{
  "id": "dict_001339",
  "term": "Dead Sea",
  "slug": "dead-sea",
  "letter": "D",
  "entry_type": "geographic_place",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "The Dead Sea is a salt lake east of Judah, also called the Salt Sea in Scripture. It is an important biblical geographic landmark rather than a doctrinal term.",
  "simple_one_line": "A salt sea east of Judah, also called the Salt Sea.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical salt lake at the southern end of the Jordan Valley; often called the Salt Sea.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Salt Sea",
    "Jordan River",
    "Jordan Valley",
    "Judah",
    "Moab"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Geography of Israel",
    "Land of Promise",
    "Wilderness",
    "Ezekiel 47"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "The Dead Sea is the well-known salt lake at the southern end of the Jordan Valley, on the eastern side of Judah and the hill country. Scripture also refers to it as the Salt Sea.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A major biblical geographic landmark and saline lake.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Located east of Judah and south of the Jordan Valley",
    "Called the Salt Sea in the Old Testament",
    "Used as a boundary marker in Israel’s land descriptions",
    "Appears in historical and prophetic contexts"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "The Dead Sea is the saline lake at the southern end of the Jordan Valley, commonly identified in the Old Testament as the Salt Sea. It functions as a geographic landmark in descriptions of the land, tribal boundaries, and regional orientation.",
  "description_academic_full": "The Dead Sea is the large salt lake at the southern end of the Jordan Valley, east of Judah and the Judean hill country. In Scripture it is commonly associated with the name Salt Sea and serves chiefly as a geographic reference point in descriptions of the land, tribal boundaries, and routes of travel. It is not a theological concept in itself, but it is part of the biblical setting and occasionally appears in prophetic descriptions.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The Dead Sea appears in Old Testament passages that describe the borders of the promised land and the geography of Israel and Judah. It helps orient readers to the east side of the Jordan Valley and the southern extent of the land.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near East, the Dead Sea region formed a distinctive boundary area between the hill country of Judah and the wilderness to the east. Its extreme salinity made it a notable feature of the land and an enduring marker in historical geography.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Jewish readers of the Scriptures would have recognized the Dead Sea as the Salt Sea mentioned in boundary lists and land descriptions. It was a familiar landmark for understanding tribal allotments and regional movement.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Gen. 14:3",
    "Num. 34:3, 12",
    "Deut. 3:17",
    "Josh. 3:16"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Ezek. 47:8"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew texts commonly use the phrase translated “Salt Sea” for this body of water. The modern name “Dead Sea” is a later geographical designation.",
  "theological_significance": "The Dead Sea itself does not teach a doctrine, but it contributes to the historical and geographical setting of biblical revelation. It appears in boundary texts and in prophetic imagery, showing how real places are used within Scripture’s redemptive history.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "This entry belongs to biblical geography rather than theology proper. Its significance is contextual: it helps readers locate events, understand boundaries, and read biblical narrative and prophecy with greater clarity.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse the place itself with symbolic or doctrinal meanings. When the Dead Sea appears in prophecy, interpret the context carefully rather than assuming every reference carries the same emphasis.",
  "major_views_note": "Most treatments of this term are straightforward and geographic. Disagreement usually concerns naming conventions and exact historical geography, not doctrine.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "The Dead Sea should not be treated as a theological category or given symbolic meanings beyond what the text explicitly supports. Its biblical value is primarily contextual and historical.",
  "practical_significance": "Knowledge of the Dead Sea helps Bible readers understand land promises, boundary descriptions, travel routes, and prophetic scenes without confusion.",
  "meta_description": "The Dead Sea is the biblical Salt Sea, a major geographic landmark east of Judah and in the Jordan Valley.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/dead-sea/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/dead-sea.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}