Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
Eve of Ascension
Eve of Ascension
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!
Click here to learn more!
Bible Dictionaries
Nitre
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or Resource Toolbox
Additional Links
Nitre. Mention of this substance is made in Proverbs 25:20 - "and as vinegar upon nitre" - and in Jeremiah 2:26. The article denoted is not that which we now understand by the term, nitre, that is, nitrate of Potassa - "saltpetre" - but the nitrum of the Latins, and the natron, or native carbonate of soda, of modern chemistry. Natron was, and still is, used by the Egyptians for washing linen. The value of soda in this respect is well known. This explains the passage in Jeremiah. Natron is found in great abundance, in the well-known soda lakes of Egypt.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
These files are public domain.
Bibliography Information
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Nitre'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/n/nitre.html. 1901.
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'Nitre'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/n/nitre.html. 1901.
