Peace Be With You

Peace be with you was the greeting used by Christ after he rose from the dead.^[1] It is commonly restated by Christians in worship services and otherwise, sometimes shortened to simply "peace". It is a personal "peace", meaning mental and emotional strength, rather than a collective and physical peace, meaning an absence of war. "Equanimity be with you" may be a more accurate translation, but is also more awkward.

The phrase "peace be with you" appears five times in the NIV translation:

• Luke 24:36: "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'"
• John 20:19: "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'"
• John 20:21: "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.'"
• John 20:26: "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'"
• Romans 15:33: "The God of peace be with you all. Amen"

The original Greek term for "peace" is "eirene", which means "harmony" even though it is typically translated as peace in the New Testament passages.

References[edit]

1. ↑ See, e.g., John 20:19 (NIV).