Leviticus 2:13
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The critical instruction here is that all offerings must include salt, specifically called "the salt of the covenant." This means that purity, preservation, and the enduring faithfulness of God's covenant relationship are not optional add-ons but fundamental components of every act of worship, a truth that speaks volumes to our own often-compromised devotion.
You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the specific regulations for grain offerings, following instructions for burnt and peace offerings. It emphasizes the importance of purity and permanence in worship, contrasting the preservative quality of salt with the corrupting nature of leaven, which was forbidden. The verse sets a strict requirement that salt, symbolizing God's enduring covenant and the incorruptible nature of true faithfulness, must be present in all grain offerings and, by extension, all sacrifices.
Why would God command His people to add salt to every single offering? It wasn't just for flavor – this simple ingredient carried profound spiritual meaning.
More Than Just Seasoning
Salt in the ancient world was highly valued. Think of it as a super-preservative – it stopped things from decaying and going bad. In the same way, God wanted His offerings to represent purity and incorruption. It was a way to say that His service shouldn't be touched by sin or decay.
A Symbol of Lasting Faith
When God commanded salt with the offerings, He was pointing to something deeper than just physical preservation. It symbolized the lasting, incorruptible nature of His covenant with His people. Just as salt endures, so should their faithfulness and His promises.
The phrase 'salt of the covenant' appears here, connecting this simple mineral to the very promises of God. What does this deep connection reveal about His faithfulness?
An Indissoluble Bond
Salt was used in ancient Near Eastern cultures to seal agreements. Sharing bread and salt meant a solemn pact. When God called it the "salt of the covenant," He was saying His promises are unbreakable and enduring.
A Perpetual Promise
Ask a follow-up
This "salt of the covenant" pointed forward to the ultimate, everlasting covenant established through Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament sacrifices were temporary, the covenant sealed by Christ's sacrifice is eternal. It's a promise that, once made, cannot be broken or corrupted, just like salt itself.
Understand the original words
melaḥ · Hebrew Noun
A preservative and seasoning agent, symbolizing durability, purity, and faithfulness. In the context of a covenant, it signifies an incorruptible and permanent bond between God and His people.
berīth · Hebrew Noun
A solemn, binding agreement between God and His people, often involving promises and responsibilities; it signifies a relationship of mutual loyalty and commitment.
Jesus directly references this Levitical law, using the imagery of being 'salted with fire' to speak about purification and judgment for those who follow Him, highlighting the enduring and refining aspect of God's refining work in our lives.
This passage calls the priesthood a 'covenant of salt,' directly linking the concept of salt to the perpetual, unbreakable nature of God's covenant promises and His established order for His people.
Colossians 4:6Paul instructs believers to let their speech always be 'gracious, seasoned with salt,' drawing a parallel between the preserving and enhancing quality of salt in food and the need for our words to be pure, wise, and beneficial.
Ezekiel 43:24This prophetic passage shows the continuation of the salt offering into the future temple, reinforcing that the need for purity and covenant faithfulness in worship remains constant throughout God's dealings with humanity.
clarkeLeviticus 2:13: "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."
With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt - Salt was the opposite to leaven, for it preserved from putrefaction and corruption, and signified the purity and persevering fidelity that were necessary in the worship of God. Every thing was seasoned with it, to s…
jfbLeviticus 2:13: "And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."
- every … meat offering shalt thou season with salt—The same reasons which led to the prohibition of leaven, recommended the use of salt—if the one soon putrefies, the other possesses a strongly preservative property, and hence it became an emblem of incorruptio…
The critical instruction here is that all offerings must include salt, specifically called "the salt of the covenant." This means that purity, preservation, and the enduring faithfulness of God's covenant relationship are not optional add-ons but fundamental components of every act of worship, a truth that speaks volumes to our own often-compromised devotion.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the specific regulations for grain offerings, following instructions for burnt and peace offerings. It emphasizes the importance of purity and permanence in worship, contrasting the preservative quality of salt with the corrupting nature of leaven, which was forbidden. The verse sets a strict requirement that salt, symbolizing God's enduring covenant and the incorruptible nature of true faithfulness, must be present in all grain offerings and, by extension, all sacrifices.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing the specific regulations for grain offerings, following instructions for burnt and peace offerings. It emphasizes the importance of purity and permanence in worship, contrasting the preservative quality of salt with the corrupting nature of leaven, which was forbidden. The verse sets a strict requirement that salt, symbolizing God's enduring covenant and the incorruptible nature of true faithfulness, must be present in all grain offerings and, by extension, all sacrifices.
"You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." — The critical instruction here is that all offerings must include salt, specifically called "the salt of the covenant." This means that purity, preservation, and the enduring faithfulness of God's c…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
