When someone gave a blessing they were actually imparting what they were offering. To understand the context of this verse you must realize that the Jews put a very heavy weight upon a blessing. However, shalom also carries the idea of safety, security and good health. Shalom has many shades of meaning that are not found in the English word peace but peace is the best we have in English so let’s go with that. The word peace shalom is the same in Hebrew and Aramaic but in this case, it has an Aleph suffix which would indicate a definite pronoun, hence son of the peace. In the Aramaic, son of peace does not necessarily mean a peace-loving person but is actually denoting something supernatural. Thus, the phrase did not literally mean the son of a cannon but was meant to indicate the relationship that the child had with the artillery. “You son of a gun, you did it” or as just an expression of surprise “Well, I’ll be a son of a gun.” This word, however, has its origin with the Royal Navy in the 18 th Century when wives would accompany their husbands on board ship and if they happened to be pregnant they would give birth between the broadside guns so as to keep the gangways and crew decks clear. We say someone is the son of a gun to compliment them. Even in English, we tend to use the word son idiomatically. “Son of a house” is one who is a close member of the family, but not blood-related. “Son of eating” means something that is fit to eat. You have a “son of death” meaning one who deserves to die. It is basically a relationship word or a word to show a relationship. There is a wide range of meanings for these words and son is just one possible meaning. One adjective in the Hebrew is the word ben often rendered as son. To translate it literally, as do most of our translations, leaves us scratching our heads saying: “Huh?” Your paraphrases often render this phrase as “lover of peace.” That helps but it misses something very important.Ĭlassical Hebrew as the Aramaic has very few adjectives. Who would this son of peace be and why does he determine if there is peace in the house? The phrase “son of peace” is an Aramaic idiom which does not exist in English. Luke 10:5-6: “and into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house, and if the son of peace be there your peace shall rest upon it if not, it shall turn to you again.”
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