What does מָלַח (mālaḥ) mean in the Bible?
מָלַח (mālaḥ): Salt as both preservative and destroyer: purifying disintegration and covenant seasoning combined.
Hebrew · H4414
מָלַח
Properly, to rub to pieces or pulverize; intransitively, to disappear as dust; also to salt whether internally (to season with salt) or externally (to rub with salt)
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מָלַח H4414
Pronunciation mālaḥ
What does מָלַח (mālaḥ) mean in the Bible?
מָלַח (mālaḥ): Salt as both preservative and destroyer: purifying disintegration and covenant seasoning combined.
Full entry for מָלַח (H4414) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H4414?
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (1), And you shall season (1), rubbed with salt (1), seasoned with salt (1), will vanish (1).
Where does מָלַח (mālaḥ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 30:35. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (2), Exodus (1), Isaiah (1), Leviticus (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It . . . 1× Ezekiel 16:4
And you shall season 1× Leviticus 2:13
rubbed with salt 1× Ezekiel 16:4
seasoned with salt 1× Exodus 30:35
will vanish 1× Isaiah 51:6
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 30:35 מְמֻלָּ֖ח to seasoned with salt Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular Leviticus 2:13 תִּמְלָח֒ to And you shall season Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Isaiah 51:6 נִמְלָ֙חוּ֙ to will vanish Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural Ezekiel 16:4 וְהָמְלֵ֙חַ֙ to rubbed with salt Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hofal - Infinitive absolute Ezekiel 16:4 הֻמְלַ֔חַתְּ to . . . Verb - Hofal - Perfect - second person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 30:35
Aligned rows 5
Books represented 4
Exodus 1 Leviticus 1 Isaiah 1 Ezekiel 2
Source forms
הֻמְלַ֔חַתְּ 1x hum·la·ḥat Ezekiel 16:4
וְהָמְלֵ֙חַ֙ 1x wə·hā·mə·lê·aḥ Ezekiel 16:4
מְמֻלָּ֖ח 1x mə·mul·lāḥ Exodus 30:35
נִמְלָ֙חוּ֙ 1x nim·lā·ḥū Isaiah 51:6
תִּמְלָח֒ 1x tim·lāḥ Leviticus 2:13
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hofal - Infinitive absolute 1x Ezekiel 16:4
Verb - Hofal - Perfect - second person feminine singular 1x Ezekiel 16:4
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural 1x Isaiah 51:6
Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine singular 1x Exodus 30:35
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular 1x Leviticus 2:13
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Salt as both preservative and destroyer: purifying disintegration and covenant seasoning combined.
Source Gloss
properly, to rub to pieces or pulverize; intransitively, to disappear as dust; also to salt whether internally (to season with salt) or externally (to rub with salt)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Salt as both preservative and destroyer: purifying disintegration and covenant seasoning combined.
properly, to rub to pieces or pulverize; intransitively, to disappear as dust; also to salt whether internally (to season with salt) or externally (to rub with salt) BDB: salt Usage: × at all, salt, season, temper together, vanish away.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 4
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 1×
Participle passive Exod 30:35 1×
Hophal causative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action 1×
Perfect Ezek 16:4 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Perfect Isa 51:6 1×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 1×
Imperfect Lev 2:13 1×
Word Origins
מָלַח is built from this root:
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain