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תֵּל מֶלַח

𐤕𐤋 𐤌𐤋𐤇

Tel Melach

H8528 noun

SILEX Entry

Root תל, מלח to heap up, mound; to be salty, salt

Definition

A toponym designating a specific settlement or locality named 'Tel Melach,' identifiable as 'Mound of Salt.' The phrase combines two Hebrew nouns, referring to a site characterized by a prominent mound associated with salt, likely due to geological or environmental features such as saline soil or salt deposits. In biblical usage, it names a location in the region of Babylonia from which returnees to the land of Israel originated following the exile.

Semantic Range

mound of salt, mound at a salt site, site characterized by a salt mound, toponym for a settlement in Babylonia

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Hebrew nouns תֵּל (tel, 'mound' or 'ruined mound') and מֶלַח (melach, 'salt'), indicating a mound associated with salt. The sense is descriptive and not patronymic or personal. Root of תֵּל is תּ־ל (תלל), meaning 'to heap up, mound,' and root of מֶלַח is מ־ל־ח (מלח), 'to be salty or salt.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

'Tel Melach' appears in Ezra 2:59 and Nehemiah 7:61 as one of several locations in Babylonia from which some returning Israelites originated following the Babylonian exile. The term reflects both a descriptive geographic feature and a proper name; such double-noun toponymic constructions are typical in the Hebrew Bible and in ancient Near Eastern place names more broadly. While often translated as 'Tel-melah,' modern translations sometimes retain the Hebrew transliteration. The exact location remains uncertain, but the name implies a site marked by saline conditions, possibly a ruined site used for salt production or near a salt marsh. English translations calling it 'mound of salt' make the meaning clear but lose the specificity of the place name. In the biblical period, such names would have signaled recognizable features to the audience, even if their precise location is now lost.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from תֵּל and מֶלַח; mound of salt; Tel-Melach, a place in Babylonia; Tel-melah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4408 מַלּוּחַ saltwort
H4414 מָלַח you were salted
H4415 מְלַח we have eaten salt
H4416 מְלַח salt
H4417 מֶלַח in the salt

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8528-02 מִ/תֵּ֥ל mitel HR/Np from Tel from Mound-of-Salt 2
H8528-01 מֶ֨לַח֙ melach HNp Melah salt 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8528-02 Ezra 2:59 מִ/תֵּ֥ל mitel HR/Np from Tel from Mound-of-Salt
H8528-01 Ezra 2:59 מֶ֨לַח֙ melach HNp Melah salt
H8528-02 Nehemiah 7:61 מִ/תֵּ֥ל mitel HR/Np from Tel from Mound-of-Salt
H8528-01 Nehemiah 7:61 מֶ֨לַח֙ melach HNp Melah salt
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