Strata: Strata Answers

In Biblical times salt was used in both household and ritual activities. It acted as a purifier and destroyer. In Judges 9:45 the Israelites scattered salt over a city they had destroyed. Scattering salt left the land barren, ensuring that the city would never again be rebuilt. Both Leviticus 3:13 and Numbers 18:19 refer to the Israelites’ “covenant of salt” with the Lord; all sacrifices to the Lord must be salted. Because it preserves, salt became a symbol of permanence in ancient times.

Nine of the Hebrew Bible’s 38 references are to the Dead Sea (called “the Salt Sea,” Yam ha-Melech, in Hebrew).