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Soybean [<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.] is an important oil crop that provides valuable resources for human consumption, animal feed, and biofuel. Through the transcriptome analysis in our previous study, <i>GmLecRlk</i> (<i>Glyma</i>.<i>07G005700</i>) was identified as a salt-responsive candidate gene in soybean. In this study, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the <i>GmLecRlk</i> gene expression level was significantly induced by salt stress and highly expressed in soybean roots. The <i>pCAMBIA3300</i>-<i>GmLecRlk</i> construct was generated and introduced into the soybean genome by <i>Agrobacterium rhizogenes</i>. Compared with the wild type (WT), <i>GmLecRlk</i> overexpressing (<i>GmLecRlk</i>-ox) soybean lines had significantly enhanced fresh weight, proline (Pro) content, and catalase (CAT) activity, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and H₂O₂ content under salt stress. These results show that <i>GmLecRlk</i> gene enhanced ROS scavenging ability in response to salt stress in soybean. Meanwhile, we demonstrated that <i>GmLecRlk</i> gene also conferred soybean salt tolerance when it was overexpressed alone in soybean hairy root. Furthermore, the combination of RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis was used to determine that <i>GmLecRlk</i> improves the salt tolerance of soybean by upregulating <i>GmERF3</i>, <i>GmbHLH30</i>, and <i>GmDREB2</i> and downregulating <i>GmGH3</i>.<i>6</i>, <i>GmPUB8</i>, and <i>GmLAMP1</i>. Our research reveals a new mechanism of salt resistance in soybean, which exposes a novel avenue for the cultivation of salt-resistant varieties.