What is the Covenant of Salt? (2 Chronicles 13:5)

Question: What does the “Covenant of Salt” mentioned in 2 Chronicles 13:5 mean?

Answer: Let us examine the Scriptures.

2 Chronicles 13:5 – “Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?”

The phrase “Covenant of Salt” appears three times in Scripture:

2 Chronicles 13:5

Numbers 18:19

Leviticus 2:13

The Meaning of the Covenant of Salt
In ancient times, salt was not only used to season food, but also as a preservative. Before refrigeration existed, people used salt to keep meat, grain, and other food from rotting. Salt therefore symbolized preservation, permanence, and faithfulness.

This is why God commanded that all offerings be presented with salt:

Leviticus 2:13 – “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.”

Again, during sacrifices, priests would sprinkle salt upon the offerings:

Ezekiel 43:24 – “You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.”

Thus, salt represented the enduring, unbreakable, and incorruptible nature of God’s covenant.

Salt as a Symbol of Permanence
When Scripture says God gave David the kingdom “by a covenant of salt,” it means His promise was firm, lasting, and incorruptible. Just as salt preserves food, so God preserves His covenant promises.

This covenant language also appears in the Persian empire, where eating the king’s “salt” meant loyalty to the king (Ezra 4:14). Salt was therefore a mark of faithfulness, loyalty, and permanence.

The Spiritual Application for Us
When we believe in Christ and repent of our sins, we are spiritually “seasoned with salt” by the Holy Spirit. This means God makes us enduring, preserved for eternal life, and incorruptible in His covenant promises.

Mark 9:49 – “Everyone will be salted with fire.”

Here, Jesus explains that the fire of the Holy Spirit works like salt—it purifies, preserves, and transforms. The Spirit burns away sin and worldly attachments, producing holiness in us. Though painful at times, this refining fire leads us to become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Thus, through Christ, the “Covenant of Salt” points to eternal preservation in God’s promises.

Jesus and the Covenant of Salt
Jesus also declared to His followers:

Matthew 5:13 – “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

Believers, preserved and empowered by the Holy Spirit, are called to be salt in the world—bringing flavor, preserving truth, and testifying to God’s unchanging covenant.

Conclusion
The Covenant of Salt is a powerful biblical symbol:

It represents God’s unchanging and eternal promises.

It symbolizes preservation, loyalty, and permanence.

It points to the purifying work of the Holy Spirit in believers.

It reminds us that in Christ, we too are called to be “the salt of the earth.”

Application: Have you been “seasoned with salt”? By receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) and preserved for eternal life.

Maranatha! The Lord is coming soon. Accept Christ today, and you will become the salt of the earth, preserved for eternity in the Covenant of God.

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