---
title: מֶלַח — salt · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מֶלַח (4417), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 24 times: salt. BDB 1906: n.m. salt. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מֶלַח

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«מֶלַח» in the Tanakh dictionary: **salt** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 24 times · **Key:** 4417 · **BDB:** מֶ֫לַח²

### Glosses

Salt (10); salt (9); of.salt (4)

### Meaning (OSHB)

salt [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4417/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. salt [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4417/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. salt (NH id.; Arabic مِلْحٌ Aramaic ܡܶܠܚܳܐ, מִלְחָא);—מ׳ abs. Gn 19:26 +; cstr. Lv 2:13;—salt for seasoning food Jb 6:6; offering Lv 2:13(×3) cf. Ez 43:24; בְּרִית מֶ֫לַח Nu 18:19 2 Ch 13:5 (cf. Lv 2:13 v. Di); used in purifying waters 2 K 2:20, 21; strewn on site of devoted city Ju 9:45 cf. Zp 2:9 (מִכְרֵה־מ׳) Dt 29:22 (‖ גָּפְרִית); produced in marshes reserved for purpose Ez 47:11; pillar of salt נְצִיב מ׳ Gn 19:26; usually in combin. יָם(־) הַמֶּלַח Gn 14:3 (עֵ֫מֶק הַשִּׂדִּים), Nu 34:3, 12 Dt 3:17 (‖ יָם הָעֲרָבָה), Jos 3:16; 12:3; 15:2, 5; 18:19; also גֵיא־מ׳ 2 S 8:13 2 K 14:7 Qr, ψ 60:2 (title), גֵּיא הַמּ׳ 1 Ch 18:12 2 Ch 25:11; 2 K 14:7 Kt.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 21 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (6 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מֶלַח» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4417/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 14:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.14.3/)

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כָּל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ חָֽבְר֔וּ אֶל־עֵ֖מֶק הַשִּׂדִּ֑ים ה֖וּא יָ֥ם הַמֶּֽלַח׃

*Word for word:* all these they.joined.together to the.valley of.(the) Siddim that \[is\].the.Sea of.(the) Salt

*JPS 1917:* All these came as allies unto the vale of Siddim — the same is the Salt Sea.

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[Genesis 19:26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.19.26/)

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וַתַּבֵּ֥ט אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מֵאַחֲרָ֑יו וַתְּהִ֖י נְצִ֥יב מֶֽלַח׃

*Word for word:* and she.looked wife his from behind him and she.was a.pillar of.salt

*JPS 1917:* But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

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