Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem - שלום shalom signifies both peace and prosperity. Let her unanimity never be disturbed; let her prosperity ever be on the increase!
They shall prosper that love thee - In the peace and prosperity of the city, they shall find their peace and their prosperity; and even on this ground they should love the city, and labor to promote its best interests. There is a remarkable alliteration in this verse, the letter ש shin frequently recurring.
שאלו שלום ירושלם ישליו אהביך
Shaalu shelom yerushalam yishlayu ohabeycha.
"Ask ye the prosperity of Jerusalem; they shall be quiet that love thee."
There are remarkable specimens of similar alliteration to be found in all poets, ancient and modern. This formed the chief feature of our ancient poetry. Thus in Peter the plouphman: -
"In a somers seysoun whan sete was the sonne
I schoop me in a shrowde as I a sheep were."
And the same manner often appears, even in Milton himself. See the II:Penseroso: -
"Oft, on a plat of rising ground,
I hear the far-off curfew sound
Over some wide-watered shore,
Swinging slow with sullen roar."