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מַלּוּחַ

𐤌𐤋𐤅𐤇

mallûwach

H4408 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מלח to salt, to make salty, to season

Definition

A type of saline or salt-tolerant plant, most likely referring to halophytic vegetation such as saltwort or sea-purslane, found in arid or salty soils. Used in the context of famine or extreme poverty as a food option. The term is not a generic word for 'mallow' as in later botanical usage, but specifically denotes a plant adapted to salty environments, consumed in dire circumstances.

Semantic Range

a salt-tolerant plant, specifically saltwort or sea-purslane; vegetation growing in saline or arid soils; a plant foraged and eaten in times of hunger or deprivation

Root / Etymology

From the root מָלַח (mlḥ), meaning 'to be or make salty.' מַלּוּחַ is a noun derived by affixation indicating an association with salt or salinity. The formation signifies something characterized by or belonging to saltiness, and in application refers to a plant distinguished by its ability to grow in saline conditions.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In its single biblical occurrence (Job 30:4), מַלּוּחַ describes a foraged plant eaten by impoverished outcasts, underscoring the desperation of their circumstances. The plant is almost certainly not the common mallow (Malva species) but is more accurately identified with a salt-tolerant species, such as Atriplex halimus (saltbush) or similar halophytes native to the Near East's arid regions. The translation 'mallows' follows the Septuagint and the Vulgate but lacks botanical accuracy. Later Jewish tradition and medieval commentary also associate the plant with bitter and salt-loving flora, reinforcing its marginal and survivalist connotations. The semantic range is shaped more by ecological and contextual associations than by precise botanical identification.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

lemma מַלוּחַ missing dagesh, corrected to מַלּוּחַ; from מָלַח; sea-purslain (from its saltness); mallows.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מלח (m-l-ḥ) — to salt, to make salty, to season

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4414 מָלַח you were salted
H4415 מְלַח we have eaten salt
H4416 מְלַח salt
H4417 מֶלַח in the salt
H4418 מָלָח worn-out rags

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4408-01 מַלּ֣וּחַ malucha HNcmsa mallow saltwort 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4408-01 Job 30:4 מַלּ֣וּחַ malucha HNcmsa mallow saltwort
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