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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Salt
Scofield Reference Index
• Salt
Thompson Chain Reference
• Salt, the
• Salt, Christians As, the
• Salt
The Topic Concordance
• Salt
Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
• Salt
• Dead or Salt Sea?
Torrey Topical Textbook
• Salt
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Salt
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
• Salt
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Salt, Valley of
• Salt, the City of
• Salt Sea
•   (only first 3 shown)
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Sea, the Salt
• Salt, Valley of
• Salt, City of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Salt, Valley of
• Salt, Covenant of
• Salt, City of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Salt, Valley of
• Salt, City of
• Salt Sea
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hastings' NT Dictionary
• Salt (2)
• Salt
King James Dictionary
• Saltness
• Salted
• Salt
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Salt, Valley of
• Salt, City of
• Salt Sea
•   (only first 3 shown)
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Salt, Robert, Blessed
• Salt, Liturgical Use of
• Salt of the Earth
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Salt
People's Bible Dictionary
• Sea the Salt
• Salt Valley of
• Salt (2)
•   (only first 3 shown)
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Sea The Salt
• Salt The Valley of
• Salt The City of
•   (only first 3 shown)
Vines' Expository Dictionary
• Salt, Saltness
Wilson's Bible Types
• Salt
Webster Dictionary
• Smelling Salts
• Sea Salt
• Saltness
•   (only first 3 shown)
Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Salt
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Abraum Salts
• Epsom Salts
• George Salting
•   (only first 3 shown)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• City of Salt
• Covenant of Salt
• Pillar of Salt
•   (only first 3 shown)
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Salt
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• City of Salt
• Covenant of Salt
• Pillar of Salt
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Attic Salt
• Great Salt Lake
• Salt Lake City
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Diocese of Salt Lake
• Salt
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Salt
• Salt Lake City
• Salt Sea
Lexicons
• ܡܠܰܚ
• ܡܰܠܳܚܶܐ
• ἅλα , ἅλας
• ἁλίζω
• ἅλς
•   (only first 3 shown)
• חָמִיץ
• מָלַח , מָלַח
• מְלַח
•   (only first 3 shown)

sôlt ( מלח , melaḥ ; ἄλας , hálas , ἄλς , háls ): Common salt is considered by most authorities as an essential ingredient of our food. Most people intentionally season their cooking with more or less salt for the sake of palatability. Others depend upon the small quantities which naturally exist in water and many foods to furnish the necessary amount of salt for the body. Either too much salt or the lack of it creates undesirable disturbance in the animal system. Men and animals alike instinctively seek for this substance to supplement or improve their regular diet. The ancients appreciated the value of salt for seasoning food ( Job 6:6 ). So necessary was it that they dignified it by making it a requisite part of sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13; Ezra 6:9; Ezra 7:22; Ezekiel 43:24; Mark 9:49 ). In Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5 , a "covenant of salt" is mentioned (compare Mark 9:49 ). This custom of pledging friendship or confirming a compact by eating food containing salt is still retained among Arabic-speaking people. The Arabic word for "salt" and for a "compact" or "treaty" is the same. Doughty in his travels in Arabia appealed more than once to the superstitious belief of the Arabs in the "salt covenant," to save his life. Once an Arab has received in his tent even his worst enemy and has eaten salt (food) with him, he is bound to protect his guest as long as he remains. See COVENANT OF SALT .

The chief source of salt in Palestine is from the extensive deposits near the "sea of salt" (see DEAD SEA ), where there are literally mountains and valleys of salt (2 Samuel 8:13; 2 Kings 14:7; 1 Chronicles 18:12; 2 Chronicles 25:11 ). On the seacoast the inhabitants frequently gather the sea salt. They fill the rock crevices with sea water and leave it for the hot summer sun to evaporate. After evaporation the salt crystals can be collected. As salt-gathering is a government monopoly in Turkey, the government sends men to pollute the salt which is being surreptitiously crystallized, so as to make it unfit for eating. Another extensive supply comes from the salt lakes in the Syrian desert East of Damascus and toward Palmyra. All native salt is more or less bitter, due to the presence of other salts such as magnesium sulphate.

Salt was used not only as a food, but as an antiseptic in medicine. Newborn babes were bathed and salted (Ezekiel 16:4 ), a custom still prevailing. The Arabs of the desert consider it so necessary, that in the absence of salt they batheir infants in camels' urine. Elisha is said to have healed the waters of Jericho by casting a cruse of salt into the spring (2 Kings 2:20 f). Abimelech sowed the ruins of Shechem with salt to prevent a new city from arising in its place ( Judges 9:45 ). Lot's wife turned to a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26 ).

Figurative:

Salt is emblematic of loyalty and friendship (see above). A person who has once joined in a "salt covenant" with God and then breaks it is fit only to be cast out (compare Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50 ). Saltness typified barrenness (Deuteronomy 29:23; Jeremiah 17:6 ). James compares the absurdity of the same mouth giving forth blessings and cursings to the impossibility of a fountain yielding both sweet and salt water (James 3:11 f).