SALUTATION (שָׁלﯴם, H8934, ἀσπασμός, G833, greeting, expression of desire for another’s well-being).

On various occasions—encountering another in the way, return from a trip, farewell, birth of a child, etc.—it was Oriental custom to express personal regard, inquire as to the other’s welfare, and to wish him well. On meeting another person, it was customary to greet him with a “Hail” (Matt 26:49) and on parting, “Go in peace” (1 Sam 1:17). These oral greetings were often accompanied by kneeling, embracing, and kissing. The seventy, when sent out by the Lord, were forbidden to engage in it because it was time-consuming (Luke 10:4). The Pharisees enjoyed these fulsome salutations because they pandered to their pride (Matt 23:7). At the close of the Pauline letters they are expressed in written form and often include a prayer for special mercies (1 Cor 16:21; Col 4:18; 2 Thess 3:17.)