The common mineral used for flavoring and preserving food, elevated by Jesus into one of the most vivid metaphors in the Gospels. 'You are the salt of the earth,' he tells his disciples (Matt 5:13), warning that salt which loses its savor is worthless. Mark 9:50 develops the image further: 'Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.' Paul instructs that speech should be 'seasoned with salt' (Col 4:6). Behind these metaphors lies the Old Testament 'covenant of salt' — an unbreakable pact. Spanish 'sal,' French 'sel,' and German 'Salz' all reflect this single referent with its rich metaphorical extensions.