# All Slavic Languages: Peace be with you (religious)



## mateo19

Hello everyone,

This morning when I was at church, our resident seminary student asked me how to say "Peace be with you" in Slovak.  He had gone on a church misison trip to Liptovský Mikuláš to teach English and couldn't remember the corresponding expression.  In our church (and I think in most Christian churches) we shake each other's hand or hug each other and say "peace be with you" to share with one another the Lord's Peace.  I know that a literal translation would not do... "nech je mier s tebou..." - that sounds terrible to my ears!

How do you say this in the Slavic languages?  Thank you very much?


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## TriglavNationalPark

*Slovenian:*

*(Naj bo)*** mir s teboj / s tabo / z vami.*

I'm not a churchgoer, but several Google searches confirmed that these phrases are commonly used in Slovenian churches.

* "Naj bo" is usually dropped from greetings. It's implied.


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## Azori

In Slovak churches we only shake hands and don't say anything. _Pokoj vám_ can be found in Slovak Bibles but it's not used. Some google searches gave me _Mier_ _s_ _tebou_ _/_ _Mier_ _s_ _vami, _however, these sound rather funny and weren't used in the religious context either.


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## Kanes

Bulgarian: Мир вам (mir vam)


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## Mišo

From the times, I used to come to church ever and again, I remember celebrant´s requisition  "Give yourselves token of countenance - Dajte si znak pokoja" thereupon nearby-standing churchgoers shake each other´s hand with blessing "Peace be with you - Pokoj s tebou".


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## texpert

I did not intend to join as I'm not a churchgoer and attend masses only once a year (usually December 24th). But as this was only a month ago, I remember vividly how we, on the preacher's prompt, shaked hands and (more mumbled then said) "Mír s tebou, mír s vámi". 
Also, do you know the song called Marta's Prayer? (_Ať mír dál zůstává s touto krajinou_). 

EDIT:
Now that I think about it, we might have said _*pokoj s vámi*_ instead.


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## Azori

Mišo said:


> "Peace be with you - Pokoj s tebou".


I used to go to church when I was a child, but I don't think I've ever heard this.


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## Ptak

Kanes said:


> Bulgarian: Мир вам


The same in Russian.


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## mateo19

This would be a good time to ask what is the difference in Czech and Slovak between mír/mier and pokoj?

Mišo, was it a Catholic church that you attended?  My friend went to a Lutheran church, although this probably doesn´t make a big difference as both liturgies are similar.

Sorry, Texpert, I don´t know Marta´s Prayer.  It is quite common in churches in the Czech Republic?


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## texpert

It seems to me that _pokoj _matches the _peace _here. Mír is more like the opposite of war, while pokoj is the word you would use for a peace of mind. 

Marta's Prayer is a well-known song from 1968 (I think even Slovaks should know it) - just put the expression (in the brackets) into the search engine.


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## Azori

Slovak:
Mier -peace
Pokoj -rest, calmness, peace

I think pokoj means also _room_ in Czech.


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## trance0

Slovene: Mir z vami.

The difference between mir and pokoj is the same in Slovene as in Slovak.


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## robin74

Polish: Pokój z Tobą


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## Saluton

Ptak said:


> The same in Russian.


I thought the oftener-used phrase would be: *Да пребудет с тобой мир.* (Da preb*u*det s tob*o*y mir.)


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## mateo19

This is great!  Thank you for all the answers!  I hope that we'll get a few more answers still (like Macedonian and Ukrainian). 

A quick correction, Texpert, if I may.  These are parenthesis () and these are brackets [].  In English we clearly distinguish them and that's why it took me a minute to understand your message of what to search for in Google.  Of course "Marta's prayer" yielded no results.  But I ended up finding the song. 

May you all be well!


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## TriglavNationalPark

trance0 said:


> Slovene: Mir z vami.
> 
> The difference between mir and pokoj is the same in Slovene as in Slovak.


 
Right, but Slovenian, unlike Slovak, would *not* use "pokoj z vami".



mateo19 said:


> A quick correction, Texpert, if I may. These are parenthesis () and these are brackets [].


 
Going off-topic for a second: You're referring to American English, but *British* English calls *()* "brackets" and *[]* "square brackets".


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## mcibor

robin74 said:


> Polish: Pokój z Tobą



Also I would like to add that in most churches you just nod, only in some you shake hands.
I never saw hugging though.


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## texpert

lior neith 
I think pokoj means also [I said:
			
		

> room[/I] in Czech.


 
Correct. And so it does - as the seismological map on the wikibooks site reveals - in Polish, Belarussian and Russian. 



			
				TriglavNationalPark
Going off-topic for a second: You're referring to American English said:
			
		

> British[/B] English calls *()* "brackets" and *[]* "square brackets".


 
Thanks, guys. I will be tailor-making my inputs


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## sokol

mateo19 said:


> Mišo, was it a Catholic church that you attended?  My friend went to a Lutheran church, although this probably doesn´t make a big difference as both liturgies are similar.


Catholic liturgy also has "peace be with you" - it is used in the last minutes of mass (which I haven't attended for years, but it's still vivid in my memory), just before you sing the last hymn (in German, but I guess it's the same in other languages: it should be plural I guess, it *is *in German: "Friede sei mit euch", answered by "Dank sei Gott, dem Herrn").

And there already was confirmation above that the phrase is used in Orthodox liturgy too. So the phrase (as part of liturgy) should exist in all Slavic languages.


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## NotNow

mcibor said:


> Also I would like to add that in most churches you just nod, only in some you shake hands.
> I never saw hugging though.


 
In many Catholic churches in the U.S., there is a lot hugging and even kissing.  People shake hands with strangers, and hug or kiss family members.


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## Ptak

Saluton said:


> I thought the oftener-used phrase would be: *Да пребудет с тобой мир.* (Da preb*u*det s tob*o*y mir.)


Or "_Да пребудет *с вами* мир_".
Yes, I agree. That was my first thought when I've seen the thread title. But the variant "Мир вам" seemed more laconic and elegant to me  It is also commonly used.
I believe the choice could depent on the precise context.


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## mateo19

trance0 said:


> Slovene: Mir z vami.
> 
> The difference between mir and pokoj is the same in Slovene as in Slovak.



That is very interesting, Trance.  So if the difference is the same ;-), then in Slovak we wish each other tranquility, but in Slovene we wish each other the absence of war?  Or perhaps I am reading into it too deeply?

Mcibor, in the church where I grew up, we just shook hands, but now I am at a younger church with younger members (mostly students) and so it is very common to hug.  I recognize this isn't traditional though.

As for the liturgy, there are two parts that talk about the "peace".  In the first one, the pastor (or father) says "Peace be with you" and we reply "and also with you" and then there is a part where he says that and then goes on to say, "Let us share with one another (a sign of) the Lord's Peace".  Then we wish peace to our friends, family and neighbors (and strangers too) who are at church with us.

Finally, sorry Texpert, about the correct.  I was only correct in American English and didn't know that you were speaking British English.  You taught me yet another difference between the two variants, so thanks.


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## Duya

trance0 said:


> Slovene: Mir z vami.
> 
> The difference between mir and pokoj is the same in Slovene as in Slovak.



In BCS, there's a three-tier:

mir = peace
*s*pokoj = tranquility, peace of mind
pokoj = eternal peace, rest (i.e. death), ocurring in set phrase *pokoj mu duši *(=rest his soul)

The liturgical expression is *mir s tobom *though (in both Croatian and Serbian, AFAIK).


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## texpert

mateo19 said:


> That is very interesting, Trance. So if the difference is the same ;-), then in Slovak we wish each other tranquility, but in Slovene we wish each other the absence of war? Or perhaps I am reading into it too deeply?


 
You are. Mír and pokoj in CZ/SK actually share the meaning of tranquility (this might be the best corresponding term to pokoj) but mír is somehow fixed as a reference to interwar periods in my mind (when I grew up the world was incessantly getting ready for the next round of fighting). 




mateo19 said:


> Then we wish peace to our friends, family and neighbors (and strangers too) who are at church with us.


 
It's pretty much the same here except for the hugging. All the ex-k.&k. citizens (Austria-Hungary) are a way too reserved in that regard. 




mateo19 said:


> Finally, sorry Texpert, about the correct. I was only correct in American English and didn't know that you were speaking British English. You taught me yet another difference between the two variants, so thanks.


 
You did the same for me! But having spent several months in the US and I know there are no such things as "way out", "litter bin" and so on


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## Natabka

sokol said:


> And there already was confirmation above that the phrase is used in Orthodox liturgy too. So the phrase (as part of liturgy) should exist in all Slavic languages.



I can confirm that this is used in Ukrainian churches too. Though the context is completely different from what Mateo has mentioned! The phrase "*Мир вам*" (similar to Bulgarian and Russian) is said by the priest at certain moments during the liturgy (in Orthodox and Greek-Catholic church priests say, for example, "*Мир тобі*[*, премудрість*]" (literally, "Peace be with you[, great wisdom]") after the words from Bible (Апостол) are read.) People, who have come to church, never say this phrase to each other. We also do not hug or shake hands in church (only when people go out from the church after the service they shake hands/greet the acquaintances, talk with each other - often, it's on Sunday mass that you meet your neighbours. In church nobody talks or sit during the mass.)


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## sokol

Natabka said:


> The phrase "*Мир вам*" (similar to Bulgarian and Russian) is said by the priest at certain moments during the liturgy (in Orthodox and Greek-Catholic church priests say, for example, "*Мир тобі*[*, премудрість*]" (literally, "Peace be with you[, great wisdom]") after the words from Bible (Апостол) are read.) People, who have come to church, never say this phrase to each other.


That's pretty much the same as in Catholic ritus like I know it: the *priest *is the one who says "peace be with you", here in Austria - never people; and there is no hugging or hand-shaking or talking in Church (it would be seen as disrespectful by priests; well, some laws concerning behaviour during mass have been relaxed in the last years - I think).

This "peace be with you" anyway is a set phrase of liturgy - of at least all mainstream Christian liturgies; only its use seems to differ quite.


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## Mišo

mateo19 said:


> Mišo, was it a Catholic church that you attended?  My friend went to a Lutheran church, although this probably doesn´t make a big difference as both liturgies are similar.



It was Roman Catholic church Mateo.


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