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Psalms 72:3 — Word Study

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WLCיִשְׂא֤וּ הָרִ֓ים שָׁ֘ל֥וֹם לָעָ֑ם וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת בִּצְדָקָֽה׃

BSAMay the mountainshar [hills] bringnâsâʼ peaceshâlôwm [shalom, completeness and wellness] to the peopleʻam [a nation, community] and the hillsgibʻâh [small hills] [bring] righteousnesstsᵉdâqâh [justice, virtue, morality]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 72
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 3 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (bitz.da.Kah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 72:3quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls for the mountains to bring peace and the hills to bring righteousness to the people.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, speaking about God's reign and its effects on creation and humanity.
Where we areIn a psalm that expresses a desire for God's justice and peace to be evident in the world.
The hard wordשָׁלוֹם
Take awayGod's peace and righteousness are to be reflected in the natural world and among His people.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectהַר verbנָשָׂא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 72:3

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Prayer for Righteous Leadershipgenerated

2May he judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.
3May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness.
4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
5May they fear him as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains, through all generations.

Psalm 72:3 expresses a longing for the mountains and hills to contribute to the well-being of the people, highlighting the interconnectedness of creation and humanity. This psalm is part of a larger prayer for a king who will rule with justice, as seen in the surrounding verses, where the psalmist asks for God's guidance and righteousness to prevail among the people.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 72:16May there be an abundance of grain in the land; may it sway atop the hills. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and its people like the grass of the field.
2Isaiah 32:16–17Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.
3Isaiah 52:7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
4Ezekiel 34:13–14I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.
5Joel 3:18And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will run with water, and a spring will flow from the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word יִשְׂא֤וּ, yis.'Ugenerated

The verb נָשָׂא (nasa') means 'to lift' or 'to carry'. It is a Qal imperfect form, indicating an action that will take place in the future. This word is often used in the context of lifting burdens or raising something to a higher status, and here it implies that the mountains will actively bring peace.

The choice of this verb suggests a dynamic action where the mountains are not passive; they are envisioned as agents of peace, symbolizing strength and stability in the world.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb יִשְׂא֤וּ governs the entire verse, with two subjects: הָרִ֓ים (mountains) and גְבָע֗וֹת (hills). The structure highlights a parallelism where both subjects are performing the same action of bringing peace and righteousness.

The sentence is structured to emphasize the action of the mountains and hills, creating a poetic balance that reflects the psalmist's desire for harmony in the world.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates יִשְׂא֤וּ as ἀναλαβέτω (anallabeto), meaning 'let them take up'. This choice suggests an active role for the mountains and hills in contributing to peace and righteousness, aligning with the Hebrew intent but emphasizing a call to action.

This rendering in the Greek shows a slight widening of the original Hebrew meaning, inviting a more dynamic interpretation of the mountains and hills as participants in God's plan.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 72:3 expresses a desire for the mountains to bring peace and the hills to bring righteousness to the people. This reflects a hope for God's justice to be evident in the world, showing how creation is involved in the well-being of humanity.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean for the mountains to bring peace?

It suggests that the mountains symbolize strength and stability, acting as agents that contribute to the well-being and harmony of the people.

How do hills bring righteousness?

Hills, being smaller elevations, may represent the everyday aspects of life where justice and virtue can be found and enacted among the people.

Why is peace important in this verse?

Peace, or שָׁלוֹם, is essential as it encompasses completeness and wellness, reflecting God's desire for humanity to live in harmony.

What does the psalmist hope for in this prayer?

The psalmist hopes for a leadership that brings about justice and peace, ensuring the well-being of the people and the land.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can I seek peace in my own community, reflecting the call of the mountains?
  2. How can I contribute to righteousness in my daily actions, like the hills in this psalm?
  3. What does it mean for me to live in harmony with others, as the psalmist desires?
  4. How can I better understand the role of creation in God's plan for humanity?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Augustine of Hippo comments on this verse, interpreting the mountains as representing greater authority and the hills as lesser, emphasizing the roles of different leaders in bringing peace and justice.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 72 354–430
"Let the mountains bear peace to the people, and the hills justice" [Psalms 72:3]. The mountains are the greater, the hills the less.
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 72 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 72:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The mountains shall bring peace to the people,.... The people of God, as before.

Read John Gill on Psalms 72 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. The mountains shall bring peace to the people.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 72 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He mentioneth the mountains and hills, as bringing forth this blessed fruit; either because such places are usually barren, and therefore this was an evidence of extraordinary fruitfulness, and a special blessing of God; or because they are dangerous to passengers, in regard of the robbers and wild beasts, which commonly abide there; whereby it is implied that other places should do so too, and that it should be common and universal. Peace; all manner of prosperity and felicity, which the Hebrews frequently express by that word.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 72 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 72:3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace] i.e. They shall not be so pestered and infested by thieves and robbers, who usually haunt and hide themselves in hills and hollow places. By righteousness] By right administration of justice, as it was here in King Alfred’ s days, who ordained that his subjects should be divided into tens, or tithings, every one of which severally should give bond for the good abearing of each other; and he who was of that dissolute behaviour, that he could not be admitted to these tithings, was forthwith conveyed to the house of correction. The most ancient of these men…

Read John Trapp on Psalms 72 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) The mountains . . .—Better, literally, Let the mountains and the hills bring forth to the people peace in (or by) righteousness. This imperative sense, instead of the future, is by most modern commentators preserved throughout the psalm. The LXX. give it here and in Psalms 72:17, but else use the future. The verb here employed (properly meaning “lift up”) is used in Ezekiel 17:8, for “bearing fruit,” and in Isaiah 32:17 peace is described as the natural work or fruit of righteousness. (Comp. Psalms 85:10.) For the same prominence given to its hills as the characteristic feature of Palestine, a land which is “not only mountainous, but a heap of mountains,” comp. Joe 3:18.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 72 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace] Perhaps mountains and hills are here taken in their figurative sense, to signify princes and petty governors; and it is a prediction that all governors of provinces and magistrates should administer equal justice in their several departments and jurisdictions; so that universal peace should be preserved, and the people be every where prosperous; for shalom signifies both peace and prosperity, for without the former the latter never existed. But what is the meaning of "the little hills by righteousness?" Why, it has no meaning: and it has none, because it is a false division of the verse. The word בצדקה bitsedakah, in righteousness, at the end of…

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 72 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. Logically this verse forms but one sentence, and the exact reproduction of the Heb. division into two clauses for the sake of rhythm has an awkward effect. The sense is, By righteousness shall the mountains and the hills bear peace for the people. The mountains and the hills, which are the characteristic features of Palestine, represent poetically the whole land, which, under a just government, will bear the fruit of peace and general welfare for its inhabitants. Similarly Isaiah describes peace as the result of righteousness (Isaiah 32:17); and peace was the distinguishing characteristic of Solomon’s reign (1 Chronicles 22:9), as well as of its antitype the Messianic age (Isaiah 2:4…

Read Cambridge on Psalms 72 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The mountains shall bring peace to the people - The idea in this verse is that the land would be full of peace and the fruits of peace.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 72 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring righteousness.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The mountaines and the hilles shall bring peace to the people by iustice.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, by righteousness.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

The mountains bear peace to the people, And the heights by righteousness.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

The mountains bear peace to the people, || And the heights by righteousness.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

The mountains shall bear peace for the people, and the hills [the same], through righteousness.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

May the mountains produce peace for the people; may the hills produce righteousness.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

May the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills bring goodness.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

May the mountains give peace to the people, and the hills righteousness.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseverbיִשְׂא֤וּthey.will.carrysubjectהָרִ֓יםmountainsobjectשָׁ֘ל֥וֹםpeaceprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָtonoun phrasetheעָ֑םpeopleוּ֝andclausesubjectגְבָע֗וֹתhillsprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִּinצְדָקָֽהrighteousness

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, with all six words matched. This indicates a strong consistency in the translation and interpretation of the text across these ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

יִשְׂא֤וּ הָרִ֓ים שָׁ֘ל֥וֹם לָעָ֑ם וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹת בִּצְדָקָֽה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
יִשְׂא֤וּἀναλαβέτωהָרִ֓יםὄρηשָׁ֘ל֥וֹםεἰρήνηνלָעָ֑םλαῷוּ֝גְבָע֗וֹתβουνοὶבִּצְדָקָֽה׃δικαιοσύνῃ

6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 72:3נָשָׂאthey will cthey will carryנָשָׂאהַרmountainsmountainsהַרשָׁלוֹםpeacepeaceשָׁלוֹםעַםto the peopto the peopleעַםגִּבְעָהand hillsand hillsגִּבְעָהצְדָקָהin righteouin righteousnesצְדָקָהשָׁלֵםto completto completeשָׁלֵםעָמַםto darkento darkenעָמַםצָדֵקto justifyto justifyצָדֵקאֵבfruitfruitאֵבאָבַדto perishto perishאָבַדהַרmountainmountainהַרגֶּ֫בַעGebaGebaגֶּ֫בַעכְּלִמָּהshameshameכְּלִמָּהמָשָׁלproverbproverbמָשָׁלגִּבְעָהGibeatGibeatגִּבְעָהאֶפְרַ֫יִםEphraimEphraimאֶפְרַ֫יִםיֵהוּאJehuJehuיֵהוּאגָּבֹהַּhighhighגָּבֹהַּגַּיְאValleyValleyגַּיְאמִשְׁפָּטjustice: jjustice: judgemמִשְׁפָּטצַדִּיקrighteousrighteousצַדִּיק
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 72:3

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
יִשְׂא֤וּyis.'U they will carry H5375 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
656× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to lift or raise something, and it's used in many ways, like lifting a burden or raising someone's status. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often talking about God lifting people up. It's about supporting or carrying something or someone.
Tyndale gloss
to lift: raise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָשָׂא (nasa') means to lift, carry, or take, encompassing a wide range of applications both literal and figurative. It can refer to actions like bearing burdens, taking away, or being exalted. The entries indicate various forms and uses, including the ability to lift oneself up or cause others to bear iniquity. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

lift, lift up

Bear, carry

Take, take away

Niph.

be lifted up

refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

be borne, carried

be taken away, carried off

Pi.

lift up = exalt

fig. = desire, long

carry, bear continuously

take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

cause one to bear iniquity

appar. cause to bring, have brought

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5375 נָשָׂא lift, carry, take .. lift, lift up

. Bear, carry

. Take, take away

. . be lifted up

. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

. be borne, carried

. be taken away, carried off

. . lift up = exalt

. fig. = desire, long

. carry, bear continuously

. take, take away

. lift oneself up

. . cause one to bear iniquity

. appar. cause to bring, have brought

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5375 nasa' naw-saw'

or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}; a primitive root; to

lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and

figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance,

arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring

(forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease,

exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further,

give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade,

lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain,

pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare,

stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.

see HEBREW for 04

see HEBREW for 06

see HEBREW for 07

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: raise.

: raise/take_up

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up

1b3) to be borne, be carried

1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist

1c2) to desire, long (fig.)

1c3) to carry, bear continuously

1c4) to take, take away

1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity)

1e2) to cause to bring, have brought

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: bear.

: look/lift(eyes)

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
HVqi3mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kar'-i (nasa', nahagh): The English Versions of the Bible rendering of a number of Hebrew and Greek words, and it has several shades of meaning, of which the following are the most important:

(1) "To take up," "to bear," "to transport from one place to another," as, "to carry away handkerchiefs" (Ac 19:12), "to carry a corpse" (Ge 50:13), and "to be carried away by the wind" (Da 2:35).

(2) "To cause to go" or "come," "to lead," "to drive" as, "to be carried away to Babylon" (2Ki 20:17), "to be carried away to Pilate" (Mr 15:1), "to carry away cattle" (Ge 31:18), and…

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
הָרִ֓יםha.Rim mountains H2022 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
546× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Amplified meaning
hills
Tyndale gloss
mountain: mount
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country

mountain, hill

hill-country, mountain-region

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2022 har har

a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills

(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X

promotion.

see HEBREW for 02042

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הַר (har) — mountain: mount.

: mount/hill

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.

: hill_country

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Are among the most sublime and impressive of the Creator’s works on earth, and from the noblest and most enduring monuments of great events. Most of the mountains of Scripture thus stand as witnesses for God—every view of their lofty summits, and every recurrence to them in thought reminding us of the sacred facts and truths connected with them. Thus Mount Ararat is a standing memorial of the deluge of man’s sin, God’s justice, and God’s mercy. Mount Sinai asserts the terrors of the divine law. Mount Carmel summons us, like the prophet Elijah of old, not to "halt between two opinions;" but if Jehovah is God, to love and serve him. The mount of the Transfiguration still shines with the glory of the truths there taught, and Mounts Ebal and Gerizim still echo the curses and the blessings once so solemnly pronounced from them. So Mount Hor, Nebo, Lebanon, and Gilboa have been signalized by…

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- The elevated parts of the earth

Ge 7:19,20

- GOD

. Formed

Am 4:13

. Set fast

Ps 65:6

. Gives strength to

Ps 95:4

. Weighs, in a balance

Isa 40:12

. Waters, from his chambers

Ps 104:13

. Parches, with draught

Hag 1:11

. Causes, to smoke

Ps 104:32; 144:5

. Sets the foundations of, on fire

De 32:22

. Makes waste

Isa 42:15

. Causes, to tremble

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
שָׁ֘ל֥וֹםsha.Lom peace H7965 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
237× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means completeness, wellness, and friendship, and is often used to describe God's relationship with humanity, as seen in the covenant with the Israelites. It encompasses physical and spiritual health, prosperity, and harmony.
Amplified meaning
shalom, completeness and wellness
Tyndale gloss
Peace
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁלוֹם (shalom) conveys a range of meanings including completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace. It can refer to physical safety and health, as well as emotional states like tranquility and friendship, particularly in human relationships and with God. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to be complete' and is used in various contexts, including greetings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁלוֹם 237 n.m. completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

completeness in no.

safety, soundness, in body

welfare, health, prosperity

peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment

peace, friendship

peace from war

as adj. those at peace with him

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7965 שָׁלוֹם completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7965 shalowm shaw-lome'

or shalom {shaw-lome'}; from 7999; safe, i.e. (figuratively)

well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health,

prosperity, peace:--X do, familiar, X fare, favour, + friend,

X great, (good) health, (X perfect, such as be at)

peace(-able, -ably), prosper(-ity, -ous), rest, safe(-ty),

salute, welfare, (X all is, be) well, X wholly.

see HEBREW for 07999

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁלוֹם (sha.lom) — peace.

: peace

1) completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

1a) completeness (in number)

1b) safety, soundness (in body)

1c) welfare, health, prosperity

1d) peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment

1e) peace, friendship

1e1) of human relationships

1e2) with God especially in covenant relationship

1f) peace (from war)

1g) peace (as adjective)

שָׁלוֹם (ye.ho.vah sha.lom) — Peace.

This name means completeness, peace

Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

שָׁלוֹם (sha.lom) — peace: well-being.

: well-being

1) completeness, soundness, welfare, peace

1a) completeness (in number)

1b) safety, soundness (in body)

1c) welfare, health, prosperity

1d) peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment

1e) peace, friendship

1e1) of human relationships

1e2) with God especially in covenant relationship

1f) peace (from war)

1g) peace (as adjective)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pes (shalom; eirene):

1. In the Old Testament:

Is a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether outwardly, as of a nation from war or enemies, or inwardly, within the soul. The Hebrew word is shalom (both adjective and substantive), meaning, primarily, "soundness," "health," but coming also to signify "prosperity," well-being in general, all good in relation to both man and God. In early times, to a people harassed by foes, peace was the primary blessing. In Ps 122:7, we have "peace" and "prosperity," and in 35:27; 73:3, shalom is translated "prosperity." In 2Sa 11:7 the King James Version, David asked of Uriah "how Joab did" (margin "of the peace of Joab"), "and how the people did (the Revised Version (British and American) "fared," literally, "of the peace of the people"), and…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ EXEMPLIFIED

By Abraham Ge 13:8,9

Abimelech Ge 26:29

Mordecai Es 10:3

David Ps 120:7

See CHARITABLENESS

See NATION, PEACE OF

→ SOCIAL Ge 45:24; Le 26:6; Job 5:23,24; Ps 34:14; 120:6,7; 133:1; Pr 12:20; 15:17; 16:7; 17:1,14; 20:3; Ec 4:6; Isa 2:4; 45:7; Jer…

- God is the author of

Ps 147:14; Isa 45:7; 1Co 14:33

- RESULTS FROM

. Heavenly wisdom

Jas 3:17

. The government of Christ

Isa 2:4

. Praying for rulers

1Ti 2:2

. Seeking the peace of those with whom we dwell

Jer 29:7

- Necessary to the enjoyment of life

Ps 34:12,14; 1Pe 3:10,11

- GOD BESTOWS UPON THOSE WHO

. Obey him

Le 26:6

. Please him

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
לָעָ֑םla.'Am to the people H5971 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
1,873× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A people or nation is what this Hebrew word represents, like the nation of Israel in Exodus 33:13. It can also mean a tribe, troops, or attendants, and is used to describe a group of people gathered together. The word is often used to refer to the people of God.
Amplified meaning
a nation, community
Tyndale gloss
Amaw
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עַם (am) primarily means 'people' or 'nation,' referring to a collective group, often in the context of tribes such as those of Israel. It can also denote kinsmen or compatriots. The term appears in various contexts, including military and familial references. There is a mention of a specific individual named Ammi in Song of Solomon 6:12.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

a people, nation

= smaller units

= common people

people in gen., persons

phrases

base

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5971a עַם, עָם people H5971b עַם kinsman (on father's side)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5971 `am am

from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a

tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or

attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation,

people.

see HEBREW for 06004

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַם (am) — people.

: people/nation

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — kinsman.

kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Ammi.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — People's (Gate).

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — (Ibleam)-am.

Combined with yiv.le.am (יִבְלְעָם "Ibleam" H2991)

§ kinsman, kindred

עַם (am) — Amaw.

This name means nation, people

עַם (am) — people: soldiers.

: soldiers/army

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

עַם (am) — people: creatures.

: creatures

1) nation, people

1a) people, nation

1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pe'-p'-l: In English Versions of the Bible represents something over a dozen Hebrew and Greek words. Of these, in the Old Testament, `am, is overwhelmingly the most common (about 2,000 times), with le'om, and goy, next in order; but the various Hebrew words are used with very little or no difference in force (e.g. Pr 14:28; but, on the other hand, in Ps 44 contrast verses 12 and 14). Of the changes introduced by the Revised Version (British and American) the only one of significance (cited explicitly in the Preface to the English Revised Version) is the frequent use of the plural "peoples" (strangely avoided in the King James Version except Re 10:11; 17:15), where other nations than Israel are in question. So, for instance, in Ps…

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
וּ֝גְבָע֗וֹתu.ge.va.'ot and hills H1389 Conjunction · noun common feminine plural absolute
68× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Gibeat refers to a small hill, with the name meaning hill, and is another spelling of Gibeah. It appears in various KJV translations as hill or little hill.
Amplified meaning
small hills
Tyndale gloss
Gibeat
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גִּבְעָה (gib'ah) means 'hill' and refers to a small elevation of land. It can denote a place of worship or be used in place names, often associated with illicit worship. The word is feminine and is derived from a related term for a hillock. It appears in various contexts, including poetic uses.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גִּבְעָה n.f. hill

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1389 גִּבְעָה hill

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1389 gib`ah ghib-aw'

feminine from the same as 1387; a hillock:--hill, little

hill.

see HEBREW for 01387

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeath-(elohim).

Gibeath - a place or worship

This name means hill

1a) hill

גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeath-(haaraloth).

This name means hill

Another name of gil.gal (גִּלְגָּל "Gilgal" H1537G)

גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — hill.

1) hill

1a) hill (lower than a mountain)

1b) as a place of illicit worship

1c) poetic for mountain

1d) used in place names

גִּבְעָה (giv.ah) — Gibeat.

This name means hill

Another spelling of giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeah" H1390H)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-fp — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural absolute
HC/Ncfpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Smith's Bible Dictionary

From the Hebrew Gibeah, meaning a curved round hill. But our translators have also employed the same English word for the very different term har , which has a much more extended sense than gibeah , meaning a whole district. For instance, in (Exodus 24:4) the "hill" is the same which is elsewhere in the same chapter, vs. (Exodus 24:12,13,18) etc., and book consistently and accurately rendered "mount" and "mountain." The "country of the hills," in (1:7; Joshua 9:1; 10:40; 11:16) is the elevated district of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim, which is correctly called "the mountain" in the earliest descriptions of Palestine, (Numbers 13:29) and in many subsequent passages.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Perpetual Ge 49:26; Hab 3:6

they will carry mountains peace to the people and hills in righteousness
בִּצְדָקָֽה׃bitz.da.Kah in righteousness H6666 Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
157× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Encompasses the idea of righteousness, including justice, virtue, and morality, often describing God's attribute or the standard for human behavior. It is used to describe the ideal for personal conduct and societal norms, emphasizing the importance of living a righteous life.
Amplified meaning
justice, virtue, morality
Tyndale gloss
righteousness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

צְדָקָה (tsdaqah) means 'righteousness' and encompasses various aspects such as justice, truthfulness, and ethical rightness. It can refer to God's attribute of sovereignty, righteousness in governance, and even justification or salvation. The term also implies righteous acts and has an Aramaic equivalent, צִדְקָה (tsid.qah).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

צְדָקָה 157 n.f. righteousness

righteousness, in government

God's attribute as sovereign

righteousness, in a case or cause

righteousness = truthfulness

righteousness, as ethically right

righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.

pl. righteous acts

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6666 צְדָקָה righteousness . righteousness, in government

. God's attribute as sovereign

. righteousness, in a case or cause

. righteousness = truthfulness

. righteousness, as ethically right

. righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.

. pl. righteous acts

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6666 tsdaqah tsed-aw-kaw'

from 6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude),

objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively

(prosperity):--justice, moderately, right(-eous)

(act, -ly, -ness).

see HEBREW for 06663

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

צְדָקָה (tse.da.qah) — righteousness.

1) justice, righteousness

1a) righteousness (in government)

1a1) of judge, ruler, king

1a2) of law

1a3) of Davidic king Messiah

1b) righteousness (of God's attribute)

1c) righteousness (in a case or cause)

1d) righteousness, truthfulness

1e) righteousness (as ethically right)

1f) righteousness (as vindicated), justification, salvation

1f1) of God

1f2) prosperity (of people)

1g) righteous acts

Aramaic equivalent: tsid.qah (צִדְקָה "righteousness" H6665)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HR/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ri'-chus-nes (tsaddiq, adjective, "righteous," or occasionally "just" tsedheq, noun, occasionally = "riahteousness," occasionally = "justice"; dikaios, adjective, dikaiosune, noun, from dike, whose first meaning seems to have been "custom"; the general use suggested conformity to a standard: righteousness, "the state of him who is such as he ought to be" (Thayer)):

1. Double Aspect of Righteousness: Changing and Permanent

2. Social Customs and Righteousness

3. Changing Conception of Character of God: Obligations of Power

4. Righteousness as Inner

5. Righteousness as Social

6. Righteousness as Expanding in Content with Growth in Ideals of Human Worth

LITERATURE

1. Double Aspect of Righteousness: Changing and Permanent:

In Christian thought the idea of righteousness contains both a permanent and a changing element. The fixed element is the will to do right; the changing factor is the conception of…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Righteousness

See JUSTIFICATION.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Rectitude, justice, holiness; an essential perfection of God’s character, Job 36:3; Isa 51:5-8; Joh 17:25; and of his administration, Ge 18:25; Ro 3:21,22; 10:3. It is the wonder of grace that as the righteous guardian of the law, he can acquit the unrighteous. "The righteousness of Christ" includes his spotless holiness, his perfect obedience the law demands; and "the righteousness of faith" is that imputed to the sinner who believes in Christ. With reference to personal character, righteousness is used both for uprightness between man and man, and for true religion,

→ By faith Ge 15:6; Ro 4:3,5,9,11,13,20,22,24

→ Garment of Job 29:14; Mt 22:11-14

→ Counted (regarded) for the sake of obedience De 6:25; Job 33:26

→ FRUITS OF De 6:25; Jos 22:31; Ps 1:3; 15:1-5; 24:3-5; 101:3,4; 106:3; 112:4-8; Pr 2:5-20; 10:2,16; 11:5,6,18,19,30; 12:28; 13:6; 14:34; 21:3; 29:7; Isa…

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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