מלח

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Aramaic

Verb

מַלַח or מְלַח • (mālaḥ or mlaḥ)

  1. to salt
  2. to steer, to guide, to sail

Noun

מֶלַח or מְלַח • (melaḥ or məlaḥ) m

  1. absolute state of מִלְחָא (milḥā, “salt”)

Hebrew

Etymology 1

מֶלַח
Root
מ־ל־ח (m-l-kh)

From Proto-West Semitic *milḥ-. Compare Aramaic מִלְחָא (milḥā), Classical Syriac ܡܠܚܐ (milḥā), Arabic مِلْح (milḥ), Maltese melħ.

Pronunciation

Noun

מֶלַח • (mélaḥ) m (plural indefinite מְלָחִים)

  1. salt, the common substance used as a condiment
    • Tanach, Leviticus 2:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וְכׇל־קׇרְבַּן מִנְחָתְךָ בַּמֶּלַח תִּמְלָח וְלֹא תַשְׁבִּית מֶלַח בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵעַל מִנְחָתֶךָ עַל כׇּל־קׇרְבָּנְךָ תַּקְרִיב מֶלַח׃
      v-khol qorbán minḥat-khá ba-mélaḥ timláḥ v-lo tashbít mélaḥ brit elohékha me-al minḥatékha 'al kol qorban-khá taqrív mélaḥ
      And every meal-offering of thine shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt.
    • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Middot 5:3:
      לִשְׁכַּת הַמֶּלַח, שָׁם הָיוּ נוֹתְנִים מֶלַח לַקָּרְבָּן
      lishkát ha-mélaḥ, sham hayú notním mélaḥ la-qorbán.
      The Chamber of Salt, there they would put the salt for the offering.
  2. (figurative, biblical) permanence, continuity
    • Tanach, 2 Chronicles 13:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      הֲלֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת כִּי יְהֹוָה  אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נָתַן מַמְלָכָה לְדָוִיד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם לוֹ וּלְבָנָיו בְּרִית מֶלַח׃
      haló lakhém la-dá'at ki Adonái Elohéi Yisraél natán mamlakhá l-Davíd 'al Yisraél l'olám lo ul-vanáv brit mélaḥ
      Ought ye not to know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
Derived terms

Etymology 2

מַלָּחִים
Root
מ־ל־ח (m-l-kh)

From Akkadian 𒈣𒁻 (malāḫum, “shipman, sailor”), from Sumerian 𒈣𒁻 (ma₂-laḫ₄ /⁠malaḫ⁠/, “shipman, sailor”). Cognate with Arabic مَلَّاح (mallāḥ).

Pronunciation

Noun

מַלָּח • (mallā́ḥ) m (plural indefinite מַלָּחִים)

  1. sailor, mariner
    Synonyms: יוֹרֵד יָם (yōrēḏ yām), סַפָּן (sapán), יַמָּאִי (yama'í)
    • Tanach, Ezekiel 27:29, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וְיָרְדוּ מֵאֳנִיּוֹתֵיהֶם כֹּל תֹּפְשֵׂי מָשׁוֹט מַלָּחִים כֹּל חֹבְלֵי הַיָּם אֶל־הָאָרֶץ יַעֲמֹדוּ׃
      v-yardú me-oniyotehém kol tofséi mashót mallaḥím kol ḥovléi ha-yam el ha-áretz ya'amódu.
      And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land.
    • Tanach, Jonah 1:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וַיִּירְאוּ הַמַּלָּחִים וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אֱלֹהָיו וַיָּטִלוּ אֶת־הַכֵּלִים אֲשֶׁר בָּאֳנִיָּה אֶל־הַיָּם לְהָקֵל מֵעֲלֵיהֶם
      Va-yir'ú ha-mallaḥím va-yiz'aqú ish el eloháv va-yaṭílu et ha-kelím ashér ba-oniyá el ha-yam l-haqél me-'aleihém
      And the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them.

References

  • “מלח” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language

Further reading

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