A salt covenant is an ancient Middle Eastern tradition of sealing an agreement or covenant between two parties with salt. In the Bible, salt covenants are mentioned a few times, indicating the cultural significance of this custom in biblical times.
Origins and Meaning of Salt Covenants
The use of salt to ratify covenants and agreements dates back thousands of years in the Middle East. Salt was a precious commodity in ancient times, as it was difficult to obtain and was used as a preservative and seasoning. As such, salt took on symbolic meaning relating to value, loyalty, and commitment.
When two parties made a covenant or pact, they would often share a meal with salt to show their pledge to one another. The salt represented the desire for the relationship to last and remain valuable, like salt keeps food from spoiling. Breaking a covenant seasoned with salt was considered an act of betrayal.
Some scholars believe the tradition began because salt was used to seal agreements; ancient Middle Easterners would ratify a covenant by rubbing salt into a cut made for the occasion. The rubbing of salt into the wound created a permanent scar, physically representing the lasting agreement.
Either way, salt covenants carried profound meaning in biblical times. To enter into a salt covenant was to commit to a relationship of utmost loyalty and good faith.
Examples of Salt Covenants in the Bible
There are a few mentions of salt covenants in the Old Testament that shed light on this ancient custom:
The Salt Covenant between God and the Priesthood
In Leviticus 2:13, God commands that all offerings presented by Israelites should contain salt: “You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.”
Here, salt likely represents the enduring nature of God’s covenant with Israel. By seasoning their offerings with salt, the Israelites acknowledge and honor God’s everlasting covenant with them.
Ezra’s Covenant Meal
When Ezra led a group of exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylon, he offered sacrifices and then declared: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land…Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children…according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law” (Ezra 10:2,3).
The people responded: “As you have said, so must we do” (Ezra 10:12). They then held a covenant meal eaten with salt to seal their pledge to send away their foreign wives.
The Salt Covenant of Friendship
In Numbers 18:19, God refers to His covenant with Aaron and his offspring as a “covenant of salt forever.” This demonstrates how salt covenants were used to seal agreements even between friends. Salt was a sign of friendship and loyalty.
Some scholars believe this explains why Christ called his followers the “salt of the earth” in Matthew 5:13. As salt seasons food, Christ’s followers were to season the world with God’s covenant love.
Abimelech’s Covenant with Abraham
After Abraham confronted Abimelech about taking Abraham’s wife Sarah, Abimelech sealed a oath by giving Abraham sheep, oxen, and slaves and said to him: “Here is a thousand pieces of silver; it is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you. You are completely vindicated.” Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave girls so they could bear children again, for God had afflicted them because of Abraham’s wife Sarah. So Abimelech brought sheep and oxen and gave them to Abraham, and the two men made a covenant” (Genesis 20:14-18).
Though it is not directly stated, they likely ate a covenant meal with salt, a custom of the day for formalizing agreements between parties.
The Violated Covenant between the Men of Gibeon and Israel
In Joshua 9, the men of Gibeon deceived Israel into making a covenant of peace with them, sealed with an oath sworn over a meal. When Israel discovered the deception, they honored the covenant saying, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.” (Joshua 9:19). Even though the Gibeonites were deceitful, Israel kept their salt covenant.
The Significance of Salt Covenants in the Bible
Based on these examples, we see that in the ancient Middle East, salt covenants carried deep meaning and significance. A few implications emerge:
Salt Covenants Demonstrated Loyalty and Commitment
Sharing salt represented the desire for a lasting, loyal relationship. Covenants made with salt were not to be broken lightly. Even when the Gibeonites tricked Israel, Israel honored their oath sworn over a meal with salt.
Salt Covenants Provided Relationship Security
Salt covenants formalized agreements and provided security for both parties in the relationship. For instance, Abimelech and Abraham made a covenant of friendship with salt after their dispute, securing peaceful relations.
God Often Related to His People Via Salt Covenants
On various occasions, God bound Himself to His people through “covenants of salt.” This highlighted God’s loyalty, trustworthiness, and commitment to keeping His promises. The binding oaths could not be easily dissolved.
Salt Covenants Were Permanent and Serious
Due to the preservative quality of salt, these covenants represented a permanent relationship. Also, sharing salt indicated the solemnity of the oath taken. Breaking a salt covenant brought dishonor and disgrace.
Salt Covenants Provided a Basis for Lasting Relationships
By entering a salt covenant, two parties expressed their desire for an enduring, lifetime relationship full of loyalty and good faith. The salt served as a reminder of their solemn oath to one another.
Salt Covenants and God’s Relationship with Believers
While literal salt covenants are not common today, the heart behind them remains relevant. God still relates to His followers through covenants of love, mercy, and grace made possible by Christ’s sacrifice. Believers have security in their promised relationship with God.
Some truths about salt covenants can encourage modern Christians:
God is Completely Committed to His People
Like salt covenants that could not be easily broken, God’s covenant with believers is permanent and secure. He has promised never to leave or forsake His people (Deuteronomy 31:6).
God’s Loyalty and Faithfulness are Unwavering
Salt does not lose its flavor easily. Similarly, God’s steadfast love for His children will never fail or falter. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).
The Gospel Provides the Basis for Reconciliation with God
Through faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, believers can enter a right relationship with God, sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). This covenant of salvation brings peace with God.
Believers Are Called to Season the World with God’s Love
As salt seasons food, Christians are to live out God’s covenant faithfulness in their relationships with others, bringing the flavor of God’s mercy and grace to the world around them.
God Can Bring Good from Broken Covenants
Even when people break faith with God, He remains faithful to His promises (2 Timothy 2:13). Through His redemptive power, He takes what is broken and makes it beautiful.
Salt covenants provide rich symbolism of God’s lasting, loyal love for His people throughout history. As in biblical times, this covenant relationship with the Almighty brings security, joy and purpose. Believers can trust that the God who binds Himself to His children through unbreakable bonds of love will remain forever faithful.