Covenant-of-Salt
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Throughout
this site I may use any of three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, However, the
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Colour coded
details of our beloved TaNaKh:
1. Torah =
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot,
or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of
Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history
of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations
or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God), having been corrected like it once was pre
the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy
4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
Let us first read, Numbers Chapter
18, part of verse 19. (Using the JPS-1917 version). Let us first read
it in “Hebrew”, followed by a “Transliteration” and finally in “English”.
בְּרִית
מֶלַח עוֹלָם
הִוא לִפְנֵי
יְהוָה, לְךָ
וּלְזַרְעֲךָ
אִתָּךְ
“Be’rit
me’lach olam hi lif’nei YaHVaH, le’cha u’le’zar’acha I’tach”.
“It is an everlasting covenant of salt before יְהוָה -
the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee”.
In Numbers 18:19, a “covenant of salt” actually means a ‘permanent’, ‘binding’, and an ‘unchanging promise from אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’.
Why Salt Means This:
Preservation:
Salt stops food from going bad. In the ancient world, it represented something
that ‘lasts’ and ‘does not decay’.
Loyalty: People in the ancient Near East also shared meals with ‘salt’ to seal a ‘friendship’ or a ‘peace deal’. Eating salt together meant the promise was strict and real.
Incorruptibility: Because salt does ‘not change’ or ‘melt away easily’, it stood for a ‘loyalty that could not be broken’.
What It Meant for the Priests:
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim gave the “Holy offerings to Aaron” and “his
family forever”.
The salt covenant meant אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s promise to care for the priests would ‘never fail’ or ‘be canceled’.
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I pray that this study will have an impact upon your life, for it may
reveal something to you that you may never have thought about regarding your
‘life of faith’, and that is “Salt”.
You may wonder, what does salt have to do with anything?,
to be honest you will be amazed how important “salt” is in the Word, and I do
mean in the Tanach.
The phrase “covenant of salt”
appears in two other times in our beloved Tanakh, and it is used in the exact
same manner to show a ‘permanent’, ‘unbreakable promise’.
Below is a verse that covers Salt:
Leviticus 2:13. The Law of the Grain Offering.
The Verse in Hebrew and English:
וְכָל-קָרְבַּן
מִנְחָתְךָ,
בַּמֶּלַח
תִּמְלָח,
וְלֹא
תַשְׁבִּית
מֶלַח
בְּרִית
אֱלֹהֶיךָ,
מֵעַל מִנְחָתֶךָ;
עַל
כָּל-קָרְבָּנְךָ,
תַּקְרִיב
מֶלַח
“And every meal-offering of thine shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt”.
The Meaning:
This commandment required salt
on every grain offering. It served as a constant, visible reminder to the
people during worship that their relationship and covenant with אֱלֹהִים - Elohim was ‘enduring’, ‘pure’, and
‘corruption-free’.
2 Chronicles 13:5. The
The Verse:
“Ought ye not to know that אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה -
the LORD Elohim of
The Meaning:
Just like the priesthood was
given permanently to Aaron’s family in Numbers 18:19, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim used a ‘covenant of salt’ here to show that
the Royal lineage belonged strictly and forever to ‘King David’ and ‘his
descendants’.
Numbers 18:19. Unto thee and to thy seed.
“…it is an everlasting covenant of salt before יְהוָה - the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee”.
The Meaning:
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim establishes that the ‘gifts’, ‘food’, and
‘offerings brought to the Temple’ belong permanently to Aaron and the priestly
family. Because the priests were given no land inheritance of their own, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim used the “covenant of salt” to
guarantee that ‘His personal’, ‘unbreakable promise to feed’, ‘protect’, and
‘provide for them’ would stand through every generation without ever decaying
or being revoked.
Thus consider this:
If Salt was so precious, you will understand, why אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה -
the LORD Elohim, required Salt with the offering, for it
proved Israel’s faith in giving their most precious possession! Thus Salt has a
far greater meaning than we ever could have imagined, for today it is a mere
flavouring measure.
However, in the days of the
blessed Scriptures it was something more than special and every time the word
was used in the days of
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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed
be He, said the following through a number of our prophets...
“The More Torah,
the More Life”,
For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... “Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom =
Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD
of hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat,
as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before
food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
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