דַּיִשׁ
threshing-time
Definition
The Hebrew noun דַּיִשׁ (dayish) specifically refers to the 'threshing-time' or the season of threshing. It denotes the agricultural period when harvested grain is separated from its husks, typically following the reaping of the harvest. This term appears only once in the Old Testament, in Leviticus 26:5, where it is part of a blessing for covenant faithfulness, promising that the 'threshing shall reach unto the vintage.' The word encapsulates the entire process or duration of threshing within the annual farming cycle.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Leviticus 26:5. It is found within a list of covenantal blessings in the Holiness Code, promising agricultural abundance and continuity if Israel obeys God's laws. The usage is poetic and prophetic, linking 'threshing-time' (דַּיִשׁ) directly to the grape harvest (vintage) to symbolize a season of uninterrupted, fruitful labor.
Etymology
Derived from the root verb דּוּשׁ (dush, H1758), meaning 'to thresh' or 'to tread out.' This root describes the physical action of separating grain, often by treading with animals or using a threshing sledge. The noun דַּיִשׁ is a verbal noun (infinitive construct) form, which focuses on the time or action of threshing itself. Cognate words exist in other Semitic languages, like Ugaritic and Arabic, with similar agricultural meanings.
Semantic Range
Though a simple agricultural term, its single biblical occurrence is theologically significant. In Leviticus 26:5, it is not merely a farming detail but a key component of God's promised blessing for covenant obedience. The promise that 'threshing shall reach unto the vintage' symbolizes supernatural abundance, peace, and the absence of agricultural interruption—a sign of God's provision and favor when His people live in holiness. Understanding this term enriches the reading of this passage by grounding the spiritual promise in the tangible reality of Israel's agrarian life and economic well-being.
In ancient Israel, threshing was a crucial, labor-intensive stage in the grain harvest. It occurred after reaping and before winnowing, often on a communal threshing floor. The 'threshing-time' was a specific, well-known season in the agricultural year. The blessing in Leviticus 26:5 would have been powerfully understood by an agrarian society: an overlap between the grain threshing and grape harvesting seasons was ideal but rare, representing maximum productivity and divine blessing on the land's yield.
גֹּרֶן (goren, H1637) — a 'threshing floor,' the physical location for the activity of דַּיִשׁ. חָרִישׁ (charish, H2758) — 'plowing-time' or 'plowing,' representing a different, earlier season in the agricultural cycle. קָצִיר (qatsir, H7105) — 'harvest' or 'harvest-time,' a broader term that includes reaping, which precedes threshing.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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