μυλών

a mill-house

Definition

The Greek noun μυλών (mylōn) refers specifically to a mill-house, the building or indoor space where grain was ground using a millstone. In the ancient world, this was a crucial location for food preparation, typically housing a large, heavy millstone operated by human or animal power. Its sole New Testament occurrence is in Matthew 24:41, where Jesus uses the imagery of 'two women grinding at the mill' to illustrate the sudden, unexpected separation that will occur at his return. The word emphasizes the setting of daily, mundane labor from which one person will be taken and another left.

Biblical Usage

Μυλών is used only once in the New Testament, in Matthew 24:41. It appears within Jesus's Olivet Discourse, a teaching about the end times and the suddenness of the Son of Man's coming. The word is part of a parallel illustration (paired with two men in a field in Matthew 24:40) depicting ordinary, paired work from which one individual is unexpectedly removed. Its usage is purely descriptive of a common, domestic workplace.

Etymology

Μυλών (mylōn) is derived from the Greek root μύλη (mylē), meaning 'mill' or 'millstone.' It is a noun formed with the -ών suffix, which often denotes a place associated with the root word, thus creating the meaning 'a place for a mill' or 'mill-house.' It is related to the verb μυλίζω (mylizō, G3458), which means 'to grind with a millstone.'

Semantic Range

While μυλών itself is a common noun, its theological significance comes entirely from its context in Matthew 24:41. It contributes to Jesus's teaching on the sudden, discriminating nature of the final judgment. The mill-house represents the sphere of ordinary, daily life and labor. The imagery underscores that the separation of people at the end of the age will occur not from specially religious settings but from within the normal rhythms of human existence, highlighting the unexpectedness of Christ's return and the need for constant readiness.

In the first-century Greco-Roman world, the mill-house was a familiar, essential part of village and household life. Grinding grain was typically daily, labor-intensive work, often performed by women or slaves. The large, heavy millstone (often turned by two women, as implied in the Matthew passage) made it a communal task. Understanding this context enriches the parable; being 'taken from the mill' meant being suddenly removed from a fundamental, shared duty, making the event's disruption all the more startling and complete.

μύλη (mylē, G3458) — Refers to the millstone itself, the grinding tool, rather than the building where it is housed.

Word Details

Scripture References