Peace of Jerusalem
One of the most common verses on FB is the following from Psalms 122:6:
שאלו שלום ירושלם, ישליו אהביך
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, those who love you shall be at peace
Like many of the discussion I have about verses, there are several questions about the correct translation of individual words. Besides the questionable translations I see for the second part of the verse, we also have a case of contextual translation in the first word of the verse.
The word שאלו is an imperative verb from the root שאל with a pronominal suffix for the 3rd person plural. The root usually means "to request, ask", but in truth should be translated as "pray" as the translations do. The reason for this is the context. The psalmist is not just saying "ask for Jerusalem's peace", rather his intent is to say "ask of God for peace" which is clearly prayer. Secondary meaning of words is not an unusual thing in Hebrew, and interpretation needs to take into consideration the context of the speaker. Because this is a psalm, and most psalms are prayers it seems reasonable to say that the root is being employed as "pray" instead of the usual "request".
The second hal is a very short statement which has a lot being said. This is one of the unique features of Hebrew where a verb can contain a full sentence. The first word is the word שלו which is close to the word שלום- Shalom, Peace. It is possible that these are brother roots which differ only on one consonant, but one must be carful when saying this. Only when roots share a meaning can this claim be made. The verb is an imperfect form being used as 3rd person wish (Jussive) hoping that those who love Jerusalem will be at peace.
The word אהביך which is the word Love. However the word love in Hebrew folds in it also the idea of loyalty and not just the motion. The word אהב is implied in ANE text to indicate the loyalty of covenant holders to their king, or too one another. Hebrew being a verb first language places the verb in the beginning of the second sentence, making the direct translation into English require the reversal of words. The pslamist is saying that as a result of the prayer of peace for Jerusalem, those who pray are it's loyal ones who in return shall see peace them selves.
