Dead Sea

The hypersaline lake lying at the lowest point on Earth (430 meters below sea level), marking the eastern boundary of Judea and the site of God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Called the “Salt Sea” in Scripture, its extreme salinity prevents most life, earning its modern name.

The Dead Sea region witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when God “rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24). Lot’s wife, looking back at the destruction despite the angels’ warning, became “a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26)—a monument to disobedience still associated with this salt-saturated landscape. Some scholars identify the “Valley of Siddim” where ancient kings battled (Genesis 14:3) with the Dead Sea’s southern basin.

During the Second Temple period, the Essene community established a monastery at Qumran on the Dead Sea’s northwestern shore. There they produced and stored the Dead Sea Scrolls—ancient manuscripts of biblical texts and sectarian writings discovered in nearby caves in 1947. These scrolls, preserved by the region’s arid climate, include the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE.

The prophet Ezekiel envisioned a future restoration when water flowing from the Temple would reach the Dead Sea: “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh…everything will live where the river goes” (Ezekiel 47:8-9). This prophetic vision of life-giving water transforming the lifeless sea symbolizes God’s power to bring renewal to the most desolate places.