Lexical Summary Ir Hammelach: City of Salt Original Word: עִיר הַמֶּלַח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Ir-ham-Melach, a place near Palestine -- the city of saltFrom iyr and melach with the article of substance interp.; city of (the) salt; Ir-ham-Melach, a place near Palestine -- the city of salt. see HEBREW iyr see HEBREW melach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ir and melach Definition "city of salt," a place in the Judean desert NASB Translation City of Salt (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עִירהַֿמֶּ֫לַח proper name, of a location (city of salt) in desert of Judah, Joshua 15:62 (P; + Ên-gedi), πόλεις Σαδων (A ᵐ5L [τῶν] ἁλῶν); site unknown. Topical Lexicon Biblical referenceJoshua 15:62 records the City of Salt among the six wilderness towns allotted to the tribe of Judah: “Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi—six cities, along with their villages” (Berean Standard Bible). Geographical setting The list in Joshua 15:61-62 belongs to the “wilderness” district of Judah that descends from the Judean highlands to the western shore of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). Most scholars place the City of Salt near the southeastern edge of this basin, where thick salt deposits, dry wadis, and frequent caves define the landscape. Suggested sites range from Khirbet Qumran on the northwest shore to ruins south of En Gedi and even to areas near Mount Sodom. Regardless of the exact location, the town clearly functioned as a frontier outpost on Judah’s eastern border, guarding sparse pastures, caravan tracks, and the region’s vital mineral resource—salt. Historical background 1. Conquest and allotment: Listed only once, the City of Salt entered Israel’s account as part of Judah’s inheritance after the Conquest under Joshua. Its inclusion shows that Judah’s territory extended to the very margin of the Salt Sea and embraced even the harsh Judean desert. Salt in biblical theology Salt appears more than forty times in Scripture and carries multiple layers of meaning: • Covenant faithfulness — “You must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering” (Leviticus 2:13). Therefore, a settlement permanently linked to salt reminds readers that God’s covenant can both preserve and judge. Strategic and economic importance 1. Trade: Salt was indispensable for food preservation, leather curing, and cultic offerings. A town situated at a major source of the mineral would naturally attract shepherds, merchants, and military forces. Archaeological considerations Excavations at Qumran, Masada, and Ein el-Ghuweir have revealed Iron Age fortifications, storage jars, and cisterns that fit the profile of small desert centers tied to mineral extraction. While no single site has been definitively labeled “City of Salt,” pottery sequences and geographic clues continue to narrow the candidates. Ministry applications • Faithfulness in obscurity: The City of Salt never enjoys the fame of Jerusalem, yet God recorded it in Scripture. Servants who labor in hidden or difficult places can take courage that the Lord values their station. Related biblical sites and themes • Valley of Salt (2 Samuel 8:13; 2 Kings 14:7) – scenes of victory that underscore God’s power in arid places. Summary Hidden in a single verse, the City of Salt embodies the convergence of covenant symbolism, economic necessity, and frontier faithfulness. Its mention in Joshua attests that even the most inhospitable corners of the land were claimed under divine promise, and its very name summons readers to lives seasoned with purity, preservation, and steadfast commitment to God’s covenant purposes. Forms and Transliterations הַמֶּ֖לַח המלח ham·me·laḥ hamMelach hammelaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 15:62 HEB: וְהַנִּבְשָׁ֥ן וְעִיר־ הַמֶּ֖לַח וְעֵ֣ין גֶּ֑דִי NAS: and Nibshan and the City of Salt and Engedi; KJV: And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and Engedi; INT: and Nibshan and the City and Engedi cities 1 Occurrence |
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