Original Word: מָלָח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: malach
Pronunciation: mah-lahk
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-lawkh')
KJV: rotten rag
NASB: rags
Word Origin: [from H4414 (מָלַח - To salt) in its original sense]

1. a rag or old garment

rotten rag

From malach in its original sense; a rag or old garment -- rotten rag.

see HEBREW malach

Word Origin
from malach
Definition
a rag
NASB Translation
rags (2).

I. [מֶ֫לַח or מָלָח] noun [masculine] rag; only plural מְלָחִים Jeremiah 38:11,12 ("" סְחָבוֺת).

II. מלח (√ of following; meaning dubious).

מָלָח (Strong’s 4418)

Core Sense and Imagery

The term points to scraps of cloth so deteriorated that they were consigned to storage as refuse, “old rags and worn-out clothes” (Jeremiah 38:11-12). It evokes worthlessness from a human perspective—fabric past usefulness, no longer fit for honorable service.

Occurrences in Scripture

Jeremiah 38:11, 12 record both uses. The prophet has been lowered into a miry cistern by political enemies; Ebed-Melech the Cushite petitions King Zedekiah, gathers מְלָחִים from an unused storeroom, pads the ropes, and draws Jeremiah out. The whole episode stands in deliberate contrast: royal intrigue versus the unnoticed kindness of a Gentile courtier and a handful of rags.

Historical Background

1. Setting: 587 B.C. siege of Jerusalem. The cistern was a vaulted water-storage chamber cut into bedrock—dry except for sludge. Prolonged contact with the mire would have meant slow death.
2. Royal Storehouse: Palatial complexes kept piles of textile scraps for cleaning, packing, or patching armor. Such offcasts could be obtained quickly without requisitioning new materials—Ebed-Melech acted while the prophet still had strength to cooperate.
3. Human Compassion in a Climate of Fear: Officials who opposed Jeremiah feared Babylon more than the Lord; Ebed-Melech feared God more than men (Jeremiah 38:7-9; 39:15-18). His choice to use soft rags prevented rope-burn and bruising, anticipating medical knowledge of circulation and tissue damage.

Theological Reflections

• Divine Providence through Humble Means: Rags become instruments of rescue, illustrating the pattern of the Lord’s salvation—an unnoticed Cushite, not Israel’s princes, preserves the prophet. Compare Judges 7:7; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29.
• Dignity of the Image-Bearer: Even in judgment on Judah, God ensures the physical well-being of His servant. The tenderness of padded ropes attests that human bodies matter (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16).
• Reversal Motif: What is discarded by men is honored by God, prefiguring the Messiah, “despised and rejected by men” yet chosen and precious (Isaiah 53:3; 1 Peter 2:4).

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Creative Mercy: Believers are called to find whatever resources are at hand—even “worthless” ones—to alleviate suffering. Hospital chaplaincy, refugee relief, or inner-city outreach often hinge on such improvisation.
2. Valuing the Hidden Servant: Local congregations should honor unassuming members whose quiet acts preserve the life and morale of others (Romans 12:10-11).
3. Speaking Truth amid Hostility: Jeremiah’s rescue enabled continued proclamation; safeguarding a messenger is inseparable from safeguarding the message (2 Timothy 4:17).

Christological Echoes

The pierced Savior was wrapped first in ordinary swaddling cloths (Luke 2:12) and, after death, in linen wrappings (John 19:40). He identifies with the lowly and rejected, yet through Him “the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). The incident with מָלָח forecasts the gospel paradox: discarded things become instruments of redemption.

Reflection for Today

Whenever the church retrieves the neglected and counts them worthy of care, she reenacts Ebed-Melech’s gesture. God who worked deliverance with frayed rags still magnifies His power through seemingly insignificant means, assuring His people that no resource is too humble and no servant too obscure for the purposes of His kingdom.

וְהַמְּלָחִים֙ והמלחים מְלָחִ֑ים מלחים mə·lā·ḥîm melaChim məlāḥîm vehammelaChim wə·ham·mə·lā·ḥîm wəhamməlāḥîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts