H4420 H4420
saltness, barrenness, salt-wasted land
A noun denoting saltness or salt-infested barrenness, describing land made unproductive by salt. Job mentions 'the salt land' as the wild ass's dwelling place (39:6). Jeremiah warns that those who trust in humans will inhabit 'the salt land' where no one dwells (17:6). The psalmist celebrates God's power to transform fruitful land into salt waste as judgment and salt waste into productivity as blessing (107:34). Salt-saturated soil represents curse, barrenness, and divine judgment.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Multilingual evidence points to salt-cursed land: Spanish 'salada, tierra-salada, salar' (salty, salt-land, salt-flat), English 'salt-land, salty, salt-waste.' Job 39:6 describes the wild ass naturally inhabiting barren salt-lands. Jeremiah 17:6 threatens that those trusting in flesh will dwell in uninhabitable salt-waste. Psalm 107:34 shows God's sovereignty—He can turn productive land into salt desert (judgment) or reverse the curse (mercy). Salted earth meant total desolation. 3×
AR["الْمِلْحَةَ.", "لِمِلح", "مَالِحَةً"]·ben["লবণাক্ত", "লবণাক্ত-জমি", "লবণাক্তে"]·DE["[מלחה]", "hinein-salt-waste"]·EN["into-salt-waste", "salty", "the-salt-land"]·FR["[מלחה]", "à-terre-salée", "מלחה"]·heb["ל-מלחה", "מלחה"]·HI["खारी", "खारी-भूमि", "नमक-की-भूमि-में"]·ID["asin", "menjadi-padang-asin", "tanah asin"]·IT["[למלחה]", "[מלחה]", "il-salt-terra"]·jav["dados-asin", "tanah-asin"]·KO["소금-땅-으로", "소금땅-으로", "소금의"]·PT["em-terra-salgada", "salgada", "terra-salgada."]·RU["в-солончак", "солончак", "солончаковая"]·ES["en-salar", "salada", "tierra-salada"]·SW["kuwa-chumvi", "nchi-ya-chumvi", "ya-chumvi"]·TR["tuz-çölü", "tuzlu", "çorağa"]·urd["شور-زمین", "نمکین", "نمکین-زمین"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מְלֵחָה n.f. saltness, barrenness;—Jb 39:6 (‖ עֲרָבָה) as dwelling-place of wild ass, salt-plain; אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה Je 17:6 (‖ לֹא תֵשֵׁב); ψ 107:34 (opp. אֶרֶץ פְּרִי).