What is the significance of the salt and new bowl used by Elisha in healing the bitter water and barren land?
2 Kings 2:19 - 22
NLT - 19 One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.” 20 Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
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Asked July 06 2018
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Elsie Joseph
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
In my opinion, the employment of a new bowl (rather than one that had been previously used) was indicative of the holy, consecrated use that was to be made of it (that is, it was being used as part of an action (the cleansing of the waters) in which God Himself would be involved). I would say it is a parallel metaphor to passages such as Matthew 9:17 or Mark 2:22, which speak of putting new wine in new wineskins. The use of salt was indicative or symbolic of the purifying of the water, similar to other instances in Scripture where salt was used as a metaphor in connection with purification or preservation (as when Jesus told His followers that they were the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), or to have salt in themselves (Mark 9:50)), based on the use of salt for such purposes as curing or preserving meat.
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