Original Word: תֵּל מֶלַח
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Tel Melach
Pronunciation: tel meh-LAKH
Phonetic Spelling: (tale meh'-lakh)
KJV: Tel-melah
NASB: Tel-melah
Word Origin: [from H8510 (תֵּל - heap) and H4417 (מֶלַח - salt)]

1. mound of salt
2. Tel-Melach, a place in Babylonia

Tel-melah

From tel and melach; mound of salt; Tel-Melach, a place in Babylonia -- Tel-melah.

see HEBREW tel

see HEBREW melach

Word Origin
from tel and melach
Definition
"mound of salt," a place in Bab.
NASB Translation
Tel-melah (2).

תֵּל מֶ֫לַח proper name, of a location in Babylonia; — Ezra 2:59 = Nehemiah 7:61; Θερμελεθ, Θελμελεθ[χ].

Etymology and Meaning

Tel Melah means “Mound of Salt.” The name evokes the artificial hillocks (tells) that dotted the flood-plains of Mesopotamia, often surrounded by saline marshes. The imagery of salt—both a preservative and a symbol of covenant loyalty (Leviticus 2:13; 2 Chronicles 13:5)—quietly undergirds the later themes of remembrance and restoration associated with the site.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Ezra 2:59 lists families who “came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not prove that their families were descended from Israel”.
2. Nehemiah 7:61 repeats the notice almost verbatim as the census is rehearsed during the wall-building generation.

Though brief, these twin references frame Tel Melah within the broader narrative of the first return under Zerubbabel (Ezra 2) and the later consolidation under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 7).

Historical Setting

Nebuchadnezzar’s deportations (597–586 B.C.) scattered Judah’s population across Babylonia. Exiled communities often clustered in new agricultural settlements supplied by the royal canal system. When Cyrus II permitted return in 538 B.C., contingents streamed back from multiple such localities. Tel Melah’s mention signals that even Jews who had settled among distant salt flats heard the call of God and joined the pilgrimage to Zion.

The inability of these returnees to document ancestry did not question their Jewish identity; it challenged their eligibility for specific roles—especially the priesthood (Ezra 2:62). By placing the episode next to the careful cataloguing of priests and Levites, Scripture highlights the seriousness with which post-exilic Israel guarded sacred service while still welcoming all covenant members to Jerusalem.

Geographical Considerations

Tel Melah’s exact location is lost, yet its description suits the lower Euphrates-Tigris marshes:
• Extensive salt deposits created “salt mounds” still visible around modern Basra.
• Babylonian administrative tablets refer to settlements of foreign exiles along canals such as the Nār-Kabaru and the Shatt al-Arab, areas rich in both clay mounds and brine.
• The clustering of Tel Melah with Tel Harsha (“Wooded Mound”) suggests a pair of neighboring villages distinguished by topographical features.

Because the Dead Sea region of Judah also bore saline terrain, a Judean site has occasionally been proposed; however, the exilic context and proximity to other Mesopotamian place-names favor a Babylonian setting.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Preservation. The “salt” in the name subtly recalls the “covenant of salt” (2 Chronicles 13:5), reinforcing the truth that exile could not dissolve God’s oath to David or His people (Jeremiah 33:20-22).
2. Personal Accountability. Families without documentation faced restrictions (Ezra 2:62-63). The episode underscores responsible stewardship of spiritual inheritance and the proper vetting of leadership—principles echoed in the New Testament qualifications for elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
3. Inclusive Restoration. Although barred from priestly duties, these returnees were not expelled from the community. Their presence in the register proclaims that God gathers His people “from the east and from the west” (Isaiah 43:5-6) and assigns service according to His order.

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Identity in Christ surpasses pedigree, yet leaders must remain above reproach.
• The faithfulness of obscure believers matters. The Spirit ensured that even those from a “mound of salt” were inscribed in Scripture, reminding modern servants that no act of obedience is forgotten (Hebrews 6:10).
• Genealogies, often skipped in devotional reading, display divine precision. They prove that redemption unfolds in real history through real families—an encouragement to those laboring in local churches and households.

Summary

Tel Melah stands as a modest yet poignant witness to the God who preserves His covenant people, records their names, and calls them from distant, even desolate, places back to fellowship and service in the land of promise.

מֶ֙לַח֙ מלח me·laḥ melach melaḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts