Jehovah-shalom

Jehovah-shalom (meaning the LORD is peace) is the name Gideon gave to the altar he erected at Ophrah in Manasseh on the site where the angel of the LORD appeared to him and commissioned him to deliver Israel from Midian (Judges 6:24). The name arose from the angel's parting reassurance: after Gideon had feared death upon realizing he had seen the LORD face to face, God said, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."

The altar commemorated God's grant of peace in the face of divine encounter — the unexpected grace that comes in place of expected judgment. The name anticipates the messianic title "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) and the New Testament declaration that through Christ "we have peace with God" (Romans 5:1). The connection between divine encounter, the fear of death, and the surprising gift of peace is a recurring pattern in both Testaments that reaches its climax in the resurrection appearances: "Peace be with you" (John 20:19, 21, 26).