Job 39:6 — Word Study
WLCאֲשֶׁר־ שַׂ֣מְתִּי עֲרָבָ֣ה בֵית֑וֹ וּֽמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָ֥יו מְלֵֽחָה׃
BSAI madesûwm■ the wildernessʻărâbâh [barren land, desert] his homebayith [dwelling place, house] and the salt flatsmᵉlêchâh [salt land, barren area] his dwellingmishkân [place to live, tabernacle]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֲשֶׁר־ | which | Particle |
| שַׂ֣מְתִּי | I appointed | Verb, Qal, perfect first person common singular |
| עֲרָבָ֣ה | [the] desert plain | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| בֵית֑וֹ | home its | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וּֽמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָ֥יו | and dwelling-places its | Conjunction, noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| מְלֵֽחָה׃ | [the] saltiness | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling. |
| KJV | Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. |
| ASV | Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the salt land his dwelling-place? |
| YLT | Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land, |
| WEB | whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place? |
| BBE | To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place. |
Where they part company is in the choice of verbs — see How Translations Differ.
One main verb with two noun phrases as objects. The structure highlights God's action in appointing specific places.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשׂים
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 39:6
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Sovereignty in Creationgenerated
Job 39:6 is part of a larger discourse where God illustrates His power and wisdom in creation, specifically addressing the wild donkey's freedom and habitat. This passage emphasizes God's role in appointing specific places for His creatures, showcasing His sovereignty over nature.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 29:23 | All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger. |
| 2 | Psalm 107:34 | and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 17:6 | He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 47:11 | But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שַׂ֣מְתִּי, Sam.tigenerated
The Hebrew word שׂוּם (*sum*) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set. In this context, it conveys the act of appointing a specific dwelling for the wild donkey, highlighting God's intentional design in creation.
The perfect tense indicates a completed action, suggesting that God has definitively established the wilderness as the donkey's home. This reflects God's authority and care in providing for His creatures.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb is שַׂ֣מְתִּי, I appointed, which governs two noun phrases: עֲרָבָ֣ה (the wilderness) and מְלֵֽחָה (the salt flats). The structure indicates that both locations are designated as homes for the wild donkey.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the action of appointing, followed by the specific locations, which highlights God's creative authority.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates שַׂ֣מְתִּי as ἐθέμην, which means 'I set' or 'I placed.' This choice reflects a similar emphasis on the act of establishing a dwelling for the wild donkey.
The Greek term carries the same connotation of intentionality in creation, aligning with the Hebrew meaning.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 39:6 tells us that God made the wilderness and salt flats the home of the wild donkey. This shows how God provides specific places for His creatures to live, emphasizing His care and authority in creation.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God intentionally designed the wilderness as a suitable habitat for the wild donkey, reflecting His sovereignty in creation.
The salt flats represent another harsh environment where the wild donkey can thrive, showcasing God's provision in diverse landscapes.
This verse illustrates God's attention to the needs of His creatures, appointing specific habitats that support their existence.
We learn that God is intentional and sovereign, actively involved in the details of creation and the well-being of all living things.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding God's provision for the wild donkey affect my view of His care for me?
- In what ways can I recognize the specific places God has provided for me in my life?
- How can I appreciate the diversity of God's creation as seen in the different habitats He has appointed?
- What does this verse teach me about the importance of each creature in God's design?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early interpreters like Gregory the Dialogist reflect on this verse, discussing the significance of God's provision in solitude and desolate places.
To whom I have given a house in the solitude, and his tabernacles in the land of saltness. 52. Ought we in this place to understand the solitude of the body, or the solitude of the heart? But what avails the solitude of the body,Early Church Fathers on Job 39 →
[ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WILD ASS AS CHRIST - continued] To Whom I have given a house in the solitude, and His tabernacle in the land of saltness. 68.Early Church Fathers on Job 39 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 39:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWhose house I have made the wilderness,.... Appointed that to be his place of residence, as being agreeable to his nature, at a distance from men, and in the less danger of being brought into subjection by them.
Read John Gill on Job 39 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWhose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. Barren - literally, salt - i:e., unfruitful [ mªleechaah (H4420)]. (So "barrenness," Psalms 107:34, margin, saltness.)
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 39 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWho useth and loveth to dwell in desert lands, ,9. The barren land; called barren, not simply, for then he must be starved there; but comparatively, unmanaged, and therefore in a great measure unfruitful land.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 39 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 39:6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.Ver. 6. Whose house I have made the wilderness] That of Arabia especially near unto Job, where were whole droves of these wild asses. There are a sort of them also in Plara, one of the islands of the Aegean Sea. Hermits and anchorites seem to affect the same liberty; but where did God ever grant it them? Man is Zωονπολιτικον, saith Aristotle, Nature’ s good fellow, as one Englisheth him; and no sooner had the Philippians received the gospel but they were in fellowship to a day, Philippians 1:5. The communion of saints is as well a point of Christian practice as an article of Christian belief; and they have…
Read John Trapp on Job 39 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 6. Whose house] Habitation, or place of resort. The barren land] מלחה melechah, the salt land, or salt places, as in the margin. See above.
Read AdamClarke on Job 39 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges5–8. The wild ass. Who gave the wild ass his freedom and his indomitable love of liberty—who scorns the noise of cities and laughs at the shouts of the driver, which his tame brother obeys? The point of the questions lies not only in the striking peculiarities of the beautiful creature itself, but in the strange contrast between it and the tame ass, which in external appearance it resembles.
Read Cambridge on Job 39 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWhose house I have made - God had appointed its home in the desert. And the barren land his dwellings - Margin, as in Hebrew “salt places.” Such places were usually barren.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 39 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible6. Barren land — Literally, salt waste. The deserts in the East are frequently incrusted with salt.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 39 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling.
whose home I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place?
I made the wilderness his home and the salt flats his dwelling.
to whom I appointed the steppe for its home, the salt wastes as its dwelling place?
Tyndale line
Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the salt land his dwelling-place?
Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the salt land his dwelling place.
Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
They bow them selues: they bruise their yong and cast out their sorowes.
Strictly literal
Whose house I made the wilderness, and the salt plain his dwellings?
Whose house I have made the wilderness, And his dwellings the barren land,
Whose house I have made the wilderness, || And his dwellings the barren land,
To whom I assigned the wilderness as his house, and the salty land as his dwellings.
whose home I have made in the Arabah, his house in the salt land?
From the Latin
To whom I have given a house in the wilderness, and his dwellings in the barren land.
Simplified
I have given it the wilderness as its home, the salt plains as a place to live.
To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree, with five of the six words matching. The differences in word order and articles in the Septuagint do not alter the essential meaning of the verse.
אֲשֶׁר־ שַׂ֣מְתִּי עֲרָבָ֣ה בֵית֑וֹ וּֽמִשְׁכְּנוֹתָ֥יו מְלֵֽחָה׃
5 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 39:6
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word אֲשֶׁר (*asher*) is a relative pronoun that can mean 'who,' 'which,' or 'that.' It serves various grammatical functions, including as an adverb or conjunction, indicating relationships between clauses, places, or conditions. Variants like בַאֲשֶׁר (*ba-asher*), מֵאֲשֶׁר (*me-asher*), and כַּאֲשֶׁר (*ka-asher*) expand its usage to specific contexts such as location, causation, and time.
אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.
base
בַאֲשֶׁר
in (that) which
adv. in (the place) where
conj. in that, inasmuch as
on account of whom?
base
מֵאֲשֶׁר
from (or than) that which
adv. from (the place) where
conj. from (the fact) that …, since
base
כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when
according to that which, according as, as
with a causal force, in so far as, since
with a temporal force, when
base
H834a אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause. H834b בַאֲשֶׁר . in (that) which
. adv. in (the place) where
. conj. in that, inasmuch as
. on account of whom?
H834c מֵאֲשֶׁר . from (or than) that which
. adv. from (the place) where
. conj. from (the fact) that …, since
H834d כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when . according to that which, according as, as
. with a causal force, in so far as, since
. with a temporal force, when
834 'aher ash-er'
a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction)
when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X
alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, +
from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which,
wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where
(+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, +
whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is
indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun
expletively, used to show the connection.
אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) — which.
A: 1) (relative part.)
1a) which, who
1b) that which
2) (conj)
2a) that (in obj clause)
2b) when
2c) since
2d) as
2e) conditional if
B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which
2) (adv)
2a) where
3) (conj)
3a) in that, inasmuch as
3b) on account of
C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which
2) from (the place) where
3) from (the fact) that, since
D: Kaph+
1) (conj.), according as, as, when
1a) according to that which, according as, as
1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since
1c) with a temporal force: when
בַאֲשֶׁר (ba.a.sher) — in which.
1) in (that) which
2) (adv)
2a) where
3) (conj)
3a) in that, inasmuch as
3b) on account of
מֵאֲשֶׁר (me.a.sher) — whence.
1) from (or than) that which
2) from (the place) where
3) from (the fact) that, since
כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka.a.sher) — as which.
conj
1) according as, as, when
1a) according to that which, according as, as
HTr — ParticleHTr
The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, establishing, and making. It can also refer to laying something upon or directing it. There is a related noun שׂוּמָה (sumah), which may denote a token of unluckiness. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.
שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set
Qal
put, set, in a place
put something upon
put, lay, set
put, c. בֵּין
set, direct
set, ordain, in a place
set, establish a law, statute
set, found a nation
set, appoint (as ruler, official)
set, constitute, make
set, determine, fix, bounds
set, station, at a post
put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
set up altars
= plant, wheat
set, fix (countenance)
make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
make, constitute
work, bring to pass
appoint, give
set, fix (countenance)
Hiph. I will make him for a sign
Hoph. there was set before him
base
שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl;—2 S 13:32
ref
H7760a שׂוּם, שִׂים put, place, set .. . put, set, in a place
. put something upon
. put, lay, set
. put, c. בֵּין
. set, direct
. . set, ordain, in a place
. set, establish a law, statute
. set, found a nation
. set, appoint (as ruler, official)
. set, constitute, make
. set, determine, fix, bounds
. . set, station, at a post
. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
. set up altars
. = plant, wheat
. set, fix (countenance)
. . make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
. make, constitute
. work, bring to pass
. appoint, give
. set, fix (countenance)
. I will make him for a sign
. there was set before him
H7760b שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl
7760 suwm soom
or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great
variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially,
and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a
name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider,
convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap
up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out),
mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve,
purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set
(on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down,
((over-))turn, X wholly, work.
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: make.
: make/establish
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix
1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give
1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign
1c) (Hophal) to be set
שׂוּמָה (su.mah) — fate.
token of unluckiness, scowl
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: put.
: put/give
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singularHVqp1cs
עֲרָבָה (arabah) refers to a desert plain or steppe, often associated with the generally sterile valley of the Jordan and its extension to the Red Sea. It encompasses meanings like wilderness and champaign. The term appears in various contexts, including references to specific locations like the Brook of Arabah and the Plains of Moab.
עֲרָבָה 61 n.f. desert-plain, steppe
base
H6160 עֲרָבָה desert-plain, steppe
6160 `arabah ar-aw-baw'
from 6150 (in the sense of sterility); a desert; especially
(with the article prefix) the (generally) sterile valley of
the Jordan and its continuation to the Red Sea:--Arabah,
champaign, desert, evening, heaven, plain, wilderness. See
also 1026.
see HEBREW for 06150
see HEBREW for 01026
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — Arabah.
§ desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — (Brook of) the Arabah.
Combined with na.chal (נַ֫חַל "Brook" H5158K)
§ desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — Plains (of Moab).
Combined with mo.av (מוֹאָב " of Moab" H4124I)
§ desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — (Beth)-arabah.
desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness
Another spelling of bet ha.a.ra.vah (בֵּית הָֽעֲרָבָה "Beth-arabah" H1026)
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — (Sea of) the Arabah.
Another name of me.lach (מֶ֫לַח "Salt( Sea)" H4417G)
עֲרָבָה (a.ra.vah) — plain.
§ desert plain, steppe, desert, wilderness
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
plan
(1) kikkar, "circle" "talent," or "round loaf";
(2) mishor, from yashar, "to be level"; compare Arabic maisur, "that which is easy";
(3) biqah; compare Arabic baq`at, "a plot of ground" or "a wet meadow";
(4) `arabhah;
(5) shephelah;
(6) topos pedinos (Lu 6:17);
(7) 'elon; compare elah, and 'allon "oak" (Ge 35:4,8, etc.); also 'elah, "Elah" (1Sa 17:2);
Plain
(1.) Heb. ‘abel (Judg. 11:33), a “grassy plain” or “meadow.” Instead of “plains of the vineyards,” as in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has “Abel-cheramim” (q.v.), comp. Judg. 11:22; 2 Chr. 16:4.
(2.) Heb. ‘elon (Gen. 12:6; 13:18; 14:13; 18:1; Deut. 11:30; Judg. 9:6), more correctly “oak,” as in the Revised Version; margin, “terebinth.”
See CANAAN, and OAK.
The Hebrew word בַּיִת (*bayith*) means 'house' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including dwelling, family, and place. It can refer to physical structures, such as homes and temples, as well as metaphorical uses like the body or household affairs. The word is built from the root related to 'between' and appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between
base
בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house
house
place
receptacle
of house as containing a family
household, family (592 t.)
house, including household affairs
lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards
מִבַּיִת
adv. on the inside
prep. within
base
H1004a בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between H1004b בַּ֫יִת house
1004 bayith bah'-yith
probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest
variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court,
daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as
would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold),
inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet,
temple, web, + within(-out).
see HEBREW for 01129
בֵּית (bet) — place.
nm
place, origin, between
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — house: home.
: home/temple/building
nm
1) house
1a) house, dwelling habitation
1b) shelter or abode of animals
1c) human bodies (fig.)
1d) of Sheol
1e) of abode of light and darkness
1f) of land of Ephraim
2) place
3) receptacle
4) home, house as containing a family
5) household, family
5a) those belonging to the same household
5b) family of descendants, descendants as organized body
6) household affairs
7) inwards (metaph.)
8) (TWOT) temple
adv
9) on the inside
prep
10) within
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(ashbea).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with ash.be.a (אַשְׁבֵּעַ "Ashbea" H0791)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth (Haggan).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with hag (גַּן "Haggan" H1588)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(togarmah).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3ms
מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan) means 'dwelling-place' or 'tabernacle.' It is derived from a root meaning to dwell and can refer to various types of residences, including the Tabernacle in the Old Testament. The term encompasses both literal and figurative meanings, such as a grave or the Temple.
מִשְׁכָּן 139 n.m. dwelling-place, ‘tabernacle’
base
H4908 מִשְׁכָּן dwelling-place, ‘tabernacle’
4908 mishkan mish-kawn'
from 7931; a residence (including a shepherd's hut, the lair
of animals, figuratively, the grave; also the Temple);
specifically, the Tabernacle (properly, its wooden
walls):--dwelleth, dwelling (place), habitation, tabernacle,
tent.
see HEBREW for 07931
מִשְׁכָּן (mish.kan) — tabernacle.
1) dwelling place, tabernacle
1a) dwelling-place
1b) dwellings
Aramaic equivalent: mish.kan (מִשְׁכַּן "habitation" H4907)
Conj | N-mp | Suff — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms
מְלֵחָה (mlechah) refers to saltness or barrenness, indicating land that is salty or unproductive. It is derived from the root word meaning 'salt' and is associated with desolate areas. The term highlights the inhospitable nature of certain terrains, particularly in the context of the Old Testament.
מְלֵחָה n.f. saltness, barrenness
base
H4420 מְלֵחָה
4420 mlechah mel-ay-khaw'
from 4414 (in its denominative sense); properly, salted (i.e.
land (776 being understood)), i.e. a desert:--barren
land(-ness), salt (land).
see HEBREW for 04414
see HEBREW for 0776
מְלֵחָה (me.le.chah) — saltiness.
saltness, barrenness, saltiness
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa