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John 7:25


Footnote:

79a

The name ירושלים (Yerushalayim), conventionally rendered Jerusalem, is widely understood as composed of two elements: ירו (possibly from yārāh or yāsad, “to found, to establish”) and שלים, a dual or archaic poetic form of שלום (peace). The suffix ים- is morphologically dual in Hebrew and may suggest either a literary or theological interpretation as “double peace” or “twofold peace.” While שָׁלוֹם typically does not occur in dual form, the appearance of שלים may reflect:

  • A Canaanite toponymic legacy (cf. Ugaritic Urusalim),

  • A dualistic or poetic structure found in later Hebrew,

  • Or theological exegesis (e.g., the heavenly and earthly Jerusalem of rabbinic literature).
    Thus, ירושלים could be interpreted philologically as “foundation of double peace” or “city of twin peace foundations"