E. Cobham Brewer 18101897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
So the Romans called the Salt Sea. Josephus says that the vale of Siddim was changed into the Dead Sea at the destruction of Sodom (Antiq. i. 8, 3, etc.). The water is of a dull green colour. Few fish are found therein, but it is not true that birds which venture near its vapours fall down dead. The shores are almost barren, but hyenas and other wild beasts lurk there. Called the Salt Sea because of its saltness. The percentage of salt in the ocean generally is about three or four, but of the Salt Sea it is twenty-six or more.