The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “go in peace” into English is an idiomatic expression of farewell which is translatable in other languages as an idiomatic expression as well: “go with sweet insides” (Shilluk), “rejoice as you go” (Central Mazahua), “go in quietness of heart” (Chol), “go happy” (Highland Puebla Nahuatl), “being happy, go” (Central Tarahumara), or “go and sit down in your heart” (Tzeltal).
peace (inner peace)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “peace” (or “at ease”) is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
- “a song in the body” (Baoulé)
- “heart coolness” (Eastern Maninkakan)
- “sit down in the heart” (South Bolivian Quechua)
- “quietness of heart” (Chol)
- “quiet goodness” (Kekchí)
- “having your hearts feel oneness for one another” (Tzeltal) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- “my heart sits down” (Northern Grebo)
- “coolness” (Pular / Kutu) (source for Kutu: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
- “rest within” (Lacandon)
- “have one heart” (Miskito)
- “well-arranged soul” (Mashco Piro)
- “have a quiet mind” (Ngäbere)
- “completeness” (Highland Puebla Nahuatl) (source for this and six above: Nida 1952, p. 128ff.)
- “rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40)
- “joy in heart” (Eastern Highland Otomi) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
- momapu laro or “cold/cool-hearted” (as an adjective); mapuhio laro or “make the heart cool” (as a verb) (Moronene) (source: David Andersen)
- “inner coolness” (Binumarien) (source: Oates 1995, p. 249)
- “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec)
- “live quietly” (Central Tarahumara)
- “have security in your heart” (Highland Totonac)
- “heart will lie quietly” (Isthmus Zapotec) (source for this and three above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
- “smooth interior” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- Warao: “kobe (= the abdominal region, including the heart) quiet” (source: Henry Osborn in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 74ff. )
- Welsh: tangnefedd — “an internal condition that makes external peace (heddwch) possible” (source: Rosa Hunt in Journal of European Baptist Studies 1/23 (2023), p. 1ff. )
In American Sign Language it is signed with a compound sign consisting of “become” and “silent.” (Source: Yates 2011, p. 52)
“Peace” in American Sign Language (source )
See also peace (absence of strife) and this devotion on YouVersion .
Translation commentary on 2 Kings 5:19
He said to him: It should be made clear that it is Elisha who is speaking to Naaman here.
Go in peace was a common way of saying goodbye in biblical times. Jethro said the same thing to Moses (Exo 4.18), Eli said goodbye to Hannah in this way (1 Sam 1.17), as did Jonathan to David (1 Sam 20.42). By sending him off with this friendly farewell wish, Elisha seems to imply his belief that the LORD would forgive the future actions of Naaman in the temple of Rimmon. Another way to express the sense of the Hebrew here is “Go on home, and don’t worry about that” (Contemporary English Version). One African language expresses it as their common farewell blessing: “May you reach [home] in peace.”
But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance: Good News Translation renders this with an independent clause to say clearly that Naaman actually left the presence of Elisha. A short distance was probably less than a full day’s journey (the exact sense of the Hebrew is uncertain), but Naaman was almost certainly out of sight of Elisha when Gehazi decided to try to catch up to him.
Most translations include this clause at the end of the verse with the following verses, and some translations like Revised Standard Version render the common Hebrew conjunction here as “But,” since the action of Gehazi is contrary to what is expected. However, in the Masoretic Text the second half of this verse clearly belongs with the first part of this verse. Hobbs follows the punctuation of the Masoretic Text by translating this clause as the end of the paragraph, saying “So he went away from him a short distance.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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