Salt

[Pamelasv]

I'm looking for definitions of salt used in the bible. Thanks.  

I know you people are sick of me.  But if I get plenty of responses, then I'll know it's ok.  Quite frankly, I'm not much phased by that thought. I guess age and getting a little maturity make me feel that way.  :/  Now, the bigger question. Should I post this? 

[SINNERSAVED]

you are the salt of the earth, and salt is used to preserve , and save what could be dying , it cleanses and takes away infection,

 we are to be seasoned like salt, to reach others to let them taste the goodness of the Lord,

[Ezra]

6 hours ago, Pamelasv said:

I'm looking for definitions of salt used in the bible. Thanks.  

I know you people are sick of me.  But if I get plenty of responses, then I'll know it's ok.  Quite frankly, I'm not much phased by that thought. I guess age and getting a little maturity make me feel that way.  :/  Now, the bigger question. Should I post this? 

Should you post this? Absolutely.  Should we get sick of your questions? Absolutely not (although curiosity did kill the cat).

Back to your question. Salt is an excellent metaphor in the Bible since (a) salt gives food its flavor and relish, and (b) salt is used as a preservative against corruption and decay.  It is significant that the Old Testament offerings included salt as a symbol of purity and purification.

So when Christians are called "salt" (hence the phrase "salt of the earth", the finest kind of people), it means that their lives and beliefs should add flavour to an insipid world, and also preserve society from corruption and decay.  For example, had there been more genuine Christians in the federal government, we would not be seeing the corruption that exists in Washington, D.C.

On the other hand when people talk about "salty language" they mean offensive language (but that is the world speaking to the world).  But for Christians, words "seasoned with salt" are words of wisdom and words of value. To "eat someone's salt" indicates hospitality, loyalty, and friendship.  So anyway you look at it, salt is always positive (regardless of the cardiologists).

[Retrobyter]

7 hours ago, Pamelasv said:

I'm looking for definitions of salt used in the bible. Thanks.  

I know you people are sick of me.  But if I get plenty of responses, then I'll know it's ok.  Quite frankly, I'm not much phased by that thought. I guess age and getting a little maturity make me feel that way.  :/  Now, the bigger question. Should I post this? 

Shalom, Pamelasv.

Don't sweat it; you're welcome here. Salt is simply NaCl - sodium chloride - in the Bible, same as it is today, "table salt." 

Salt "looses" nothing.

If salt were to "lose" the Na (sodium) portion, you would have chlorine - a deadly, poisonous, green gas that reacts with water to form hydrochloric acid! 

If salt were to "lose" the Cl (chlorine) portion, you would have sodium - a poisonous metal that explosively reacts with water creating a dangerously strong base, sodium hydroxide!

The way that "salt loses its savor" (or "flavor") is to GET IT DIRTY! If the salt is contaminated, it's not fit for human consumption. It's only good for keeping walkways free of vegetation or melting ice on roadways.

[Pamelasv]

This is then the way I would describe it.  Salt is something good, tasty in a spiritual sense to people.  Which is all the good things of the Lord.  Including the fruits of the spirit. Love joy peace patience kidneys goodness faithfulness and self control.  Things standing out and so much better than the fleshly and unpleasant things of the flesh, which non believers exhibit, or even fleshly christians, and they and we like these qualities in people. They are oh so much more pleasant to be around.  So by standing out in this way, it is a glory to Christ and something that can draw others to Him.  Just as salt tastes good, so salted people taste spiritually good. 

[D-Dawn]

Salt was extremely desirable and valuable in that day...(and remains so today.) People depended on salt for survival and went to great lengths to get it. It was a valuable trade commodity with many important purposes. Salt purifies, flavors, preserves, allows for various types of industry and so on. Apparently many of Napoleon's men died from lack of salt used to help wounds heal.  Humans, animals and even plants need salt just to survive.

The word for salt is related to the word for salary. Roman soldiers worked for the right to receive salt rations. Salt was often traded for slaves. Some slaves and/or employees were not "worth their salt."

Read about the history of salt...it is amazing. Being called the Salt of the World is a great statement for many, many reasons.

[Leonardo Von]

On 12/30/2015 at 8:55 PM, Pamelasv said:

I'm looking for definitions of salt used in the bible.

 

On 1/1/2016 at 6:20 PM, D-Dawn said:

Salt was extremely desirable and valuable in that day...(and remains so today.) People depended on salt for survival and went to great lengths to get it. It was a valuable trade commodity with many important purposes. Salt purifies, flavors, preserves, allows for various types of industry and so on. Apparently many of Napoleon's men died from lack of salt used to help wounds heal.  Humans, animals and even plants need salt just to survive.

The word for salt is related to the word for salary. Roman soldiers worked for the right to receive salt rations. Salt was often traded for slaves. Some slaves and/or employees were not "worth their salt."

Read about the history of salt...it is amazing. Being called the Salt of the World is a great statement for many, many reasons.

Dear sister Pamelasv,

 

Grace and mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Good answer, sister D-Dawn.

And I would add that we are the salt of the earth:

 

·        “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5.13).

 

In this sense, the salt serves to sterilize the earth:

 

·        “And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.” (Judges 9.45).

 

That is, our role as salt of the earth implies to reprove the works of darkness:

 

·        “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11).

 

May Jesus use us to render all the works of Ha-Satan in this world unsuccessful.

[missmuffet]

Question: "What did Jesus mean when He described His followers as the salt of the earth?"

Answer: Jesus described His followers as the salt of the earth in Matthew 5 as part of His Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (verse 13).

There were two purposes for salt in the first century—preserving food and enhancing flavor. Both of those purposes may apply here, or Jesus may have been speaking in a more general sense.

By using this salt metaphor, Jesus may have meant that His disciples are called to be “preservatives” in the world, slowing down the advancement of moral and spiritual decay. Psalm 14:3 says, “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Believers are to preserve truth and goodness in a fallen world.

Salt was also used as a flavor enhancer. Jesus may have been instructing His disciples to “enhance” the flavor of life in this world—enriching its goodness and making God’s work stand out from the normal way of doing things. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35). As believers behave in ways that reflect God’s nature, they accentuate the difference that Jesus makes in one’s life.

Since Jesus’ exact meaning is not specified, perhaps He was not pointing to one specific application, but to salt in a general sense of value and usefulness. In those days, salt was a valuable commodity (the word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money”). Perhaps Jesus was telling His disciples how important their ministry would be.

Of course, the value of salt lies in its effect on its surroundings. Salt makes an impact. After telling His disciples that they are the salt of the earth, Jesus goes on to say, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Can salt become less salty? Strictly speaking, no. Sodium chloride is a stable compound and can’t become less of itself. What was Jesus saying then? There are several possibilities:

1) Jesus may have been referring to the “salt” that was collected from the Dead Sea by evaporation. The substance resembled pure salt, but it wasn’t effective for preservation or for seasoning.

2) Jesus could have been referring to the rock formations in which people would store their meat. Once the salt leached out of the rocks, the rocks were no longer effective to preserve the meat.

3) Others have speculated that Jesus was referring to the salt blocks that bakers used in their ovens. Eventually the heat would make these salt blocks useless.

4) Yet others think Jesus was referring to a saying of the time: “Can salt lose its saltiness?” It’s a rhetorical question because salt can’t become less salty. True disciples of Jesus cannot lose their saltiness. They are new creations and completely changed. Someone who is an imposter cannot become salty again. The imposters are to be “thrown out and trampled underfoot” because they have no effectiveness.

How does Jesus’ statement about the salt of the earth apply to us today?
Matthew 5:13 tells us that we are valuable in our role as disciples of Christ. God uses us to impact the people around us. Whether we are slowing down the moral decay or enhancing the spiritual “flavor” of the world, God has created us to be a positive impact. As followers of Christ, we are called to be different and to live righteous lives.

https://www.gotquestions.org/salt-of-the-earth.html

[Retrobyter]

19 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Question: "What did Jesus mean when He described His followers as the salt of the earth?"

Answer: Jesus described His followers as the salt of the earth in Matthew 5 as part of His Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (verse 13).

There were two purposes for salt in the first century—preserving food and enhancing flavor. Both of those purposes may apply here, or Jesus may have been speaking in a more general sense.

By using this salt metaphor, Jesus may have meant that His disciples are called to be “preservatives” in the world, slowing down the advancement of moral and spiritual decay. Psalm 14:3 says, “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Believers are to preserve truth and goodness in a fallen world.

Salt was also used as a flavor enhancer. Jesus may have been instructing His disciples to “enhance” the flavor of life in this world—enriching its goodness and making God’s work stand out from the normal way of doing things. “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35). As believers behave in ways that reflect God’s nature, they accentuate the difference that Jesus makes in one’s life.

Since Jesus’ exact meaning is not specified, perhaps He was not pointing to one specific application, but to salt in a general sense of value and usefulness. In those days, salt was a valuable commodity (the word salary comes from an ancient word meaning “salt-money”). Perhaps Jesus was telling His disciples how important their ministry would be.

Of course, the value of salt lies in its effect on its surroundings. Salt makes an impact. After telling His disciples that they are the salt of the earth, Jesus goes on to say, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Can salt become less salty? Strictly speaking, no. Sodium chloride is a stable compound and can’t become less of itself. What was Jesus saying then? There are several possibilities:

1) Jesus may have been referring to the “salt” that was collected from the Dead Sea by evaporation. The substance resembled pure salt, but it wasn’t effective for preservation or for seasoning.

2) Jesus could have been referring to the rock formations in which people would store their meat. Once the salt leached out of the rocks, the rocks were no longer effective to preserve the meat.

3) Others have speculated that Jesus was referring to the salt blocks that bakers used in their ovens. Eventually the heat would make these salt blocks useless.

4) Yet others think Jesus was referring to a saying of the time: “Can salt lose its saltiness?” It’s a rhetorical question because salt can’t become less salty. True disciples of Jesus cannot lose their saltiness. They are new creations and completely changed. Someone who is an imposter cannot become salty again. The imposters are to be “thrown out and trampled underfoot” because they have no effectiveness.

How does Jesus’ statement about the salt of the earth apply to us today?
Matthew 5:13 tells us that we are valuable in our role as disciples of Christ. God uses us to impact the people around us. Whether we are slowing down the moral decay or enhancing the spiritual “flavor” of the world, God has created us to be a positive impact. As followers of Christ, we are called to be different and to live righteous lives.

https://www.gotquestions.org/salt-of-the-earth.html

Shalom, missmuffet.

Ummm.... Salt loses its effectiveness as a preservative or as a flavor enhancer by GETTING DIRTY! Once the salt is CONTAMINATED, it's good for nothing except to kill weeds or melt ice on walkways.

[Deborah_]

How can salt not be salty? Modern salt can’t lose its saltiness because it’s virtually pure sodium chloride, but the salt that was available in Jesus’ time was much less pure; in fact, it probably had a quite lot of other chemicals mixed in with it. And if it was stored anywhere even slightly damp, the sodium chloride would probably be the most soluble ingredient in the mixture and the first one to leach out. Once that had happened, the salt became useless for either flavouring or preserving. It was just rubbish, and had to be thrown away.

 

If only we were 100% holy people! But we’re not - even if we’ve been following Jesus for a long time, we all have impurities. Up to a point, that doesn’t matter; the impure salt of the first century still did its job, and we don’t have to be perfect in order to be effective witnesses. But if we lose our saltiness altogether - if we live and behave no differently from the rest of society, we might as well not be Christians at all. And nothing puts people off Christianity faster than someone who claims loudly to be a Christian but actually behaves worse than the average unbeliever.