Meaning of GREETING

When they met, the Israelites pronounced formulas expressing best wishes and blessings. The most common were:

(a) “Blessed are you by Jehovah!”; “God have mercy on you!” or an equivalent formula (Gen. 43:29; Rot. 3:10; 1 Sam. 15:13).

(b) "Jehovah be with you", to which was responded with "Jehovah bless you" (Rt. 2:4)

(c) "Peace be with you!" or "Peace to you!" (prosperity) This was the most frequent greeting (Lk. 24:36), still used in our day among the Jews, evoking the response "Peace be with you!" or "Peace to you and peace to your family!" (1 Sam. 25:6; Luke 10:5)

(d) "Cheers!" It was a common form during the GR period. (Mt. 26:49; 27:29; 28:8; Luke 1:28; in the King James Version it is translated as "Hail!").

(e) "Long live the king forever!" It was the greeting of the Israelites to their sovereigns (cf. 1 Kings 1:31); This formula was also used by the Jews to address the kings of Babylon and Persia (Neh. 2:3; Dan. 2:4; 3:9; 5:10; 6:6, 11).

At parting, blessings were pronounced (Gen. 24:60; 28:1; 47:10; Josh. 22:6), which eventually took the conventional form of "Go in peace!" (1 Sam. 1:17; 20:42; 2 Sam. 15:9; Mark 5:34; Acts 16:36), which evoked the response "May your servant find favor in your sight," if it was addressed to a superior (1 Sam. 1:18).

Abraham and Lot rose up to welcome strangers, and bowed before them, urging them to accept their hospitality (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). Boaz exchanged greetings with his reapers (Rt. 2:4).

The walkers greeted the workers in the fields (Ps. 129:8). Adherents of another religion were no longer greeted (Mt. 5:47), so as not to establish spiritual relationships with them (2 Jn. 11).

The messengers charged with hastening their commission were not to greet anyone along the way (2 Kings 4:29; Luke 10:4), because the eastern greeting took a long time.


It did not involve a simple bow of the head or a gesture, but a stop in which deep bows and questions were exchanged about the health of the family and those concerned themselves, with the exchange of good wishes and blessings.

If someone was mounted, he must dismount from his horse or chariot (1 Sam. 25:23; 2 Kings 5:21).
During the Greco-Roman period in Palestine, epistolary greetings were more direct and brief in style.

The author's name is in the heading "King Alexander to his brother Jonathan, greetings" (1 Mac. 10:18) "King Demetrius to the people of the Jews, greetings (1 Mac. 10:25; cf. Acts. 15:23; 23:26; James 1:1).

The conclusion of the letter was often a formula derived from the Latin "Goodbye" or more accurately "Have a good time!" (cf. Acts 15:29). The Jews added a vow of peace (2 Mac. 1:1).

His greetings were often detailed (2 Mac. 1:1-5) and following the ancient formula (2 Mac. 9:19, 20). Likewise, Paul begins his letters with meaningful greetings (Rom. 1:1-7).

In the Epistle to Timothy, he wishes grace, mercy, and peace to his son in the faith; but his ordinary wish is: "Grace and peace to you." The apostle adds his own greetings and those of other Christians to the end of his letters (1 Thes. 1:1; 5:26-28).