מְלֵחָ֖ה

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מְלֵחָ֖ה

   me-le-KHA

   saltiness or salt
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 אֶ֥רֶץ מְלֵחָ֖ה

   E-rets me-le-KHA

   a land of saltiness or salt
3. clause🔊 וְשָׁכַ֤ן חֲרֵרִים֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֶ֥רֶץ מְלֵחָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א תֵשֵֽׁב׃

   ve-sha-KHAN kha-re-RIM ba-mid-BAR E-rets me-le-KHA ve-LO te-SHEV

   and he will dwell in parched places in the wilderness a land of saltiness or salt and not it will be inhabited or it will dwell
4. sentence🔊 וְהָיָה֙ כְּעַרְעָ֣ר בָּֽעֲרָבָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יִרְאֶ֖ה כִּי־יָ֣בוֹא ט֑וֹב וְשָׁכַ֤ן חֲרֵרִים֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֶ֥רֶץ מְלֵחָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א תֵשֵֽׁב׃

   ve-ha-YA ke-ar-AR ba-a-ra-VA ve-LO yir-E KI-ya-VO TOV ve-sha-KHAN kha-re-RIM ba-mid-BAR E-rets me-le-KHA ve-LO te-SHEV

   and he will be like a juniper shrub in the desert plain and not he will see when it comes good and he will dwell in parched places in the wilderness a land of saltiness or salt and not it will be inhabited or it will dwell

Exegesis

The closing nominal clause erets melekhah velo teshev {אֶרֶץ מְלֵחָה וְלֹא תֵשֵׁב | ʼerets məlēḥāh wə-lōʾ tēšēḇ} ‘a land of salt and will not be inhabited’ uses a negated noun clause to emphasize permanent abandonment. The shift from perfect to imperfect and the stacked prepositional phrases highlight inevitability and ongoing barrenness.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 מ־ל־חmem–lamed–chet

“salt”

• 🔊 מֶלַחme·lăchsaltGenesis 19:26