SALT HERB

[Heb., mal·luʹach].

This term is mentioned only once in Scripture as a food eaten by those of little account. (Job 30:4) The original-language word is considered to be derived from a root meaning “salt,” and it has also been translated “salt-wort” (AS, AT, Da), “cress” (Fn), “grass” (Dy), and “mallow(s)” (KJ, Le, RS). The rendering “mallows” appears to have resulted from the similarity between the Hebrew word mal·luʹach and the Greek word mo·loʹkhe, which is believed to be related to the English designation “mallow.” However, at Job 30:4 the translators of the Greek Septuagint did not use mo·loʹkhe but haʹli·ma (“salt herbs,” LXX, Bagster), and haʹli·ma, like mal·luʹach, is thought to refer either to the salty taste of the plant or to the region where it grows.

The plant most frequently suggested as corresponding to the mal·luʹach of the Bible is sea purslane or shrubby orache (Atriplex halimus). Ordinarily this bushy shrub grows 1 to 2 m (3 to 6.5 ft) high. The plant has small, thick, sour-tasting leaves, and in the spring, it bears tiny purple flowers. It grows in saline soil.