27.

In the Psalms

I will both lay me down in peace (Psalm 4:8)

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)

Here "peace" is shalom, and "safety" is betach, whose definition in Strong's opens "properly, a place of refuge; abstract, safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust)."

Seek peace, and pursue it (Psalm 34:14 and 1 Peter 3:11)

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. (1 Peter 3:11)

In Psalm 34:14 "peace" is shalom and "pursue" is radaph, whose definition in Strong's opens "to run after." In 1 Peter 3:11 "peace" is eirēnē, the Greek word behind 89 of the 111 times the New Testament says peace, and "ensue" is diōkō, which Strong's defines as "to pursue (literally or figuratively); by implication, to persecute." The same Greek verb is "Follow" in "Follow peace with all men" in Hebrews 12:14 and "follow after" in "follow after the things which make for peace" in Romans 14:19. Psalm 34:4 is on the fear page, 34:18 on the grief page and 1 Peter 3:15 on the hope page.

Great peace have they which love thy law (Psalm 119:165)

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psalm 119:165)

Here "peace" is shalom. In "nothing shall offend them" the Hebrew noun is mikshol, whose definition in Strong's opens "a stumbling-block, literally or figuratively." Verse 166 is on the hope page.

A time of war, and a time of peace (Ecclesiastes 3:8)

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:8)

The list of times that begins in verse 2 ends here, with peace, and the word is shalom. Verses 1 and 4 are on the grief page.

The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6 and 7)

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

"Prince of Peace" is sar shalom. Strong's defines sar as "a head person (of any rank or class)." The peace in verse 7 is shalom too.

Then had thy peace been as a river (Isaiah 48:18 and 22)

O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: (Isaiah 48:18)

There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22)

Both times, peace is shalom. Isaiah 57:21 says nearly the same as verse 22, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."

Peace, peace (Jeremiah 6:14)

They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14)

All three times, peace is shalom, the first two side by side as in Isaiah 26:3. Jeremiah 8:11 repeats the verse nearly word for word, "For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace."

Seek the peace of the city (Jeremiah 29:7)

And 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. (Jeremiah 29:7)

The verse says peace three times, and each is shalom. Verse 11 is on the hope page.

Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9)

The word "peacemakers" is eirēnopoios, which Strong's derives from eirēnē and poieō and defines as "pacificatory, i.e. (subjectively) peaceable." This is its only appearance in the New Testament and the only place the KJV says peacemakers. Verse 4 is on the grief page.

I came not to send peace (Matthew 10:34 and Luke 12:51)

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (Luke 12:51)

Every peace in both verses is eirēnē. Matthew 10:29 to 31 are on the fear page.

Peace, be still (Mark 4:39)

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)

This peace isn't eirēnē. It's siōpaō, which is behind peace 10 times in the KJV. Strong's definition of it gives "to be dumb" and ends "figuratively, to be calm (as quiet water)." In "be still" the verb is phimoō, which Strong's defines as "to muzzle." In its eight places the KJV renders it hold thy peace twice, put to silence twice, muzzle twice, be still once and speechless once. Of the 57 places where peace means keeping silent, this is the only one without a form of hold. Verse 40 is on the fear page.

On earth peace (Luke 2:14)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14)

Here "peace" is eirēnē. Fifteen verses later Simeon says, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace," with eirēnē again. Verses 8 to 10 are on the fear page.

Go in peace (Luke 8:48)

And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8:48)

Here "peace" is eirēnē. The KJV says "go in peace" 13 times, 8 of them in the Old Testament. The first is Jethro's word to Moses in Exodus 4:18, and Eli says it to Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:17. Luke 8:50 is on the fear page.

In me ye might have peace (John 16:33)

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Here "peace" is eirēnē. Verses 20 and 22 are on the grief page, and John 14:27 is on the worry and fear pages.

Peace be unto you (John 20:19)

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (John 20:19)

"Peace be unto you" comes four times in the KJV, here, in John 20:21 and 26 and in Luke 24:36. In this verse the Greek is two words, eirēnē humin, peace to you.

Grace to you and peace (Romans 1:7)

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)

All 13 letters that name Paul in their first verse, Romans to Philemon, greet their readers with grace and peace, and 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus add mercy. 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 2 John and Revelation open with grace and peace too, 2 John with mercy as well, and Jude's greeting is "Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." Each time, peace is eirēnē. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 is on the grief page.

Peace with God (Romans 5:1)

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)

Here "peace" is eirēnē. Verses 2 to 5 are on the hope page.

Live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18)

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:18)

The words "live peaceably" are one Greek word, eirēneuō, which Strong's defines as "to be (act) peaceful." It appears four times. The others are "have peace one with another" in Mark 9:50, "live in peace" in 2 Corinthians 13:11 and "be at peace among yourselves" in 1 Thessalonians 5:13. Verse 12 is on the hope page and verse 15 on the grief page.

The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 and 23)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Peace is the third of the nine, and it's eirēnē.

The God of peace (Philippians 4:9)

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:9)

"God of peace" comes five times in the KJV, in Romans 15:33 and 16:20, here, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, where it's "the very God of peace", and in Hebrews 13:20. 2 Corinthians 13:11 says "the God of love and peace" and 2 Thessalonians 3:16 says "the Lord of peace". Each time, peace is eirēnē. Verses 6 and 7 are on the worry page and 11 to 13 on the strength page.

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts (Colossians 3:15)

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

Here "peace" is eirēnē and "rule" is brabeuō, whose definition in Strong's opens "to arbitrate" and goes on to "to govern (figuratively, prevail)." It appears only here in the New Testament. Verse 13 is on the forgiveness page and verse 14 on the love page.

The words behind peace

The KJV says peace, peaceable, peaceably or peacemakers 450 times. Counted by their Strong's numbers, these 22 Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words stand behind 449 of them. The other is the peace of "perfect peace" in Ezra 7:12, a word the KJV supplies in italics with no Aramaic word behind it.

Shelem, the peace offering, comes 87 times in 84 verses, the first in Exodus 20:24 and the last in Amos 5:22, with 30 in Leviticus and 19 in Numbers. Strong's defines it as "properly, requital, i.e. a (voluntary) sacrifice in thanks." In Job 29:10, "The nobles held their peace," the CrossWire copy puts qol, which Strong's defines as "a voice or sound", on "their peace" and chaba, "to secrete", on "held". Eirēnē is also "one" in Acts 7:26, "rest" in Acts 9:31 and "quietness" in Acts 24:2.

Every place the KJV says peace

Peace, peaceable, peaceably and peacemakers come in these 420 verses.

• Genesis 15:15, 24:21, 26:29, 26:31, 28:21, 34:5, 34:21, 37:4, 41:16, 43:23, 44:17
• Exodus 4:18, 14:14, 18:23, 20:24, 24:5, 29:28, 32:6
• Leviticus 3:1, 3:3, 3:6, 3:9, 4:10, 4:26, 4:31, 4:35, 6:12, 7:11, 7:13, 7:14, 7:15, 7:18, 7:20, 7:21, 7:29, 7:32, 7:33, 7:34, 7:37, 9:4, 9:18, 9:22, 10:3, 10:14, 17:5, 19:5, 22:21, 23:19, 26:6
• Numbers 6:14, 6:17, 6:18, 6:26, 7:17, 7:23, 7:29, 7:35, 7:41, 7:47, 7:53, 7:59, 7:65, 7:71, 7:77, 7:83, 7:88, 10:10, 15:8, 25:12, 29:39, 30:4, 30:7, 30:11, 30:14
• Deuteronomy 2:26, 20:10, 20:11, 20:12, 23:6, 27:7, 29:19
• Joshua 8:31, 9:15, 10:1, 10:4, 10:21, 11:19, 22:23, 22:27
• Judges 4:17, 6:23, 8:9, 11:13, 11:31, 18:6, 18:19, 19:20, 20:26, 21:4, 21:13
• 1 Samuel 1:17, 7:14, 10:8, 10:27, 11:15, 13:9, 16:4, 16:5, 20:7, 20:13, 20:21, 20:42, 25:6, 25:35, 29:7
• 2 Samuel 3:21, 3:22, 3:23, 6:17, 6:18, 10:19, 13:20, 15:9, 15:27, 17:3, 19:24, 19:30, 20:19, 24:25
• 1 Kings 2:5, 2:6, 2:13, 2:33, 3:15, 4:24, 5:12, 8:63, 8:64, 9:25, 20:18, 22:17, 22:27, 22:28, 22:44
• 2 Kings 2:3, 2:5, 5:19, 7:9, 9:17, 9:18, 9:19, 9:22, 9:31, 16:13, 18:36, 20:19, 22:20
• 1 Chronicles 4:40, 12:17, 12:18, 16:1, 16:2, 19:19, 21:26, 22:9
• 2 Chronicles 7:7, 15:5, 18:16, 18:26, 18:27, 19:1, 29:35, 30:22, 31:2, 33:16, 34:28
• Ezra 4:17, 5:7, 7:12, 9:12
• Nehemiah 5:8, 8:11
• Esther 4:14, 9:30, 10:3
• Job 5:23, 5:24, 11:3, 13:5, 13:13, 22:21, 25:2, 29:10, 33:31, 33:33
• Psalms 4:8, 7:4, 28:3, 29:11, 34:14, 35:20, 37:11, 37:37, 39:2, 39:12, 55:18, 55:20, 72:3, 72:7, 83:1, 85:8, 85:10, 109:1, 119:165, 120:6, 120:7, 122:6, 122:7, 122:8, 125:5, 128:6, 147:14
• Proverbs 3:2, 3:17, 7:14, 11:12, 12:20, 16:7, 17:28
• Ecclesiastes 3:8
• Isaiah 9:6, 9:7, 26:3, 26:12, 27:5, 32:17, 32:18, 33:7, 36:21, 38:17, 39:8, 42:14, 45:7, 48:18, 48:22, 52:7, 53:5, 54:10, 54:13, 55:12, 57:2, 57:11, 57:19, 57:21, 59:8, 60:17, 62:1, 62:6, 64:12, 66:12
• Jeremiah 4:10, 4:19, 6:14, 8:11, 8:15, 9:8, 12:5, 12:12, 14:13, 14:19, 16:5, 23:17, 25:37, 28:9, 29:7, 29:11, 30:5, 33:6, 34:5, 43:12
• Lamentations 3:17
• Ezekiel 7:25, 13:10, 13:16, 34:25, 37:26, 43:27, 45:15, 45:17, 46:2, 46:12
• Daniel 4:1, 6:25, 8:25, 10:19, 11:21, 11:24
• Amos 5:22
• Obadiah 1:7
• Micah 3:5, 5:5
• Nahum 1:15
• Zephaniah 1:7
• Haggai 2:9
• Zechariah 6:13, 8:10, 8:16, 8:19, 9:10
• Malachi 2:5, 2:6
• Matthew 5:9, 10:13, 10:34, 20:31, 26:63
• Mark 1:25, 3:4, 4:39, 5:34, 9:34, 9:50, 10:48, 14:61
• Luke 1:79, 2:14, 2:29, 4:35, 7:50, 8:48, 10:5, 10:6, 11:21, 12:51, 14:4, 14:32, 18:39, 19:38, 19:40, 19:42, 20:26, 24:36
• John 14:27, 16:33, 20:19, 20:21, 20:26
• Acts 10:36, 11:18, 12:17, 12:20, 15:13, 15:33, 16:36, 18:9
• Romans 1:7, 2:10, 3:17, 5:1, 8:6, 10:15, 12:18, 14:17, 14:19, 15:13, 15:33, 16:20
• 1 Corinthians 1:3, 7:15, 14:30, 14:33, 16:11
• 2 Corinthians 1:2, 13:11
• Galatians 1:3, 5:22, 6:16
• Ephesians 1:2, 2:14, 2:15, 2:17, 4:3, 6:15, 6:23
• Philippians 1:2, 4:7, 4:9
• Colossians 1:2, 1:20, 3:15
• 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 5:3, 5:13, 5:23
• 2 Thessalonians 1:2, 3:16
• 1 Timothy 1:2, 2:2
• 2 Timothy 1:2, 2:22
• Titus 1:4
• Philemon 1:3
• Hebrews 7:2, 11:31, 12:11, 12:14, 13:20
• James 2:16, 3:17, 3:18
• 1 Peter 1:2, 3:11, 5:14
• 2 Peter 1:2, 3:14
• 2 John 1:3
• 3 John 1:14
• Jude 1:2
• Revelation 1:4, 6:4

John 14:27 is on the worry and fear pages, and Philippians 4:7 is on the worry page. Genesis 43:23, Judges 6:23 and Daniel 10:19 are on the fear page, 1 Thessalonians 1:1 is on the grief page and Psalm 29:11 is on the strength page. Jeremiah 16:5, 2 Timothy 2:22 and 1 Peter 5:14 are on the love page, and Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 15:13 are on the hope page.

Worry, fear, grief, strength, love, forgiveness and hope

Worry, fear, grief, strength, love, forgiveness and hope have pages of their own. They're What the Bible Says About Worry, What the Bible Says About Fear, What the Bible Says About Grief, What the Bible Says About Strength, What the Bible Says About Love, What the Bible Says About Forgiveness and What the Bible Says About Hope.

How this page was made

Every verse is quoted from the 1769 standard text of the King James Version and checked word for word against two more digital copies. The printed KJV sets supplied words in italics, which this page doesn't show. Verse numbers follow the KJV. Hebrew Bibles number some of these verses differently, among them Psalm 4:8, which is 4:9 there, and Isaiah 9:6 and 7, which are 9:5 and 6.

Hebrew words were identified with the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. Greek words were identified with STEPBible's tagged Greek New Testament. The counts of the words behind peace come from the Strong's numbers in the CrossWire Bible Society's KJV, each checked against the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible or STEPBible's Greek. Greek counts follow the Textus Receptus as STEPBible gives it. Every Greek word the notes cite in a quoted verse stands in all eight Greek editions STEPBible compares. Some quoted words stand in only two of those eight, the Textus Receptus and the Byzantine text, among them "God" in "the peace of God" in Colossians 3:15, where six have Christ, and the notes cite no Greek for them. STEPBible is a Tyndale House Cambridge project. STEPBible's data and the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible are both shared under CC BY 4.0. The definitions come from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). If you find a mistake, tell us through the support page.

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