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what did 'peace' (shalom) mean for babylonian society, compared to the exiles' understanding?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Jeremiah 29:7

“Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.”

The prophet Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon, a significant group of Judahites who had been deported from Jerusalem following Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion around 597 BCE. In this letter, Jeremiah addresses the exiles' hopes for a quick return and challenges them to settle into their new reality.

How might seeking the well-being of a place of exile or discomfort challenge our ingrained expectations for our own future?

Then — the setting

Jeremiah's letter was sent to Judahite exiles in Babylon in the early 6th century BCE (around 594 BCE), a decade before Jerusalem's final destruction. These exiles were a group of prominent citizens, skilled workers, and the royal family, who had been forcibly removed from their homeland. For the Babylonians, 'peace' would have meant the stable, ordered, and prosperous functioning of their vast empire, maintained through their sophisticated legal system, military power, and economic activity. For the exiles, their understanding of 'shalom' (a Hebrew word meaning comprehensive well-being, wholeness, peace, and prosperity) was deeply tied to their land, their temple, and their covenant relationship with God in Jerusalem. Jeremiah's message is radical because it redefines their immediate path to shalom as intertwined with the welfare of their captors' city.

Across the Testaments

This passage is in the Old Testament, where 'shalom' is a rich and multifaceted concept, extending beyond the absence of conflict to include justice, prosperity, and communal flourishing. In the New Testament, the concept of 'peace' (Greek: 'eirēnē') often builds on this foundation but takes on new dimensions, particularly in relation to Christ as the 'Prince of Peace' (Isaiah 9:6 echoed in Luke 2:14) and the peace that comes through reconciliation with God (Romans 5:1). While Jeremiah calls for peace within a political system, the New Testament also emphasizes an internal, spiritual peace that transcends outward circumstances (Philippians 4:7), though it does not neglect social peace (Romans 12:18). The command to pray for one's captors or even enemies (Matthew 5:44) resonates with Jeremiah's instruction, suggesting a continuity in the demand for active well-wishing even towards those in power.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 137:1-6
This psalm expresses the deep grief and longing for Zion felt by the exiles in Babylon, contrasting sharply with Jeremiah's call to settle.
Isaiah 2:2-4
This prophetic vision of a future Jerusalem as a center of peace for all nations speaks to a broader, ultimate hope for shalom, beyond immediate circumstances.
Romans 13:1-7
Paul's instruction to be subject to governing authorities raises questions about how to interact with political powers, echoing Jeremiah's call to the exiles.

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