Peace is God’s gift. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you,” and God keeps “in perfect peace” the steadfast of mind. In John 14:27, the Greek word is eirēnē (G1515): peace, the opposite of conflict and trouble. Strong’s adds ‘prosperity’: things going well.
Get DeepWordWhat the original says
Behind the word “peace” in this verse is the Greek word eirēnē (said ay-RAY-nay).
It means peace, the opposite of conflict and trouble. Strong’s adds ‘prosperity’: things going well.
Here it is a noun, a naming word. Its ending, -ēn, marks it as what Jesus leaves and gives. The word for “leave” is aphiēmi, the same word that is behind “forgive” in 1 John 1:9.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘peace’ 88 of its 90 times:
Word by word
| εἰρήνην | ἀφίημι | ὑμῖν | εἰρήνην | τὴν | ἐμὴν | δίδωμι | ὑμῖν |
| peace | I leave | to you | peace | the | my | I give | to you |
Original form
What this tells us
It is the night before Jesus dies. He has just told his friends, “Where I am going, you cannot come” (John 13:33), and told Peter he would deny him three times (John 13:38). The disciples are confused and afraid. Thomas says, “we do not know where You are going” (John 14:5). Jesus begins, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). The word for “peace” is eirēnē: peace, the opposite of conflict and trouble, and also things going well. Jesus calls it “My peace”, and he says it is a gift unlike any other: “I do not give to you as the world gives.” The world gives peace when things calm down. Jesus gives it on the worst night of his life. He keeps that promise. After he rises, he comes to his disciples behind locked doors, and his first words are, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). Paul later calls it “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Think of a child sitting on a parent’s lap during a thunderstorm: the storm has not stopped, but the child is held. The words at the end of the verse are gentle: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.” They come with the gift that makes them possible, his own peace, given to you.
What the original says
Behind the word “peace” in this verse is the Hebrew word shalom (said shah-LOME).
It means being well in every way: safe, in good health, at peace.
Here it is a noun, a naming word, and it is the last word of the blessing. Word for word, the LORD will ‘set’ peace for you; the Berean says “give you peace”.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘peace’ 146 times. It is also ‘safely’ (10) and ‘well’ (5). When Joseph meets his brothers in Egypt, “He asked if they were well” with this word (Genesis 43:27):
Word by word
| יִשָּׂא | יְהוָה | פָּנָיו | אֵלֶיךָ | וְיָשֵׂם | לְךָ | שָׁלוֹם |
| he will lift | the LORD | face · his | toward · you | and · he will set | for · you | peace |
Original form
What this tells us
The LORD gives Moses words for the priests to speak over the people: “This is how you are to bless the Israelites” (Numbers 6:23). The blessing has three lines, and it begins, “May the LORD bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24). This verse is its last line. The word for “peace” is shalom: being well in every way, safe, whole, at peace with God and with others. It is the last word of the blessing, the place everything arrives. Word for word, the LORD will ‘set’ peace for you. It is something he places on you, not something you have to make. The line before says, “may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:25), and this one, “lift up His countenance toward you”: God’s face turned toward you, kindly. Then the LORD sums it up: “So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27). Centuries later Isaiah calls the promised child the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Peace in this verse begins with being looked at kindly by God. These words were meant to be spoken over people like you, and you can receive them today.
What the original says
Behind the word “steadfast” in this verse is the Hebrew word samakh (said sah-MAKH).
It means to lean on something, or to hold something up, the way a prop holds up a wall.
This form, samukh, describes the mind: leaning, propped up. The Berean puts it as “the steadfast of mind”.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is often ‘lay’, as when a man is “to lay his hand on the head of the offering” (Leviticus 3:2). It is also ‘uphold’: “The LORD upholds all who fall” (Psalm 145:14). Only here is it ‘steadfast’:
Word by word
| יֵצֶר | סָמוּךְ | תִּצֹּר | שָׁלוֹם | שָׁלוֹם | כִּי | בְךָ | בָּטוּחַ |
| mind | stayed | you will keep | peace | peace | because | in · you | trusting |
Original form
What this tells us
Isaiah 26 is a song for a day still to come: “In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city” (Isaiah 26:1). The song pictures a city with salvation for its walls, and calls, “Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter” (Isaiah 26:2). The word behind “steadfast” is samakh: to lean on something, to be propped up, the way a beam holds up a wall. The steadfast mind is not a mind that has stopped feeling anything. It is a mind leaning on someone: “because he trusts in You.” And the peace is doubled, word for word ‘peace, peace’, which the Berean turns into “perfect peace”. The next verse says where to lean: “Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4). Later in the song Isaiah prays, “O LORD, You will establish peace for us” (Isaiah 26:12). Think of leaning your full weight against a wall you know will hold. You can stop bracing yourself. Where is your mind leaning right now? This verse promises peace not to the strong-minded, but to the one who leans on God.
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Download on the App StoreWhat the original says
Behind the words “will guard” in this verse is the Greek word phroureō (said froo-REH-oh).
It is a soldier’s word: to stand guard, to keep watch over a place.
This form, phrourēsei, means “will guard”. It is a promise about what God’s peace will do.
It is a rare word: the Berean Standard Bible has it only 4 times, as ‘guard’, ‘secured’, ‘held’ and ‘shielded’. In Damascus a governor “secured the city of the Damascenes” (2 Corinthians 11:32):
Word by word
| εἰρήνη | τοῦ | θεοῦ | ἡ | ὑπερέχουσα | πάντα | νοῦν | φρουρήσει | τὰς | καρδίας | ὑμῶν |
| peace | of the | God | the | surpassing | all | understanding | will guard | the | hearts | your |
Original form
What this tells us
Paul writes this letter from prison, and he mentions that his chains are known “throughout the whole palace guard” (Philippians 1:13). Soldiers are around him every day. Just before these verses he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always” and “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4–5). The word for “guard” is phroureō, a soldier’s word: to stand watch over a place. Paul, watched by guards himself, says that God’s peace will stand guard over you: it “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The way there is prayer: “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Paul calls it a peace “which surpasses all understanding”. It does not wait until you can explain everything. A few verses later he adds, “And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Think of a sentry at a city gate at night. The city sleeps, not because there is no danger, but because someone is keeping watch. Your worries are welcome in prayer, all of them. What Paul promises in return is not that every problem goes away, but that God’s peace will keep watch over your heart and mind.
What the original says
Behind the word “safety” in this verse is the Hebrew word betach (said BEH-takh).
It means safety: both being safe and feeling safe. It comes from batach, the Hebrew word for ‘to trust’.
Here it has ‘in’ in front of it (לָ): “in safety”. (In Hebrew Bibles this verse is numbered Psalm 4:9.)
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘securely’ 21 times and ‘safety’ 8, as in “Then you will go on your way in safety” (Proverbs 3:23):
Word by word
| בְּשָׁלוֹם | יַחְדָּו | אֶשְׁכְּבָה | וְאִישָׁן | כִּי | אַתָּה | יְהוָה | לְבָדָד | לָבֶטַח | תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי |
| in · peace | together | I will lie down | and · I will sleep | for | you | LORD | to · alone | in · safety | you make dwell · me |
Original form
What this tells us
Psalm 4 is an evening prayer from someone under pressure. It opens, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress” (Psalm 4:1), and complains, “How long, O men, will my honor be maligned?” (Psalm 4:2). Many people around him are asking who can show them anything good (Psalm 4:6). The word for “safety” is betach: being safe, and feeling safe. It comes from the Hebrew word for ‘to trust’. The writer does not say the danger has gone away. He says he can sleep anyway, “for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Another psalm says something similar about a night of danger: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5). A third warns about worry that steals sleep: “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for bread to eat” (Psalm 127:2). The writer of Psalm 4 has found something better than plenty: “You have filled my heart with more joy than when grain and new wine abound” (Psalm 4:7). If your nights are restless, this verse is a prayer for the edge of sleep. You can say it as you lie down: in peace I will lie down and sleep.
What the original says
Behind the words “making peace” in this verse is the Greek word eirēnopoieō (said ay-ray-no-poy-EH-oh).
It joins two words, eirēnē, “peace”, and poieō, ‘to make’. It means to make peace.
This form, eirēnopoiēsas, means ‘having made peace’: something already done.
In the Berean Standard Bible, this word appears only here, as “by making peace”:
Word by word
| εἰρηνοποιήσας | διὰ | τοῦ | αἵματος | τοῦ | σταυροῦ | αὐτοῦ |
| having made peace | through | the | blood | of the | cross | his |
Original form
What this tells us
Paul is in the middle of one of his great descriptions of Christ: “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). “For in Him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16), and “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him” (Colossians 1:19). This verse says what God did through him. The word behind “making peace” is eirēnopoieō, one word built from ‘peace’ and ‘to make’. Peace here is not a feeling first. It is something God made, and it cost something: “by making peace through the blood of His cross.” Its reach is wide: “all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” The next verses bring it close: “Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds” (Colossians 1:21). “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death” (Colossians 1:22). Paul says the same in Romans: “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Christians differ on how far ‘all things’ reaches in the end, but they agree that the cross is where this peace was made. Before peace can settle in you, it has to exist between you and God. This verse says it does: it was made at the cross, and it is offered to you.
What the original says
Behind the words “take courage” in this verse is the Greek word tharseō (said thar-SEH-oh).
It means to take courage, to be brave and confident.
This form, tharseite, is a command to a group: “take courage”, all of you.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘take courage’ every time, 7 times. On the lake at night, Jesus says it to his frightened disciples: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27):
Word by word
| ἀλλὰ | θαρσεῖτε | ἐγὼ | νενίκηκα | τὸν | κόσμον |
| but | take courage | I | have overcome | the | world |
Original form
What this tells us
These are the last words of Jesus’ long talk with his disciples on the night before he dies. He has just warned them, “you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone” (John 16:32). He knows they will fail him within hours, and he speaks to them anyway. The word behind “take courage” is tharseō: to be brave, to be confident. Jesus does not tell them life will be easy; he says plainly, “In the world you will have tribulation.” But he puts two things side by side: trouble in the world, and peace “in Me”. And he gives the reason for courage: “I have overcome the world!” He said the same word on a dark lake, walking toward his frightened friends: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). Earlier that evening he had told them, “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). Courage here is not the absence of fear. It is fear that has someone to look at. Trouble in your life is not a sign that you have lost your peace. Jesus said both would be true at once, and he said it as the one who has already overcome the world.
Behind "peace" are 12 different words
Your English Bible says "peace" 266 times. Behind it stand several Hebrew and Greek words:
Reflect
Read it as yours
Psalm 4:8 is a sentence you can say before you sleep. Read it slowly:
Name it
What is troubling your heart right now? Philippians 4:6 says to “present your requests to God”, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving”. Tell him plainly.
Carry with you
What would you bring to God first if you took Philippians 4:6 at its word: “in everything, by prayer”?
A note
Feeling anxious is not a sign that your faith has failed. If worry or fear stays heavy, talking with a pastor, counselor or doctor can help.