What is salt?

Genesis 1:10 records, “God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good” (NASB). This verse describes the creation of the ocean and, with it, the vital nutrient called salt. Although not much is made of salt at this point, we know that this was the beginning of a simple substance that would become critical throughout human history. Not only would salt be used to preserve food for centuries before refrigeration, but it would make food palatable, helping people to eat and survive. Perhaps more importantly, salt would become the biggest dietary source of sodium and chloride. These essential minerals, along with other minerals contained in salt, play vital roles in many of the body’s most important functions, including fluid balance, muscle function, and nerve transmission. In essence, salt would become one of the building blocks for life. However, God didn’t design the body to produce or keep its salt—we lose salt constantly through our urine, sweat, and tears. In His design, we must interact with the world He created to obtain the nutrients we need for survival, including salt. Fortunately, as documented in the first chapter of Genesis, God created the oceans and, in the process, made sure that the coming living world would have an abundance of salt.

At the opposite end of the Bible, in the second to last chapter of Revelation, God undoes this creative process. In Revelation 21:1, John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (NASB). At this point, the final judgment is complete, believers have been given heavenly bodies, and humans no longer depend on the physical world. The Lord is preparing heaven for believers, and in this new world, we only need Him. With no further need for the sun, moon, or any other part of this world, including the ocean, God removes them from existence. Just like that, the ocean, with its endless supply of salt, is gone.

While on earth, God has provided plenty of salt for us all. Salt is formed through the evaporation of seawater. All around the world, there are coastal salt ponds or “salt farms” where seawater comes in, evaporates by wind and sun, and the remaining salt is then harvested. This salt is typically referred to as sea salt. However, there are also underground salt deposits from oceans that evaporated long ago. This salt is scientifically referred to as halite but is more commonly known as rock salt. Every continent has halite deposits, and large mines can be found worldwide where rock salt is extracted. North and South America have salt mines, including in the United States. Canada, Romania, Chile, and Indonesia have some of the largest mines, although perhaps the most famous rock salt is “Pink Himalayan” salt which is mined from the massive Khewra salt mine in Pakistan.

Throughout history, the labor and time-intensive process of harvesting salt limited the available supply, while salt’s use as the primary food preservative before refrigeration ensured high demand. Essentially, everyone needed it, and there wasn’t much of it. This meant that salt has historically been very valuable. Modern technology has made it possible to harvest or extract far more salt than ever before, creating an abundant supply. Today, salt is generally available and affordable to everyone worldwide.