Translations
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
May shalom be within your ramparts, prosperity within your citadels!
May peace fill your walls, and deep tranquility rest within your towers!
May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Footnotes
Chel refers to the outer defensive rampart—the city's first line of military defence. Armenot (אַרְמְנוֹת) are inner citadels or palace-fortresses, the strongholds of the powerful. The movement from outer wall to inner citadel mirrors a movement from public security to private flourishing. Shalvah is a near-synonym of shalom but with a particular nuance of quietness, ease, and undisturbed rest—the absence of anxious striving. Together shalom and shalvah saturate the entire city—outer and inner—with Yahweh's peace. F.O.G. preserves shalom to honor the distinction; F.O.G.M. renders the contrasting emotional textures as "peace" and "deep tranquility."
