Topical Bible: Salt: Places where It Abounded Barren and Unfruitful

◄ Salt: Places where It Abounded Barren and Unfruitful ►

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Salt, a mineral essential for life and a symbol of preservation and purity, is frequently mentioned in the Bible. It is often associated with places that are barren and unfruitful, serving as a metaphor for desolation and divine judgment. The following are key biblical references and locations where salt is linked to barrenness and unfruitfulness:

1. The Salt Sea (Dead Sea): The Salt Sea, also known as the Dead Sea, is one of the most prominent locations associated with salt in the Bible. Situated in the Jordan Rift Valley, it is known for its high salinity, which prevents aquatic life from thriving. In Genesis 14:3, the Salt Sea is mentioned in the context of the battle of the kings: "All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea)." The Dead Sea region is often depicted as a place of judgment and desolation, reflecting the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

2. Sodom and Gomorrah: The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a significant biblical event where salt symbolizes judgment and barrenness. In Genesis 19:24-26, the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on these cities, and Lot's wife, upon looking back, was turned into a pillar of salt. This transformation into salt serves as a stark reminder of disobedience and the resulting desolation.

3. The Valley of Salt: The Valley of Salt is another location associated with barrenness. It is mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:13 and 1 Chronicles 18:12, where David struck down the Edomites. The valley's name itself suggests a barren and unproductive land, emphasizing the theme of divine judgment and conquest.

4. The Salt Land: In Deuteronomy 29:23, the land of Israel is warned of becoming like the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, "a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it." This imagery of a salt land underscores the consequences of turning away from God's covenant, resulting in a barren and unfruitful existence.

5. Jericho's Water: In 2 Kings 2:19-22, the men of Jericho approached Elisha, saying, "The city’s location is good, as my lord can see, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful." Elisha healed the water by throwing salt into the spring, demonstrating God's power to transform barrenness into fruitfulness. This miracle highlights the dual nature of salt as both a symbol of desolation and a means of purification and restoration.

Throughout the Bible, salt serves as a powerful symbol of both judgment and covenant. Its presence in barren and unfruitful places underscores the consequences of sin and disobedience, while also pointing to the potential for redemption and renewal through divine intervention.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 17:6
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 47:11
But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... is not only found here in the text, but is in several other places of the ... as I may
call it, not only a duty in itself, but, as it were, the salt that seasoneth ...
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