Bible Dictionaries

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

Dead Sea

Lake about 47 miles long, 10 miles wide, on the southeastern border of Palestine, 16 miles east of Jerusalem, into which flow the River Jordan and other streams. Although 6,500,000 tons of fresh water pour into it every day, there is no outlet, the excess water being taken off by evaporation, and the water is so salt that no organic life can exist in it. In the Old Testament it is called "sea of the wilderness" (Joshua 1:3); "east sea" (Joel 2; Zachariah 14); "salt sea" (Genesis 14); and "sea of the desert" (Deuteronomy 3).