[ἅλα, τό, read by Tdf. in Mat_5:13; Mar_9:50; Luk_14:34; see ἅλας.] STRONGS NT 217: ἅλαςἅλας, (ατος, τό (a later form, found in the Sept. and N. T. (Aristotle, de mirab, ause. § 138; Plutarch, qu. conv. 4:4, 3, 3), cf. Alexander Buttmann (1873) Ausf. Spr. i., p. 220; dative ἅλατι Col_4:6), and ἅλς, ἁλός, ὁ (the classic form (from Homer down); Sir_22:15 (13); ; Wis_10:7; 1Ma_10:29, etc. Mar_9:49 ἁλί dative (T WH Tr marginal reading omit; Tr text brackets), and in Mar_9:50 L T Tr WH ἅλα accusative (yet without the article) with the nominative τό ἅλας), finally, the nominative and the accusative ἅλα Tdf. in Mar_9:50 (also Mat_5:13; Luk_14:34 (where see his note)) (similar to γάλα, genitive γάλατος, a form noted by certain grammarians, see (WH's Appendix, p. 158;) Kühner, 1:353f; but see what Fritzsche, Commentary on Sirach (Sir_39:26), p. 226f, says in opposition); salt; 1. Salt with which food is seasoned and sacrifices are sprinkled: Mar_9:49 R G; cf. ἁλίζω. 2. ἅλας τῆς γῆς, those kinds of saline matter used to fertilize arable land, Mat_5:13{a} ; here salt as a condiment cannot be understood, since this renders land sterile (Deu_29:23; Zep_2:9; Jdg_9:45); cf. Grohmann in Kauffer's Biblical Studien, 1844, p. 82ff The meaning is, 'It is your prerogative to impart to mankind (likened to arable land) the influences required for a life of devotion to God.' In the statement immediately following, ἐάν δέ ἅλας κτλ., the comparison seems to be drawn from salt as a condiment, so that two figures are blended; (but it is better to adopt this latter meaning throughout the passage, and take γῆ to denote the mass of mankind, see under the word, 4 b. and cf. Tholuck and others at the passage). In Mar_9:50{a} and Luk_14:34 salt is a symbol of that health and vigor of soul which is essential to Christian virtue; (cf. Meyer on the former passage). 3. Salt is a symbol of lasting concord, Mar_9:50{c} , because it protects food from putrefaction and preserves it unchanged. Accordingly, in the solemn ratification of compacts, the Orientals were, and are to this day, accustomed to partake of salt together. Cf. Winers RWB under the word Salz; (BB. DD. under the word ); Knobel on Leviticus, p. 370. 4. Wisdom and grace exhibited in speech: Col_4:6 (where see Lightfoot). STRONGS NT 217a: ἌλασσαἌλασσα: Act_27:8; cf.Λασαία.

ἅλας halas 8x variant spellings of ἅλα and ἁλός , salt, Mat_5:13 ; Mar_9:50 ; met. the salt of wisdom and prudence, Col_4:6 salt.

ἅλας ( T , ἅλα ), -ατος , τό , late form of cl . ἅλς , -ος , ό ( MM , VGT , s.v. ), [in LXX chiefly for H4416 ;] salt , lit, and fig .: Mat_5:13 , Mar_9:50 Luk_14:34 ; like cl . ἅλες , wit , of wisdom and grace in speech: Col_4:6 .†

ἅλας [page 20] As early as iii/B.C. the neuter form is proved to have been in existence, e.g. P Petr III. 140 ( a ) 2 ἔλαιον ν̄ ἅλας ν̄ ξύλα , and may therefore be acknowledged in P Hib I. 152 (B.C. 250) ἐμβαλοῦ εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ἅλας καὶ λωτόν , though there the editors treat the word as accusative plural. A clear example seems to be quotable from P Par 55 bis i. 29 (ii/B.C.) καὶ ἄρτοι καὶ ἅλας . From later times we can quote P Leid X i. 8 (iii/iv A.D.) ἅλας Καππαδοκικόν , P Oxy IX. 1222 2 (iv/A.D.) τὸ ἅλας . The ambiguity of earlier exx. attaches itself even to P Leid C verso iv. 5 (p. 93 of part i.), where ἅλας may as well be acc. pl., since the items are acc. as well as nom. in this λόγος of provisions supplied to the Twins of the Serapeum (ii/B.C.). Mayser ( Gr. p. 286) quotes a conjectural reading ἅλατος for ἄμτος in the same document; but the Petrie and the Paris papyri cited give us our only certain exx. from Ptolemaic times, to set beside 2Es_7:22 , Sir_39:26 . Cf. MGr ἁλάτι . Mr Thackeray (in a letter) would now regard ἅλας in LXX as probably neuter : the only indubitable cases of the plural are in the local plural phrases ἡ θάλασσα (etc.) τῶν ἁλῶν . This looks as if the plural was the regular form for salt- areas. In the fourteen LXX instances of ἅλα and ἅλας the article is absent, and we are free to assume that a new neuter noun was already developing, perhaps under analogy of other food names like γάλα and κρέας . Ἁλός lived on in the papyri as late as A.D. 258 9, P Lond 1170 verso .124 ( = III. p. 196). By σταθμίον α̣λ̣ι̣ς in P Tebt II. 331 .14 ( c. A.D. 131) we are apparently to understand ἁλός , a quantity of salt. BGU III. 731 ii. 3 (A.D. 180) ἁλὸς πλεῖστον will serve as a further instance. Note ἁλική , salt tax, common in early papyri : see ἁλυκός below. [Supplemental from 1930 edition] See also N. D. Coleman in JTS xxiv. (1923), p. 387 ff., and W.S. Wood in ib. xxv. (1924), p. 167 ff.

ἅλας [Etym: ἅλς] "salt", NTest. , Plut.

ἅλας (T, ἅλα), -ατος, τό, late form of cl. ἅλς, -ος, ὁ (MM, VGT, see word), [in LXX chiefly for מְלַח ;] salt, lit, and figuratively: Mat.5:13, Mrk.9:50 Luk.14:34; like cl. ἅλες, wit, of wisdom and grace in speech: Col.4:6.† (AS)