H7999 — שָׁלַם (shâlam)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H7999
Original: שָׁלַם
Transliteration: shâlam
Pronunciation: shaw-lam
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: שָׁלַם — primitive root; to be safe, complete
Occurrences: 141 tokens in 107 verses across 25 books
First Occurrence: Gen 44:4 — "Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to be safe (in mind, body or estate); figuratively, to be (causatively, make) completed; by implication, to be friendly; by extension, to reciprocate (in various applications): — make amends, (make an) end, finish, full, give again, make good, (re-)pay (again), (make) (to) (be at) peace(-able), that is perfect, perform, (make) prosper(-ous), recompense, render, requite, make restitution, restore, reward, surely.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Est. Tokens	%	Typical Meaning
Piel	~115	81.6%	make complete, pay, restore, requite, recompense, finish, fulfill
Hiphil	~18	12.8%	make peace (with), cause to be at peace (covenantal peace-making)
Qal	~8	5.7%	be complete, be finished, be at peace (stative/passive)

The Piel is the workhorse stem, covering the full semantic range: legal restitution (Exo 22), vow fulfillment (Deut 23:21), divine retribution (Isa 59:18), and completing a task (1Ki 7:51). The Hiphil is specialized for "making peace" between parties (Josh 10:1, 2Sam 10:19). The Qal is stative: end-states of completeness or peace (1Ki 7:51 Qal passive, 2Sam 20:19 Qal participle "peaceable").

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Grouped by semantic domain from 107 unique verses:

Domain	Key KJV Renderings	Approx. Verses	%
Repayment/Restitution	pay, repay, restore, make good, make restitution, make amends	~40	37%
Recompense/Retribution	recompense, requite, render, reward (negative), repay	~25	23%
Peace	make peace, be at peace, peaceable	~15	14%
Vow Fulfillment	pay (vows), perform (vows)	~12	11%
Completion	finish, end, perform, make an end	~10	9%
Reward (positive)	reward, prosper, restore comforts	~5	5%

The KJV renders this single verb with an unusually wide range of English words — pay, restore, make good, recompense, requite, render, reward, finish, perform, end, make peace, be at peace, prosper. The common thread is bringing something to its due/complete state.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Joel	2	2.7
Jonah	1	2.1
Nahum	1	2.1
Exodus	14	1.2
Proverbs	10	1.1
Job	11	1.0
Ecclesiastes	2	0.9
Isaiah	11	0.9
2 Samuel	5	0.7
Psalms	17	0.7
Jeremiah	8	0.6
Leviticus	4	0.5
Joshua	3	0.5
Hosea	1	0.5
Deuteronomy	4	0.4
1 Kings	3	0.4
2 Kings	2	0.3
Judges	1	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
Genesis	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
1 Chronicles	1	0.1
2 Chronicles	1	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1
Ruth	1	—

Highest density in Joel (2.7/100v), then Jonah (2.1) and Nahum (2.1) — minor prophets with restoration/recompense themes. Exodus dominates in raw count (14) due to the restitution laws of Exo 22. Psalms has the most tokens overall (17) but low density due to the Psalter's length; all Psalm uses relate to vow fulfillment. Absent from the Torah outside Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy — not in Numbers.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Legal Restitution (Restoring Loss)¶

The core legal usage: making good for injury, theft, or property damage.

Exo 22:1 — "he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep"
Lev 5:16 — "he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing"
Lev 6:5 — "he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part"
Exo 21:34 — "The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money"

2. Divine Retribution (God Repaying According to Deeds)¶

God as the agent who shalems — repaying evil to the wicked, rendering judgment.

Deut 7:10 — "And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them"
Isa 59:18 — "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries"
Jer 16:18 — "And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double"
Jer 51:24 — "I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil"

3. Completion / Finishing a Work¶

A task brought to its full end — especially construction and divine plans.

1Ki 7:51 — "So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD"
2Ch 5:1 — "Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished"
Neh 6:15 — "So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul"
Isa 44:28 — "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure"

4. Making Peace (Covenantal Harmony)¶

Peace as a completed state of relationship — nations, individuals, even creation.

Josh 10:1 — "how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel"
Josh 11:19 — "There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel"
2Sam 10:19 — "they made peace with Israel, and served them"
Job 22:21 — "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come"

5. Vow Fulfillment (Paying What Was Vowed)¶

Religious obligation brought to completion — the devout payment of vows.

Deut 23:21 — "When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it"
Eccl 5:4 — "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools"
Jon 2:9 — "I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed"
Job 22:27 — "Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows"

6. Positive Reward / Restoration¶

Good rendered for good — divine blessing, comfort, restoration.

1Sam 24:19 — "the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day"
Prov 25:22 — "thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee"
Joel 2:25 — "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten"
Isa 57:18 — "I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
יְהוָה (YHWH)	H3068	31x (29%)	Divine agent of repayment/reward
נֶדֶר (neder)	H5088	15x (14%)	"pay a vow" — shalam + neder
עָשָׂה (asah)	H6213	14x (13%)	Parallel action verbs; "do and perform"
טוֹב (tob)	H2896	9x (8%)	"reward good" / "repay good for evil"
רַע (ra)	H7451	9x (8%)	"recompense evil" / "rewarded evil for good"
אֱלֹהִים (elohim)	H430	11x (10%)	Divine agent alongside YHWH
אִישׁ (ish)	H376	12x (11%)	"a man shall pay/restore" (legal subject)
מֶלֶךְ (melek)	H4428	8x (7%)	Kings making peace or paying/recompensing

Word Family / Cognates (root שׁ־ל־ם)¶

H8002 שֶׁלֶם (shelem) — peace offering (noun; the sacrifice that completes fellowship)
H8003 שָׁלֵם (shalem) — complete, whole, perfect, at peace (adjective)
H7965 שָׁלוֹם (shalom) — peace, completeness, welfare, prosperity (noun; the state of being shalem)
H8005 שִׁלֵּם (shillem) — recompense (noun; Deut 32:35, the thing rendered)
H8000 שְׁלַם (sh'lam) — to complete, finish (Aramaic cognate)
H8001 שְׁלָם (sh'lam) — peace, prosperity (Aramaic; Dan 4:1, 6:25)

Synonyms¶

H1580 גָּמַל (gamal) — recompense, deal, wean; emphasizes treating/dealing rather than completing an obligation
H7725 שׁוּב (shuv) — turn back, return, restore; emphasizes the return/change of state rather than making whole
H5414 נָתַן (nathan) — give, render; general giving rather than specific payment/fulfillment

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
כָּלָה (kalah)	H3615	"finish, make an end"	kalah = consume/exhaust/cease; shalam = bring to completion/wholeness
תָּמַם (tamam)	H8552	"finish, complete"	tamam = be entire/blameless (inherent wholeness); shalam = make complete (transactional)
נָתַן (nathan)	H5414	"render, give"	nathan = general transfer; shalam = specific due payment or fulfillment
שׁוּב (shuv)	H7725	"restore"	shuv = bring back/return to prior state; shalam = make good/make whole
גָּמַל (gamal)	H1580	"recompense"	gamal = treat/deal with (relationship-focused); shalam = settle/pay (obligation-focused)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
ἀνταποδίδωμι (antapodidōmi) G467	26	22.26	Requite (good or evil); strongest statistical bridge
ἀποτίνω (apotinō) G661	25	24.82	Pay in full; highest PMI, most precise equivalent
ἀποδίδωμι (apodidōmi) G591	25	17.19	Give back, pay, render; most general of the three
εὐχή (euchē) G2171	14	14.73	Vow/prayer; via the vow-payment usage of shalam

No single Greek word dominates — the LXX distributes shalam across repayment (ἀποτίνω, ἀποδίδωμι), retribution (ἀνταποδίδωμι), and vow-payment (εὐχή) equivalents. This reflects the wide semantic range.