“How are you?” — literally “how is your shalom?”; even Hebrew small talk asks after a person's wholeness
also written: ma shlomkha, mah shlomkha, ma shlomcha
In Scripture
World English Bible
He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”
Genesis 29:6
The Hebrew question uses shalom to ask about a person’s welfare, the pattern behind ma shlomkha.
He asked them of their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?”
Genesis 43:27
Joseph asks after his father’s shalom—his welfare and wholeness.
