Salting the earth seems to be a rather popular turn of phrase lately, repeated by numerous television pundits describing President Donald Trump’s actions relating to his refusal to concede the 2020 election; his campaign’s filing dozens of lawsuits alleging voter fraud, and; his firing of various administration officials.
A similar-sounding phrase, but having a completely different meaning, is “salt of the earth.” What’s the difference and where did each originate?
“Salt the earth”
Most observers agree the modern idea of salting the earth is inspired by an incident in the Old Testament, [Judges 9:45], where the Israelite king Abimelech ‘razed the city and sowed it with salt’ at Shechem.
A popular notion of ‘salting the earth’ is also attributed to the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus around 146 BCE, who, upon successfully sacking the city-state of Carthage, passed plowshares over the razed city and sowed salt in its furrows, ostensibly turning its fertile land into desert.
As time passed, myth settled into legend and his action was lauded as a symbolic act by conquering armies over subjugated vassals — even though salt was, for centuries, a highly coveted and expensive spice; and is also a natural fertilizer.
Today, the phrase is euphemistic for any scorched-earth actions that seek to reap utter destruction.
“Salt of the earth”
Unsurprisingly, the phrase “The salt of the earth,” also derives its origin from the Bible, this time from the New Testament [Matthew 5:13]:
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
As mentioned previously, salt was a highly coveted and expensive commodity in ancient times, and the phrase seemingly refers to salt’s value. This is reflected in other old-world phrases that are variations on that theme: the aristocratic and powerful were said to be ‘above the salt,’ and; valued workers were ‘worth their salt.’
The first modern reference to the phrase ‘salt of the earth’ in English has been traced back to the Plantagenet-era author Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote the line, “Ye been the salt of the erthe and the savour,” in “The Summoner’s Tale,” circa 1386.