A Salty History
Posted: July 2, 2018
Salt makes money for Mr. and Mrs. McMahon. But did you know that salt once was money? Romans paid soldiers in salt. That’s where we get the word “salary.” In ancient Greece, slaves were bought with salt. People said a lazy slave was “not worth his salt”—a phrase still used today.
Would you be happy if your employer handed you a box of salt instead of crisp dollar bills? Peoples of the past didn’t mind a bit! In fact, they forged trade routes across the world just to get to salt. Marco Polo brought salt coins home from Asia. Africans used slabs of rock salt as coins too—though at 10 inches long, they certainly wouldn’t fit in your wallet.
Salt adds flavor. A famous chef once said that salt makes food taste more like itself. And every person and animal in the world needs salt to survive. Salt keeps the fluids of our bodies in balance. Salt’s minerals have healing properties too. An ancient Chinese book listed more than 40 uses of salt as a medicine. People also use salt to preserve food. That takes a lot of salt!
Salt is plentiful on Earth. But not every place has the same amount. Long ago, only a few people could produce it. Wars were even fought over salt. Union soldiers captured Confederate salt works during the U.S. Civil War. At one point during the war, a bag of salt cost $125 in Georgia!
Worth Your Salt
Salt is vital to life. And you’ll find references to salt sprinkled through the whole Bible. Lot’s wife disobeyed God. She was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Salt was used in Old Testament worship. Read Exodus 30:35, Leviticus 2:13, and Ezekiel 43:24. Salt cannot be destroyed. It keeps its flavor. God used salt to show that He would keep his promise (Numbers 18:19). Salt can also make things pure. Elisha used salt to “heal” the water of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22).
Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:13 that his disciples are “the salt of the earth.” That means they should help and do good.
Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other. ― Mark 9:50
