the Salt Sea
Jump to: Smith'sGreekLibrarySubtopicsResources
Smith's Bible Dictionary
the Salt Sea

the usual and perhaps the most ancient name for the remarkable lake which to the western world is now generally known as the Dead Sea. I. Names.-- (1) The Salt Sea, (Genesis 14:3) (2) Sea of the Arabah (Authorized Version "sea of the plain," which is found in (4:49)); (3) The East Sea (Joel 2:20) (4) The sea, (Ezekiel 47:8) (5) Sodomitish Sea, 2 Esdras; (6) Sea of Salt and Sea of Sodom, in the Talmud; (7) The Asphaltic Lake, in Josephus; (8) The name "Dead Sea" appears to have been first used in Greek by Pausanias and Galen, and in Latin (mare mortuum) by Justin xxxvi. 3,6, or rather by the older historian Trogus Pompeius (cir. B.C. 10), whose work he epitomized. (9) The Arabic name is Bahr Lut , the "Sea of Lot." II Description . --The so-called Dead Sea is the final receptacle of the river Jordan, the lowest and largest of the three lakes which interrupt the rush of its downward course. It is the deepest portion of that very deep natural fissure which runs like a furrow from the Gulf of Akabah to the range of Lebanon, and from the range of Lebanon to the extreme north of Syria. Viewed on the map, the lake is of an oblong form, of tolerably regular contour, interrupted only by a large and long peninsula which projects from the eastern shore near its southern end, and virtually divides the expanse of the water into two portions, connected by a long, narrow and somewhat devious passage. Its surface is from north to south as nearly as possible 40 geographical or 46 English miles long. Its greatest width is about 9 geographical or 10 1/2 English miles. Its area is about 250 geographical square miles. At its northern end the lake receives the stream of the Jordan; on its eastern side the Zurka Main (the ancient Callirrhoe, and possibly the more ancient en-Eglaim), the Mojib (the Arnon of the Bible), and the Beni-Hemad ; on the south the Kurahy or el-Ahsy ; and on the west that of Ain Jidy . The depression of its surface, and the depth which it attains below that surface, combined with the absence of any outlet, render it one of the most remarkable spots on the globe. The surface of the lake in May, 1848, was 1316.7 feet below the level of the Mediterranean at Jaffa. Its depth, at about one third of its length from the north end, is 1308 feet. The water of the lake is not less remarkable than its other features. Its most obvious peculiarity is its great weight. Its specific gravity has been found to be as much as 12.28; that is to say, a gallon of it would weigh over 12 1/4 lbs., instead of 10 lbs., the weight of distilled water. Water so heavy must not only be extremely buoyant, but must possess great inertia. Its buoyancy is a common theme of remark by the travellers who have been upon it or in it. Dr. Robinson "could never swim before, either in fresh or salt water," yet here he "could sit, stand, lie or swim without difficulty." (B.R.i.506.) The remarkable weight of the water is due to the very large quantity of mineral salts which it holds in solution. Each gallon of the water, weighing 12 1/4 lbs., contains nearly 3 1/3 lbs. of matter in solution --an immense quantity when we recollect that seawater, weighing 10 1/4 lbs. per gallon, contains less than 1/2 a lb. Of this 3 1/2 lbs. nearly 1 lb. is common salt (chloride of sodium), about 2 lbs. chloride of magnesium, and less than 3 a lb. chloride of calcium (or muriate of lime). The most usual ingredient is bromide of magnesium, which exists in truly extraordinary quantity. It has been long supposed that no life whatever existed in the lake; but recent facts show that some inferior organizations do find a home even in these salt and acrid waters. The statements of ancient travellers and geographers to the effect that no living creature could exist on the shores of the lake, or bird fly across its surface, are amply disproved by later travellers. The springs on the margin of the lake harbor snipe, partridges, ducks, nightingales and other birds as well as frogs; and hawks, doves and hares are found along the shore. The appearance of the lake does not fulfill the idea conveyed by its popular name. "The Dead Sea," says a recent traveller, "did not strike me with that sense of desolation and dreariness which I suppose it ought. I thought it a pretty, smiling lake --a nice ripple on its surface." The truth lies, as usual, somewhere between these two extremes. On the one hand, the lake certainly is not a gloomy, deadly, smoking gulf. In this respect it does not at all fulfill the promise of its name. At sunrise and sunset the scene must be astonishingly beautiful. But on the other hand, there is something in the prevalent sterility and the dry, burnt look of the shores, the overpowering heat, the occasional smell of sulphur, the dreary salt marsh at the southern end, and the fringe of dead driftwood round the margin, which must go far to excuse the title which so many ages have attached to the lake, and which we may be sure it will never lose. The connection between this singular lake and the biblical history is very slight. In the topographical records of the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua it forms one among the landmarks of the boundaries of the whole country, as well as of the inferior divisions of Judah and Benjamin. As a landmark it is once named in what to be a quotation from a lost work of the prophet Jonah, (2 Kings 14:25) itself apparently a reminiscence of the old Mosaic statement. (Numbers 34:8,12) Besides this the name occurs once twice in the imagery of the prophets the New Testament there is not even an allusion to it. There is however, one passage in which the "Salt Sea" is mentioned in a manner different from any of those already quoted viz. as having been in the time of Abraham the vale of Siddim. (Genesis 14:3) In consequence of this passage it has been believed that the present lake covered a district which in historic times had been permanently habitable dry land. But it must not he overlooked that the passage in question is the only one in the whole Bible to countenance the notion that the cities of the plain were submerged; a notion which does not date earlier than the Christian era. [SODOM; ZOAR] The belief which prompted the idea of some modern writers that the Dead Sea was formed by the catastrophe which overthrew the "cities of the plain" is a mere assumption. It is not only unsupported by Scripture, but is directly in the teeth of the evidence of the ground itself of the situation of those cities, we only know that, being in the "plain of the Jordan, they must have been to the north of the lake. Of the catastrophe which destroyed them we only know that it is described as a shower of ignited sulphur descending from the skies. Its date is uncertain, but we shall be safe in placing it within the Limit of 2000 years before Christ. (It is supposed that only the southern bay of the Dead Sea was formed by the submergence of the cities of the plain, and is still probable. If Hugh Miller's theory of the flood in correct --and it is the most reasonable theory yet propounded --then the Dead Sea was formed by the depression of that part of the valley through which the Jordan once flowed to the Red Sea. But this great depression caused all the waters of the Jordan to remain without outlet, and the size of the Dead Sea must be such that the evaporation from its surface just balances the amount of water which flows in through the river. This accounts in part for the amount of matter held in solution by the Dead Sea waters; for the evaporation is of pure water only, while the inflow contains more or less of salts and other matter in solution. This theory also renders it probable that the lake was at first considerably larger than at present, for in earlier times the Jordan had probably a larger flow of water. --ED.) The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah may have been by volcanic action, but it may be safely asserted that no traces of it have yet been discovered, and that, whatever it was, it can have had no connection with that far vaster and far more ancient event which opened the great valley of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and at some subsequent time cut it off from communication with the Red Sea by forcing up between them the tract of the Wady Arabah .

Greek
3882. paralios -- by the sea, the sea coast
... sea coast. From para and hals; beside the salt (sea), ie Maritime -- sea coast.
see GREEK para. see GREEK hals. (paraliou) -- 1 Occurrence. 3881, 3882. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3882.htm - 6k

251. hals -- salt.
... Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: hals Phonetic Spelling: (halce)
Short Definition: salt Definition: salt. Cognate: 251 -- the sea; a -water body ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/251.htm - 6k

231. halieus -- a fisherman
... Origin from hals (the sea) Definition a fisherman NASB Word Usage fishermen (3),
fishers (2). fisherman. From hals; a sailor (as engaged on the salt water), ie ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/231.htm - 6k

Library

The Sea of Sodom
... This the Jewish writers every where call, which you may not so properly interpret
here, "the salt sea," as "the bituminous sea." In which sense word for word ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 5 the sea of.htm

Apostolic Exhortation
... Did not it always live in the salt sea? Why then is it not salt? ... Do you understand
that? No, you cannot. But there it is, a fresh fish in a salt sea! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 14 1868/apostolic exhortation.htm

Mattidia is Baptized in the Sea.
... without attracting observation." Accordingly, when we had come to the sea-shore,
he ... and breaking the bread for the Eucharist, [1191] and putting salt upon it ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter i mattidia is baptized in.htm

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... rose up in a heap, a great way off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarathan, and
those that went down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

Fragment ix. Of Abraham and Lot. ...
... of ??lam. And they met by the Salt Sea, which is now called the Dead Sea.
In it I have seen very many wonderful things. For that ...
/.../africanus/the writings of julius africanus/fragment ix of abraham and.htm

Chapter xiv
... It cannot be denied that parenthetical explanations abound throughout the chapter:
eg, v.2, "the same is Zoar"; v.3, "the same is the Salt Sea"; v.7, "the same ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xiv.htm

Chapter xix
... Rather too drastic a use of the imagination is made when the destructive agent is
labelled "lava" (Jamieson), or "huge waves of the Salt Sea" (Procksch). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xix.htm

I Bind unto Myself Today
... The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,. The stable earth, the deep salt sea,.
Around the old eternal rocks. I bind unto myself today. ...
/.../processionals 525 i bind unto.htm

A New Years Sermon to the Young
... There are in all probability long years stretching before you, instead of a narrow
strip of barren sand, before you come to the great salt sea that is going to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/a new years sermon to.htm

'The Waters Saw Thee; they were Afraid'
... rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those
that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea failed, and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the waters saw thee they.htm

Resources
The: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

The

The After Life

The Age of Accountability

The Age of Earth

The Alabaster Box

the Amorites Amorite

The Angel of Death

The Angel of Light

The Anointing

The Antichrist

The Apocalypse

The Apostasy

The Appearance of Evil

The Archite

The Ark of Covenant

The Arkite

The Armor of God

The Ashurites

The Babylonish Captivity

The Bachrites

The Baharumite

the Baptize John

The Barhumite

The Battle is the Lords

The Beatitudes

The Beginning

The Belaites

The Beriites

The Bermuda Triangle

The Berothite

The Bible

The Big Bang Theory

The Birth of Christ

The Blood Covenant

The Blood of Jesus

The Body

The Body of Christ

The Body of the Church

The Book Of

the Book Of Daniel

the Book Of Enoch

the Book Of Esther

the Book Of Jeremiah

the Book Of Judith

the Book Of Micah

the Book Of Nehemiah

the Book Of Numbers

the Book Of Proverb

the Book Of Psalms

The Book of the Secrets Of

the Book Of Zechariah

The Bride of Christ

the Brook Besor

the Brook Cherith

the Brook of The Willows

The Canaanite

The Canaanites

The Canon of Scripture

The Chemarim

The Christian Family

The Christmas Tree

The Church

The City Underwater

the Cliff Of Ziz

The College

The Color Blue

The Color Purple

The Color Yellow

The Conscience

The Consequences of Sin

The Cost of Discipleship

The Cost to Follow Jesus

The Cross

The Daniel Fast

The Danites

the Day Of Atonement

The Day of Judgement

The Day of Pentecost

The Earth Orbiting the Sun

The Elonites

The End of Days

The Enemy

The Enslavement

The Environment

The Epicureans

the Epistle Of James

the Epistle of Paul To Philemon

the Epistle To The Colossians

the Epistle To The Ephesians

the Epistle To The Galatians

The Eranites

The Eshkalonites

The Eshtaulites

The Ethiopian Eunuch

The Exodus

The Eznite

The Ezrahite

The Fall

The Family

the Feast Of Tabernacles

the First Epistle General Of John

The First Resurrection

The Five Senses

The Fivefold Ministry

The Flesh

The Four Seasons

The Fruit of the Spirit

The Fullers Field

The Future

The Gadites

the Garden Of Uzza

The Garmite

The Gazathites

The Gazites

The Gederathite

The Gederite

the General Epistle Of James

The Gershonites

The Gibeonites

The Giblites

The Gileadites

The Gilonite

The Girgasite

The Gizonites

The Government

The Great Commission

the Great Synagogue

The Great Tribulation

The Greek Language

The Gunites

The Hagerite

The Haggites

The Hamathite

The Hamulites

The Harodite

The Hebrew Monarchy

The Hebronites

The Hepherites

The Hermonites

the Hill Gareb

the Hill Hachilah

The Holocaust

The Holy Land

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Trinity

The Homeless

the House Of Millo

The Huphamites

The Ice Age

the Jews of The Dispersion

The Jimnites

The Kenite

The Kingdom or Church of Christ

the Land Of Benjamin

the Land Of Canaan

the Land Of Shalim

the Land Of Shalisha

the Land Of Shual

The Last Supper

The Law of Moses

The Lord

the Lord Of Sabaoth

the Lords Brother Judas

The Lords Day

The Machirites

The Mahavite

the Man of God Moses

The Manassites

The Maonites

The Mecherathite

The Median

The Meholathite

The Mehunims

The Meronothithe

The Mesobaite

The Millennium

The Mishraites

The Mithnite

The Moabite Stone

The Moon

The Morasthite

The Naamites

The Nehelamite

The New Jerusalem

The Number 10

The Number 12

The Number 30

The Number 5

The Number 7

The Number One

The Occult

The Ocean

The Pelonite

The Pentateuch

The Perizzite

The Pharzites

The Phoenix

The Plague

the Plain Of Tabor

The Planets

the Pool Of Siloah

The Potters Field

The Power of Prayer

The Praltite

The Priesthood

The Prodigal Son

The Prophet Isaiah

The Puhites

The Punites

The Quicksands

The Ramathite

The Rapture

The Red Heifer

The Resurrection

The Revelation

the Rock Etam

the Rock Oreb

The Rosary

The Rose of Sharon

the Salt Sea

The Sardites

the Sea Of Tiberias

the Second and Third Epistles Of John

the Second Book Of Esdras

The Shaalbonite

The Shearinghouse

The Shechemites

The Sheepgate

The Sheepmarket

The Shelanites

The Shemidaites

The Shillemites

The Shilonite

The Shilonites

The Shimites

The Shimronites

The Shuhamites

The Shulamite

The Shumathites

The Shunammite

The Shunites

The Shuphamites

The Shuthalhites

The Syrtis

The Tabernacle

The Tachmonite

The Tahanites

The Tarpelites

The Tekoite

The Temptation

the Ten Plagues

the Three Taverns

The Thresholds

The Timnite

The Tirathites

The Tishbite

The Tizite

The Tolaites

The Transfiguration

the Tribe Of Benjamin

the Tribe Of Gad

The Twelve Apostles

the Two Thieves

The Uzzielites

the Valley Eshcol

the Valley Of Charashim

the Valley Of Elah

the Valley Of Rephaim

the Valley Of Zared

The Vulgate

the Waters Of Shiloah

the Wife Of Pharaoh

The Wisdom of Solomon

the Wood Of Ephraim

The World Ending

The Worship

The Year 2012

The Year of Jubilee

The Zareathites

The Zarhites

The Zebulunites

The Zemarite

The Ziphim

The Zodiac

The Zorathites

The Zorites

The Zuzim

Thay
Top of Page
Top of Page