Origins of the Term 'Salt of the Earth' - Babylonian Origins Hard to Embrace in Modern Terms

Submitted by M Tovey (United States), Sep 25, 2022 at 17:20

Not wanting to be cynical in postulating how humanity has not fared well in history after the incident at Babel, on the plaiins of what is now Iraq: and how civilization has lost track of how to interact interracially, since before the languages were confused, the inhumanities of humanity were already inculcated in the tens of thousands of the sons of Shem, Ham and Japheth; tribalism was already a factor and there were the same implications of factiousness already instilled in the regions as they tried their own version of the 'one world order.' The paleo-Hebrew narrative indicates that dispersion was the judgement of the One that was the subject of their defiance; disorientation of their common thoughts indicates the true power of what would define the history of humanity as it tries once again to organize again in common defiance, thousands of years later.
In later terms of what constitutes a source of common understanding, to be called the 'salt of the earth' is latent in its general use; but it also has religious implications as well. In religious terms, the Hebrews were given the instruction to use salt in the sacrifices. Yeshua calls upon the disciples He was tutoring to be as salt in tempering the wisdom He had instructed them when going out to witness to the world His Gospel message. If one loses his 'saltiness' when engaged in discourses of truth, it is considered valueless.
Salt as a commodity was considered valuable, traded amongst the caravans and where is it considered a token of convent value when thrown over the shoulder when consolidating a deal.
There were negative connotations as well when reading of salt being dispersed over the harvest fields of an enemy in order to neutralize the fertility for the next seasons' crops. Many are the narratives of such on salt.
In the more broad terms, salt (taking a grain of it - maybe inductive of its former value, like aluminum) was greater historically, but now taken in moderation (in less than 1500 Mg) for cardiac considerations.
In any event, its meaning has variable considerations; and whether in religious or natural terms, its value must be considered in the source from which it was taken; or in judgement, such as at the south end of the Dead Sea, where Sodom and Gomorrah were inundated and those effects are yet to be fully understood.
Remember Lot's wife.
In further consideration, it's hard to dismiss its indigenous application: three quarters of the earth is covered in saline solution and we cannot seem to get away from those effects either. This is one variation of the tale.

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