Shlama
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Shlama (pronounced Shlomo in the Western dialect; Syriac script: ܫܠܡܐ, Hebrew script: שלמא) is an Aramaic word meaning "peace". Its original root is also the basis of the Hebrew Shalom (שלום) and the Arabic Salam (سلام). [1] Shlama references the idea of "tilling and planting peace, so it will grow," or the eschatological "peace that passes understanding." Shalom extends far beyond the absence of conflict, and references the bounty of one's highest good.
The every day spoken language in Jesus' day was Aramaic. The original Greek biblical text uses eirēnē (εἰρήνη) for 'peace', which perhaps represents Jesus saying 'shlama'. In the epistles, it often occurs alongside the usual Greek greeting chairein (χαίρειν) in the phrase 'grace and peace'.
In today's Assyrian community, a common greeting is Shlama 'loukh (ܫܠܡܐ ܥܠܘܟ; classically, ܫܠܡܐ ܥܠܝܟ, shlāmâ ‘laik) — peace be upon you (Western Assyrians have a different dialect, thus saying Shlomo instead).
