Tel-melah, meaning 'mound of salt,' was another Babylonian settlement from which exiles returned to Judah (Ezra 2:59, Nehemiah 7:61). Like Tel-harsha, it housed Jewish exiles who later couldn't prove their Israelite descent. The name suggests either a location near salt deposits or salt-affected soil, common in parts of Mesopotamia. These returning families from Tel-melah faced suspicion about their genealogical credentials, highlighting the post-exilic community's concern with maintaining pure Israelite lineage. The place-name preserves memory of a specific exile community location.