Meaning
To winnow is to separate grain from chaff and other lighter material by exposing the threshed grain to moving air.
Biblical Usage
Winnowing was an agricultural process performed after threshing. The threshed grain was exposed to moving air so that the lighter chaff was carried away while the heavier grain remained.
Scripture also uses winnowing as a figure for separation and judgment. In these passages, the agricultural process provides the picture of separating what is useful from what is discarded.
Key References
- Ruth 3:2
- Isaiah 30:24
- Isaiah 41:16
- Jeremiah 4:11
- Jeremiah 15:7
- Jeremiah 51:2
- Matthew 3:12
- Luke 3:17
Related Terms
- Thresh
- Threshingfloor
- Grain
- Chaff
- Wheat