Yahuah Shalom: Gideon's Altar of Peace (Judges 6)
Dishon Francis | Yasharun the Scribe
Some names of Yahuah were spoken after a victory. Yahuah Shalom was spoken before one. Gideon built his altar of peace while Midian still filled the land and while he still felt like the least likely man in Israel. Peace came to Gideon first, and the battle came later.
This word study walks through Judges 6, looks at the Hebrew word shalom, and draws out what the name can mean for a household today. Scripture below is quoted from the King James Version with the Name and titles restored as Yahuah and Elohim. If you learned this name as "Jehovah Shalom," you are reading about the same name. Our article on Jehovah names and Yahuah names explains why the same titles appear two ways.
The Setting: Seven Years Under Midian
Judges 6 opens in a hard season. Israel had turned away, and "Yahuah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years" (Judges 6:1). Every time Israel planted, raiders came with their cattle and tents "as grasshoppers for multitude" and destroyed the increase of the earth (Judges 6:3 to 5). Families hid in dens, caves, and strongholds in the mountains (Judges 6:2).
"And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto Yahuah." (Judges 6:6)
Before He sent a deliverer, Yahuah sent a prophet to remind them who had brought them out of Egypt (Judges 6:8 to 10).
A Frightened Man in a Winepress
Then the story turns to one young man doing an ordinary chore in an unusual place:
"And there came an angel of Yahuah, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites." (Judges 6:11)
Gideon was working out of sight, afraid of losing the little food his family had. Into that hiding place came a surprising greeting:
"And the angel of Yahuah appeared unto him, and said unto him, Yahuah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." (Judges 6:12)
Gideon did not feel mighty, and he answered with honest questions. If Yahuah was with them, why had all this happened, and where were the wonders their fathers had told them about (Judges 6:13)? He also said his family was poor in Manasseh and he was "the least in my father's house" (Judges 6:15). Scripture records his doubts, and Yahuah did not turn away from him for asking.
"And Yahuah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." (Judges 6:16)
"Peace Be Unto Thee"
Gideon asked for a sign and brought out a meal. The angel touched it with the end of his staff, and fire rose out of the rock and consumed it (Judges 6:19 to 21). When Gideon understood who had been speaking with him, he was terrified that he had seen the angel of Yahuah face to face (Judges 6:22).
Yahuah's answer is the heart of the chapter:
"And Yahuah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die." (Judges 6:23)
Three short phrases, and each one meets the fear directly.
Gideon Builds an Altar and Names It
Gideon responded the way Moses did at Rephidim. He built an altar and named it for what Yahuah had shown him:
"Then Gideon built an altar there unto Yahuah, and called it Yahuah Shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites." (Judges 6:24)
The King James Version prints the name as "Jehovah-shalom," and its margin explains it as "Yahuah send peace." Look at the timing. Midian was still camped in the land. Gideon had not blown a trumpet, gathered an army, or seen one enemy run. The altar of peace stood in Ophrah before any of that happened.
Peace in this story was not the absence of trouble. It was the presence of Yahuah in the middle of it.
That same night, Yahuah told Gideon to throw down his father's altar to Baal (Judges 6:25). Peace with Yahuah came first. Clearing out what competed with Him came next.
The Word Study: Shalom Means Whole
The Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם) is often translated "peace," but it also carries the sense of wholeness, completeness, and well being. A few places in the King James Version show the range:
- Welfare and wellness. When Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers, he said, "see whether it be well with thy brethren" (Genesis 37:14). In Hebrew, Joseph was sent to see the shalom of his brothers. Years later Joseph "asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well" (Genesis 43:27). Both "welfare" and "well" translate shalom.
- Whole stones. The related word shalem describes the stones for an altar: "Thou shalt build the altar of Yahuah thy Elohim of whole stones" (Deuteronomy 27:6). Uncut, complete, nothing missing.
- A whole heart. The same word is translated "perfect" in Solomon's prayer: "Let your heart therefore be perfect with Yahuah our Elohim" (1 Kings 8:61). A heart that is whole toward Him.
- The priestly blessing. The blessing Aaron spoke over Israel ends with this word: "Yahuah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" (Numbers 6:26). Our article on Ketef Hinnom and the priestly blessing shows how that blessing was carried on tiny silver scrolls.
So when Gideon named his altar Yahuah Shalom, he was confessing more than a calm feeling. Yahuah Himself is the source of wholeness.
Peace in the Prophets and in Yahusha
The theme keeps growing through Scripture. Isaiah wrote, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isaiah 26:3). In the Hebrew, "perfect peace" is shalom repeated twice.
On the night before His suffering, Yahusha told His disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). As with Gideon, the gift of peace comes with a call not to fear.
What Yahuah Shalom Teaches a Household
Here are a few ways the name can shape daily life without adding anything Scripture does not say:
- Bring your honest questions. Gideon asked hard ones, and Yahuah still called him. You can pray honestly too.
- Receive peace before the problem is solved. The altar went up before the battle. Peace can be real while the trouble is still in the land.
- Clear out what competes. After the altar of peace, Gideon tore down the altar to Baal. Ask what in your home crowds out Yahuah.
- Speak peace over each other. "Peace be unto thee" is a simple blessing to say at the door or the table.
Keep the Name Close
Our Names of Yahuah Vellum Bible Inserts include Shalom (Is Peace) in the Names of Comfort set, so you can lay the name right over Judges 6 in your own Bible. If you learned these names as "Jehovah," the Jehovah Series insert cards carry eight compound names, including Shalom, in that familiar form. To wear the blessing that ends in peace, see the Paleo Hebrew Blessing Necklace or the Ketef Hinnom 2 (KH2) Priestly Blessing Necklace. During the fall feast season, our free Fall Feasts guide is also available for any household getting started.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Yahuah Shalom mean?
It means "Yahuah is peace." Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace, with the wider sense of wholeness and well being. The KJV margin at Judges 6:24 explains the name as "Yahuah send peace."
Where is Yahuah Shalom in the Bible?
Judges 6:24. Gideon built an altar at Ophrah after the angel of Yahuah told him, "Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" (Judges 6:23). The KJV renders the name "Jehovah-shalom."
Why was Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress?
Judges 6:11 says he did it "to hide it from the Midianites." Raiders had been destroying Israel's harvests for seven years, so he worked out of sight to protect his family's food.
In a winepress at Ophrah, a frightened man heard that Yahuah was with him, received peace before the battle, and built an altar that still stood "unto this day." May your household hear the same word in its own hard seasons: peace be unto thee, fear not. Yahuah Shalom, Yahuah is peace.