Difference between revisions of "Salt in the Bible"

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'''Salt''' <ref> '''Salt''' is the every day term for the chemical compound ''Sodium Chloride'' (''NaCl''); it occurs naturally in many parts of the world and is particularly prevalent in the area of the ''[[Dead Sea]]''. '''Halite''' is the mineral form of sodium chloride.</ref> is referenced in the Bible on many occassions and whenever it is mentioned it is used as an essential reference.
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There are over thirty references to '''salt''' <ref>'''Salt''' is the every day term for the chemical compound ''Sodium Chloride'' (''NaCl''); it occurs naturally in many parts of the world and is particularly prevalent in the area of the ''Dead Sea''. '''Halite''' is the mineral form of sodium chloride.</ref><ref>An interesting quality of salt is that when it is used it looses itself. Example, (1) when used in cooking the salt cannot be seen; it makes its contribution and is "gone". (2) In various chemical processes, salt "dissipates" after it has fulfilled its purpose.</ref> in English translations of the Bible. Probably the most familiar being the story of Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the city of Sodom in [[Genesis]] 19:26 and the story of [[Jesus Christ]] refering to his followers as the "salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. In Scripture, salt is metaphorically used in different contexts to signify different meanings. <ref>''See the OW article on:'' '''[[Hermeneutics]]''' to understand how to approach reading and understanding Scripture from an Orthodox perspective.</ref>
  
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* In the [[Book of Job]], written hundreds of years before Christ, is found the line, “Can nothing which is unsavory be eaten without salt.”
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== [[Old Testament]] references==
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* the most familiar reference to salt occurs in the story of Lot’s wife. Lot was a nephew of Abraham who lived with his wife and two daughters in Sodom.  Just before the wicked city was destroyed for its sinfulness, two angels came to Lot and warned him to escape, cautioning him and his family not to look back once they departed.  Lot’s wife, however, disregarded the command and turned to look back at the burning city.  She was turned to pillar of salt.
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<!---All OT text will be referenced using the CCEL online version of The [[Septuagint]] LXX: Greek and English by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton <ref>[http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/ '''The Septuagint LXX''' by Lancelot and Brenton (CCEL)] (in Greek and English)</ref>, or the NKJ version of the Bible.--->
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*When Elisha sweetened the waters of Jericho, he cast salt into them.
 
  
 +
===From the Books of the Law ===
 +
*'''[[Genesis]]''' 14:3 "All these ''[Gr. agreed.]'' met with one consent at the salt valley; this is ''now'' the sea of salt." (Gr. θαλασσα των αλων <ref>Text without diacritical marks </ref>).
 +
*'''[[Genesis]]''' 19:26 "And his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
 +
*'''[[Book of Leviticus|Leviticus]]''' 2:13 ''Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt; neither shall yo allow the salt of the covenant of God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.''
 +
*'''[[Book of Numbers|Numbers]]''' 18:19 ''Search for reference in progress''
 +
*'''[[Book of Numbers|Numbers]]''' 34:3 ''Search for reference in progress''
 +
*'''[[Book of Numbers|Numbers]]''' 34:12 ''Search for reference in progress''
 +
*'''[[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]]''' 3:17 ''Reference to a salt-sea'' - in progress''
 +
*'''[[Book of Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy]]''' 29:23 ''"And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and '''salt''', and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of '''Sodom, and Gomorrah''', Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath ..."''
  
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{{stub}}
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===From the Historical Books===
 +
*'''[[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] (Jesus Navi)''' 3:16, 12:3, 15:2, 15:5, 15:62, 18:19 {''OW Note: References to be checked against Septuagint''}
 +
*'''[[Book of Judges|Judges]]''' 9:45 ''"And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt."''
 +
*II Kingdoms (II Samuel) 8:13
 +
*IV Kingdoms (II Kings) 2:20, 2:21
 +
*I Paraleipomenon (I Chronicles) 18:12
 +
*II Paraleipomenon (II Chronicles) 13:5, 25:11
 +
*'''I Esdras (Ezra)''' ''There is a reference to salt in the context of the pay of the Persian king's servants. Search in Progress to find passage'' 4:14, 6:9, 7:22
 +
 
 +
The following books do not contain references to salt:
 +
* Ruth and I Kingdoms (I Samuel), III Kingdoms (I Kings), Nehemiah, II Esdras, Tobit (Tobias), Judith, Esther, I Maccabees, II Maccabees, III Maccabees
 +
 
 +
===From Books of Wisdom===
 +
*'''Psalm''' 59:17, 60:1, 107:34 ...
 +
*Prayer of Manasseh
 +
*'''Job''' 6:6 ''"Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without '''salt'''?"''
 +
*'''Job''' 30:4
 +
*'''Job''' 39:6
 +
*Proverbs
 +
*Ecclesiastes
 +
*Song of Solomon
 +
*Wisdom of Solomon
 +
*Wisdom of Sirach
 +
 
 +
===From the Prophet Books===
 +
*'''Isaiah''' ''There is no reference to salt in the book of Isaiah.''
 +
*'''Jeremiah''' 17:6
 +
*'''Ezekiel''' 16:4 ''"As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.'' (NKJV)
 +
*'''Ezekiel''' 43:24
 +
*'''Ezekiel''' 47:9
 +
*'''Ezekiel''' 47:11 ''"But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to '''salt'''."''
 +
*'''Daniel''' and '''Hosea''' ''There are no references to salt in the Book of Daniel and Hosea.''
 +
*'''Joel''' 2:20 ''"But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the '''utmost sea''', and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things."''<ref> The '''east sea''', or the Sea of the Plain, is more commonly known as the Dead Sea! This ''sea'' is infact a large inland lake whose waters are extremely ''saline''. In fact, it is five times more salty than the oceans, and marine life cannot live in it's waters. It is at the lowest point on earth and can be described as desolate.</ref><!---Being in a land barren and desolate, and having your face toward the east sea is a signification of having nothing worthwhile. It is likely that the implied reference to the salinity of this sea is a signification of Judgment. The ''Dead Sea'' is truly a dead sea, it is a place with a salt content so high, that it can only be described as desolate. For this people to be in a land barren and desolate and have their face toward this dead sea, is a figure of the worst possible scenario, and the lowest position one can be in. Under God's judgment where there is nothing around you but desolation! And one's "face" toward the salt sea, signifies this judgment.--->
 +
* ''There are no references to salt in the following books:
 +
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum and Habakkuk
 +
*'''Zephaniah''' 2:9
 +
*''There are no references to salt in the following books:
 +
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
 +
 
 +
<!--- WORK IN PROGRESS
 +
* Book ??? The most familiar reference to salt occurs in the story of Lot’s wife. Lot was a nephew of Abraham who lived with his wife and two daughters in Sodom.  Just before the wicked city was destroyed for its sinfulness, two angels came to Lot and warned him to escape, cautioning him and his family not to look back once they departed.  Lot’s wife, however, disregarded the command and turned to look back at the burning city.  She was turned to pillar of salt.
 +
*Book ??? When Elisha sweetened the waters of Jericho, he cast salt into them.
 +
--->
 +
----
 +
In the Old Testament, Mosaic law called for salt to be added to all burnt animal sacrifices (Lev. 2:13). The Book of Ezra (550 BC to 450 BC) associated accepting salt from a person with being in that person's service. In Ezra 4:14, the servants of Artaxerxes I of Persia explain their loyalty to the King. When translated, it is either stated literally as "because we have eaten the salt of the palace" or more figuratively as "because we have maintenance from the king."<ref> Source: [[w:History_of_salt#Biblical_references|Wikipedia: ''History of salt'']]</ref>
 +
 
 +
==New Testament References==
 +
*'''[[Gospel of Matthew]]''' 5:13 ''Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.''
 +
*'''[[Gospel of Mark]]''' 9:49 ''For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.''
 +
*'''[[Gospel of Mark]]''' 9:50 ''Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.''
 +
*'''[[Gospel of Luke]]''' 14:34 ''Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?''
 +
*'''Colossians''' 4:6 ''Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.''
 +
*'''James''' 3:11 ''Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter?''
 +
*'''James''' 3:12 ''Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so [can] no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.''
 +
----
 +
In the New Testament, Matthew 5:13 Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." He added that if the salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing but to be trampled. Jesus said this in order to show his disciples how valuable they were and this saying is commonly used today to describe someone who is of particular value to society. In addition, the preservative quality of salt is in view here to show how the disciples were called to preserve the society and the world around them from moral decay. On another occasion according to the Gospels, Jesus commanded his followers to "have salt within them"<ref> Source: [[w:History_of_salt#Biblical_references|Wikipedia: ''History of salt'']]</ref>
 +
 
 +
<!---
 +
==Etymology of Salt=
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Notes: The OT and NT were not originally written in English and salt is the english translation for the original words. What were the original words in Greek/Hebrew? How does latin influence today's understanding of this word and does it influence the interpretation of scripture?
 +
 
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Old Latin words and idioms can have no bearing on how "salt" was used as a symbol in the Old and New Testaments, since the Bible was never written in Latin but in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
 +
 
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Ελληνική (Greek) n. αλάτι, (χημ.) άλας, (μτφ.) σπιρτάδα πνεύματος, (πληθ.) (χημ.) άλατα, (καθομ.) θαλασσόλυκος v. αλατίζω, παστώνω, (καθομ.) πλαστογραφώ, παραποιώ adj. αλμυρός, (δάκρυα) πικρά, (πνεύμα) κοφτερό abbr. αλατο- δεν παίρνω τοις μετρητοίς
 +
--->
 +
 
 +
==Characteristics of Salt==
 +
Knowledge of the characteristics of salt is one way to assist in the allegorical interpretations of the Scripture passages.
 +
 
 +
* Salt is a needed mineral: Salt is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals and even of many plants. It is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food preservatives and has even been used to preserve Egyptian mummies. It's industrial, medical and other uses are almost without number.
 +
* Salt is a taste enhancer:
 +
* Salt is used as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in many cultures: In many cultures, it is traditional etiquette to offer bread and salt to visitors.
 +
* Salt was used as a currency in many cultures: Ezra 4:14: Salt has served as currency at various times and places in history and has been the cause of warfare between places. There are records outside of the Scriptures that place an importance on salt in commerce during the Medieval ages and earlier still in Nepal and the Sahara salt was used in trade. These records provide a glimpse into how salt would have been used even earlier still. During the 15th-century, in Russia, the [[monk]]s from the [[Solovetsky Monastery]] would make salt that became the base for the monastery's economic power. The salt that they produced was black and was created by using ground grain and seaweed that when dried on stoves would turn black.
 +
* Salt was used in sacrifices: Leviticus 2:13
 +
 
 +
<!---
 +
* Salt is connected with miracles: Genesis 19:26, I Kings 2:21
 +
* Salt is illustrative of saints and virtues: Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50, Collosians 4:6
 +
--->
 +
 
 +
==Interpretations by Church fathers==
 +
What do the Church fathers have to say about the "salt" term in Scripture? List of articles discussing this:
 +
*[http://jydiscovery.blogspot.com/2008/08/salt-of-earth-and-light-of-world-from.html/ A reading from the homilies of St John Chrysostom on Mt 5. 13-16], non Orthodox based blog.
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 13: Line 103:
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 
*[[w:Salt in the Bible|'''Wikipedia:''' ''Salt in the Bible'']]
 
*[[w:Salt in the Bible|'''Wikipedia:''' ''Salt in the Bible'']]
 +
*[http://www.salt.org.il/ MRBLOCH SALT ARCHIVES: ''Salt made the World go round''], website devoted to salt.
  
 
[[Category:Old Testament]]
 
[[Category:Old Testament]]
 
[[Category:New Testament]]
 
[[Category:New Testament]]
 +
 +
<!---
 +
==History of Salt==
 +
On many occassions it is used as a symbol in one way or another. Salt in scripture can carry a "two-fold" signification - a positive attribute of salt is that it is the flavor which makes things good, and the negative attribute of salt is that of it's use in making something barren or without worth. These are characteristics which both signify the Blessings and the Judgments of God respectively. Salt is so abundant on and deep within the earth, that it could rightfully be referred to as a "Fifth element" since humanity dependends on it much like it does on air, earth, water and fire.
 +
 +
A primary source for salt would have been the shores of the Dead Sea. In those days, it is not much would have been known about refining salt and it would have been difficult salt to be distinguished from the sand on the shores of the sea. In essence, this substance which was called "salt" in New Testament scripture would have been a mixture; sometimes more salt than sand. When it was more sand than salt, it had “lost its savor”<ref>Salt never loses its taste. It can become rock hard or it can become damp but scientifically it will always taste the same.</ref> and therefore was good for nothing but to be “cast out and trodden under the foot of man.” Jesus said to His followers: “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, it is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trodden under the foot of men.”
 +
--->

Latest revision as of 02:34, August 6, 2011

There are over thirty references to salt [1][2] in English translations of the Bible. Probably the most familiar being the story of Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the city of Sodom in Genesis 19:26 and the story of Jesus Christ refering to his followers as the "salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. In Scripture, salt is metaphorically used in different contexts to signify different meanings. [3]

Old Testament references

From the Books of the Law

  • Genesis 14:3 "All these [Gr. agreed.] met with one consent at the salt valley; this is now the sea of salt." (Gr. θαλασσα των αλων [4]).
  • Genesis 19:26 "And his wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."
  • Leviticus 2:13 Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt; neither shall yo allow the salt of the covenant of God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
  • Numbers 18:19 Search for reference in progress
  • Numbers 34:3 Search for reference in progress
  • Numbers 34:12 Search for reference in progress
  • Deuteronomy 3:17 Reference to a salt-sea - in progress
  • Deuteronomy 29:23 "And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath ..."

From the Historical Books

  • Joshua (Jesus Navi) 3:16, 12:3, 15:2, 15:5, 15:62, 18:19 {OW Note: References to be checked against Septuagint}
  • Judges 9:45 "And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt."
  • II Kingdoms (II Samuel) 8:13
  • IV Kingdoms (II Kings) 2:20, 2:21
  • I Paraleipomenon (I Chronicles) 18:12
  • II Paraleipomenon (II Chronicles) 13:5, 25:11
  • I Esdras (Ezra) There is a reference to salt in the context of the pay of the Persian king's servants. Search in Progress to find passage 4:14, 6:9, 7:22

The following books do not contain references to salt:

  • Ruth and I Kingdoms (I Samuel), III Kingdoms (I Kings), Nehemiah, II Esdras, Tobit (Tobias), Judith, Esther, I Maccabees, II Maccabees, III Maccabees

From Books of Wisdom

  • Psalm 59:17, 60:1, 107:34 ...
  • Prayer of Manasseh
  • Job 6:6 "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?"
  • Job 30:4
  • Job 39:6
  • Proverbs
  • Ecclesiastes
  • Song of Solomon
  • Wisdom of Solomon
  • Wisdom of Sirach

From the Prophet Books

  • Isaiah There is no reference to salt in the book of Isaiah.
  • Jeremiah 17:6
  • Ezekiel 16:4 "As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. (NKJV)
  • Ezekiel 43:24
  • Ezekiel 47:9
  • Ezekiel 47:11 "But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt."
  • Daniel and Hosea There are no references to salt in the Book of Daniel and Hosea.
  • Joel 2:20 "But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things."[5]
  • There are no references to salt in the following books:

Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum and Habakkuk

  • Zephaniah 2:9
  • There are no references to salt in the following books:

Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

In the Old Testament, Mosaic law called for salt to be added to all burnt animal sacrifices (Lev. 2:13). The Book of Ezra (550 BC to 450 BC) associated accepting salt from a person with being in that person's service. In Ezra 4:14, the servants of Artaxerxes I of Persia explain their loyalty to the King. When translated, it is either stated literally as "because we have eaten the salt of the palace" or more figuratively as "because we have maintenance from the king."[6]

New Testament References

  • Gospel of Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
  • Gospel of Mark 9:49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
  • Gospel of Mark 9:50 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
  • Gospel of Luke 14:34 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
  • Colossians 4:6 Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
  • James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet [water] and bitter?
  • James 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so [can] no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

In the New Testament, Matthew 5:13 Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." He added that if the salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing but to be trampled. Jesus said this in order to show his disciples how valuable they were and this saying is commonly used today to describe someone who is of particular value to society. In addition, the preservative quality of salt is in view here to show how the disciples were called to preserve the society and the world around them from moral decay. On another occasion according to the Gospels, Jesus commanded his followers to "have salt within them"[7]


Characteristics of Salt

Knowledge of the characteristics of salt is one way to assist in the allegorical interpretations of the Scripture passages.

  • Salt is a needed mineral: Salt is an essential element in the diet of not only humans but of animals and even of many plants. It is one of the most effective and most widely used of all food preservatives and has even been used to preserve Egyptian mummies. It's industrial, medical and other uses are almost without number.
  • Salt is a taste enhancer:
  • Salt is used as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge in many cultures: In many cultures, it is traditional etiquette to offer bread and salt to visitors.
  • Salt was used as a currency in many cultures: Ezra 4:14: Salt has served as currency at various times and places in history and has been the cause of warfare between places. There are records outside of the Scriptures that place an importance on salt in commerce during the Medieval ages and earlier still in Nepal and the Sahara salt was used in trade. These records provide a glimpse into how salt would have been used even earlier still. During the 15th-century, in Russia, the monks from the Solovetsky Monastery would make salt that became the base for the monastery's economic power. The salt that they produced was black and was created by using ground grain and seaweed that when dried on stoves would turn black.
  • Salt was used in sacrifices: Leviticus 2:13


Interpretations by Church fathers

What do the Church fathers have to say about the "salt" term in Scripture? List of articles discussing this:

Notes

  1. ↑ Salt is the every day term for the chemical compound Sodium Chloride (NaCl); it occurs naturally in many parts of the world and is particularly prevalent in the area of the Dead Sea. Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride.
  2. ↑ An interesting quality of salt is that when it is used it looses itself. Example, (1) when used in cooking the salt cannot be seen; it makes its contribution and is "gone". (2) In various chemical processes, salt "dissipates" after it has fulfilled its purpose.
  3. ↑ See the OW article on: Hermeneutics to understand how to approach reading and understanding Scripture from an Orthodox perspective.
  4. ↑ Text without diacritical marks
  5. ↑ The east sea, or the Sea of the Plain, is more commonly known as the Dead Sea! This sea is infact a large inland lake whose waters are extremely saline. In fact, it is five times more salty than the oceans, and marine life cannot live in it's waters. It is at the lowest point on earth and can be described as desolate.
  6. ↑ Source: Wikipedia: History of salt
  7. ↑ Source: Wikipedia: History of salt

External links

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