Dead Sea

The Dead Sea in the Bible

The name "Dead Sea" does not appear in the Bible, which refers to the lake by other names.

• Salt Sea: Genesis 14:3 identifies the vale of Siddim, where five kings fought, with the Salt Sea: "the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea." In Numbers 34:3, 12 and Joshua 15:2, 5, it appears as a boundary of the land of Canaan and of the territory of the tribe of Judah.
• Sea of the Arabah (KJV "sea of the plain"): This name appears in Deuteronomy 3:17 and Joshua 3:16. The Arabah is the valley that extends southward from the Jordan Valley. Joshua 3:16 records that when Israel crossed the Jordan River, "those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off."
• Eastern Sea: This name reflects the lake's location east of Jerusalem. It appears in Ezekiel 47:18, Joel 2:20, and Zechariah 14:8. The Mediterranean, its counterpart, is called the "Western Sea."

Geography and Background

The Dead Sea is a lake into which the Jordan River flows but from which no water flows out. As the water evaporates, salt and minerals accumulate, making it far saltier than seawater. Its surface lies more than 400 meters (about 1,300 feet) below sea level, and it is known as the lowest place on the earth's surface; in recent years its water level has been steadily falling. Because fish cannot live in it, it came to be called the "Dead Sea."

Jericho lies to the north, and the eastern shore was the land of Moab. En Gedi, on the western shore, is where David hid from Saul (1 Samuel 24:1). Beginning in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves near Qumran, to the northwest.

Significance Across Scripture

The passage that gives the Dead Sea its clearest theological treatment is Ezekiel 47:1–12. Water issuing from beneath the threshold of the temple becomes a river and flows eastward; when it reaches the sea, the waters "shall be healed," living creatures flourish, and fishermen spread their nets from En Gedi to En Eglaim. The miry places and marshes, however, remain salt land: "they shall be given to salt" (Ezekiel 47:11). Zechariah 14:8 likewise prophesies that living waters will flow out from Jerusalem toward the eastern sea and the western sea.

The New Testament does not mention the Dead Sea directly. Many interpreters, however, read this vision of the "water of life" as connected to the "rivers of living water" in John 7:38 and the river of the water of life in Revelation 22:1–2.

Interpretations and Points of Debate

• The fulfillment of Ezekiel 47: Dispensationalist interpreters generally hold that during the Millennium a temple will literally be built and the Dead Sea will be turned into fresh water. In the Reformed and covenant theology traditions, the passage is often read as a symbol of the life and new creation brought about through the gospel and the Holy Spirit.
• The location of Sodom and Gomorrah: It is often said that Sodom lies submerged beneath the southern part of the Dead Sea. Genesis 19, however, records only that the cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone; it does not say that a sea was formed. Interpreters are also divided over the phrase "which is the salt sea" in Genesis 14:3: some take it to mean that the valley was later submerged, while others regard it simply as an explanatory note identifying the area. Some scholars place Sodom south of the Dead Sea, while others place it to the north.
• Lot's wife: Salt formations around the Dead Sea are sometimes pointed out as "Lot's wife," but this is a later tradition, not a site identified in the Bible.

In the Korean Church

Sermons frequently use an illustration contrasting the Dead Sea, which only receives water and never lets it go and is therefore lifeless, with the Sea of Galilee, which passes on the water it receives. The illustration is used to encourage generosity and service, but it is not drawn from the biblical text. Holy Land pilgrimage tours to Israel commonly include floating in the Dead Sea.