מֶלַח
melach · meh'-lakh
properly, powder, i.e. (specifically) salt (as easily pulverized and dissolved)
Lexicon
Derivation: from H4414 (מָלַח);
properly, powder, i.e. (specifically) salt (as easily pulverized and dissolved)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: salt(-pit).
Letters
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
- לLamed30
Picture: shepherd's staff or goad
- Concrete
- staff · goad · yoke · cattle prod
- Extended
- authority · to lead · to teach · to bind · toward
- חHet8
Picture: courtyard wall or enclosure
- Concrete
- wall · fence · tent wall
- Extended
- to separate · protection · the inside vs. the outside · private
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
water, chaos, the mighty deep › authority, the one who leads › to separate and protect
Water, chaos, the mighty deep of authority, the one who leads that works to separate and protect.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of מֶלַח above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
28 occurrences · 28 OT · 0 NT · 17 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- of salt8 · 29%
- salt3 · 11%
- of the salt3 · 11%
- even the salt3 · 11%
- is the salt1 · 4%
- with salt1 · 4%
- neither shalt thou suffer the salt1 · 4%
- of it shall be at the salt1 · 4%
- and salt1 · 4%
- was the salt1 · 4%
- it with salt1 · 4%
- the salt1 · 4%
- without salt1 · 4%
- to salt1 · 4%
- and saltpits1 · 4%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.