The phrase covenant of salt appears twice in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Book of Numbers The book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, ''Arithmoi''; he, בְּמִדְבַּר, ''Bəmīḏbar'', "In the desert f) is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah. The book has a long and c ...

, God's

covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

with the Aaronic priesthood is said to be a covenant of salt. In the

second book of Chronicles The Book of Chronicles ( he, דִּבְרֵי־הַיָּמִים ) is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third sec ...

, God's covenant with the Davidic kings of Israel is also described as a covenant of salt. According to the ''New Oxford Annotated Bible'', "of salt" most likely means that the covenant is "a perpetual covenant, because of the use of salt as a preservative". The commandments regarding grain offerings in the

Book of Leviticus The book of Leviticus (, from grc, Λευιτικόν, ; he, וַיִּקְרָא, , "And He called") is the third book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and of the Old Testament, also known as the Third Book of Moses. Scholars generally agree ...

state "every offering of your grain offering you shall season with

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt."

References

{{reflist Covenants in the Hebrew Bible Book of Leviticus Book of Numbers Books of Chronicles

See also

References