Lexical Summary malluach: Saltwort, a type of plant Original Word: מַלוַּח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance mallows From malach; sea-purslain (from its saltness) -- mallows. see HEBREW malach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as melach Definition mallow NASB Translation mallow (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַלּוּחַ noun [masculine] mallow; plant growing in salt-marsh; Job 30:4 (compare NowArchaeology i. 67, 112). Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence and Context Job 30:4 records the single appearance of the term: “They pluck mallow among the bushes, and the roots of the broom tree are their food” (Berean Standard Bible). Spoken by Job, the verse describes society’s outcasts scavenging for the most meagre nourishment. The picture heightens Job’s lament; by comparing himself to those who survive on such forage, he underscores the depth of his humiliation after once enjoying honor and prosperity. Probable Botanical Identification Ancient and modern scholars connect the word with salt-tolerant plants that thrive in arid, saline soils: These shrubs grow near the Dead Sea, in wadis, and along salt flats—exactly the kind of marginal terrain where displaced people would search for food. Cultural and Historical Setting 1. Survival Forage: In drought or famine, the poor gathered wild herbs, roots, and seeds. 2 Kings 4:38–41 shows a similar desperation when a student-prophet collects “wild gourds” that prove poisonous until the miracle of purification through flour. Theological Significance • Human Frailty: The verse reminds readers that prosperity can vanish, leaving only what creation’s fringes supply. Ministry and Homiletical Applications • Compassionate Outreach: Just as the outcasts subsisted on mallûach, contemporary believers are called to identify and aid those living on the margins—physically and spiritually—through acts of mercy and proclamation of hope. Related Biblical Motifs • Salt and Purification (Leviticus 2:13; Matthew 5:13) – mallûach’s saline habitat subtly links the imagery of salt with preservation and covenant. Summary Strong’s Hebrew 4408 paints a vivid portrait of destitution: a wild, salty shrub gathered by the forsaken. Nestled in Job’s lament, the term signals both the depths of human misery and the compassionate interest of God, who ultimately restores and redeems. In every generation, mallûach challenges readers to acknowledge the fragile line between abundance and need, to cultivate mercy toward the dispossessed, and to trust the Lord who feeds His people—even if the meal begins with what grows among the bushes. Forms and Transliterations מַלּ֣וּחַ מלוח mal·lū·aḥ malLuach mallūaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 30:4 HEB: הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים מַלּ֣וּחַ עֲלֵי־ שִׂ֑יחַ NAS: Who pluck mallow by the bushes, KJV: Who cut up mallows by the bushes, INT: pluck mallow by the bushes 1 Occurrence |
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