eirene denotes a wished-for or given condition of well-being, harmony, and freedom from hostility.

The occurrences chiefly present εἰρήνη as a blessing or gift spoken over people, often alongside grace and as coming from God or Christ. It also names a condition to pursue and preserve among people, contrasting with disorder, hostility, fighting, or division; several clauses connect it with Christ’s work of making those previously divided one.

1. Peace bestowed or spoken as a blessing · dominant

   The nominative singular form appears repeatedly in greetings and benedictions: in 1 Corinthians 1:3 the APB renders a blessing of "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," and 1 Peter 1:2 asks that grace and peace "be multiplied to you." John 14:27 and 2 Thessalonians 3:16 likewise place the term in statements of peace being left, given, or granted.

   1 Corinthians 1:31 Peter 1:2John 14:272 Thessalonians 3:16Ephesians 6:233 John 1:15
2. A condition of harmony and freedom from conflict · common

   In 1 Corinthians 14:33, the genitive singular occurs in the contrast between disorder and peace. The accusative singular is what believers are told to seek and pursue in 1 Peter 3:11 and Hebrews 12:14, while Ephesians 4:3 describes unity of the Spirit in a "bond of peace."

   1 Corinthians 14:331 Peter 3:11Hebrews 12:14Ephesians 4:3Acts 9:31Acts 7:26
3. Peace in relation to Christ and divided groups · occasional

   Ephesians 2:14 uses the nominative singular in the clause the APB renders, "he himself is our peace," followed by the breaking down of hostility. In Ephesians 2:15 and Ephesians 2:17, the accusative singular occurs where the two are made into one and where peace is proclaimed to those far off and near; Colossians 3:15 places Christ's peace in the heart and connects it with being called in one body.

   Ephesians 2:14Ephesians 2:15Ephesians 2:17Colossians 3:15John 16:33

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with "peace" in greetings, blessings, commands to pursue it, and statements about unity or the ending of hostility. Its surrounding wording confirms the clause-level setting rather than supplying a separate definition for every occurrence.