מִזְרֶה
a winnowing shovel (as scattering the chaff)
Definition
מִזְרֶה (mizreh) is a Hebrew noun meaning a winnowing shovel or fan, a key agricultural tool used in the ancient grain-harvesting process. It specifically refers to a broad, flat shovel or fork used to toss threshed grain into the air so the wind can blow away the lighter chaff and straw, leaving the heavier edible grain to fall back to the ground. This action of separating the valuable grain from the worthless waste is central to its imagery in its two biblical occurrences. In both Isaiah 30:24 and Jeremiah 15:7, the word is used literally for the tool itself within descriptions of agricultural abundance and judgment, respectively.
Biblical Usage
The word is used only twice in the Old Testament, both times in prophetic books describing agricultural scenes. In Isaiah 30:24, it appears in a positive context of future blessing and abundant harvest, where even the animals will eat clean grain 'winnowed with the shovel (מִזְרֶה) and with the fork.' In Jeremiah 15:7, it is used metaphorically within a pronouncement of God's judgment, where God declares He will 'winnow them with a winnowing fork (מִזְרֶה)' at the gates of the land, scattering His people like chaff.
Etymology
מִזְרֶה (mizreh) is a derivative noun from the root זָרָה (zārah, H2219), which means 'to scatter, winnow, or disperse.' This root vividly describes the primary action performed with the tool. The noun form indicates an instrument or tool of scattering. Cognates in other Semitic languages confirm its meaning as an agricultural implement for winnowing.
Semantic Range
While a simple agricultural tool, the מִזְרֶה carries significant theological weight through the metaphor of winnowing. It visually embodies God's work of judgment and separation, distinguishing the righteous (the grain) from the wicked (the chaff) as seen in Jeremiah 15:7. This imagery is foundational, echoed later by John the Baptist's description of the Messiah who will 'gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire' (Matthew 3:12). Understanding this tool enriches the biblical metaphor of divine purification and justice.
In ancient Israelite agriculture, winnowing was a crucial, labor-intensive step following threshing. The winnowing shovel (מִזְרֶה) was typically made of wood and had a broad, flat blade. Workers would use it on a threshing floor, often located on a hilltop to catch the breeze, tossing the crushed grain mixture into the air. The wind would carry off the lightweight chaff, while the heavier kernels fell back to be collected. This process made the tool a universal symbol of separation and purification in an agrarian society.
רֶחַת (rechath, H7371) — a winnowing fork or shovel; often paired with מִזְרֶה (as in Isaiah 30:24) and may refer to a similar or complementary tool in the winnowing process.
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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