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מְלַח

𐤌𐤋𐤇

mᵉlach

H4415 verb

SILEX Entry

Root מלח to salt, preserve, maintain (by provision)

Definition

To eat salt; by extension, to be sustained, maintained, or provided for, especially in the sense of receiving one's allowance, wages, or daily portion (particularly in official or administrative contexts). The phrase indicates subsistence, maintenance of livelihood, or the conferral of provisions, often as part of an official arrangement or employment.

Semantic Range

to eat salt, to be maintained, to be provided for, to receive official sustenance, to subsist, to be in receipt of wages or allowance, (idiomatically) to be in royal service

Root / Etymology

Aramaic verb מְלַח derives from the root מלח (to salt, to eat salt), corresponding to Hebrew מָלַח. The root meaning is to salt, but the Aramaic usage, especially in administrative settings, extends metaphorically to the act of eating salt as a sign of sustenance or service. Thus, the verb in context concerns being maintained or provided for by someone (as in receiving one's sustenance from an institution or authority).

Historical & Contextual Notes

Occurs only in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Ezra 4:14) and is used in the idiomatic phrase 'to eat the salt of the palace,' meaning to be sustained or maintained by the royal treasury, thus indicating an official position or dependence. In ancient Near Eastern contexts, 'eating salt' signified loyalty, obligation, and dependence. The concept of 'maintenance' here is closely linked to official provision or state-supported sustenance, which was a key aspect of royal administration. The English phrase 'have maintenance' only partially conveys the full sense, which includes the notions of loyalty, obligation, and official benefaction embedded in this ancient idiomatic usage. Related Hebrew terms such as לֶחֶם (bread) or מָזוֹן (provision) focus more generally on food, while מְלַח, especially in Aramaic, carries administrative and institutional connotations.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to מָלַח; to eat salt, i.e. (generally) subsist; [phrase] have maintenance.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מלח (m-l-ḥ) — to salt, to preserve, to maintain by provision

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4408 מַלּוּחַ saltwort
H4414 מָלַח you were salted
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
H4415-01 מְלַ֔חְנָא melachena AVqp1cp we-eat we have eaten salt 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4415-01 Ezra 4:14 מְלַ֔חְנָא melachena AVqp1cp we-eat we have eaten salt
← H4414 Hebrew Lexicon H4416 →