What Is A Threshing Floor In The Bible

A threshing floor is a smooth flat surface that was used in the process of harvesting grain.

What is a threshing floor in the bible.

For this reason someone always sleeps on the floor until the grain is removed ruth 3 7. The threshing floor in the scriptures is a symbol of the judgement. In biblical days there was no machinery so after the harvest the grain was separated from the straw and husks by beating it manually. Threshing is essentially dividing separating the wheat from the chaff.

The prophet hosea said therefore they will be like the morning mist like the early dew that disappears like chaff swirling from a threshing floor like smoke escaping through a window hosea 13 3. The lightweight chaff would blow away on the wind or sometimes was burned as fuel. The harvested produce would be spread over the threshing floor and then animals cattle or oxen would be led over it to crush and break the sheaves apart. Threshing floor 36 occurrences matthew 3 12 his winnowing shovel is in his hand and he will make a thorough clearance of his threshing floor gathering his wheat into the storehouse but burning up the chaff in unquenchable fire wey asv dby luke 3 17.

There are dozens of references to a threshing floor in the bible some literal and some symbolic. Threshing floors are in danger of being robbed 1 samuel 23 1. What is a threshing floor answer. A threshing floor is of two main types.

The threshing theme is woven throughout the bible and in jewish thought. In syria at the threshing season it is customary for the family to move out to the vicinity of the threshing floor. The distinction between beating and threshing is made in isaiah 28 27 gideon in order to avoid being seen by the midianites beat out his wheat in a wine press instead of threshing it on the threshing floor judges 6 11. In bible times grain was threshed or trampled crushed and beaten on outdoor threshing floors to separate out the inedible parts of the grain called chaff.

Before there was machinery farmers used a threshing floor to separate the grain from the chaff. Animal and steam powered threshing machines from the nineteenth century onward made threshing floors.