Chaff

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

CHAFF. —The term used in English to denote the protective coverings and appendages of the growing corn—the glumes, scales, and awns—after they have been dried in the ripening of the plant and in the wind and sun, and separated from the grain and straw. The Greek word is ἄχυρον (Lat. palea ), ‘mostly used in plural for chaff, bran, husks’ (Liddell and Scott); perhaps derived from ἀχ, indicating its pointed nature. But the older authorities, and most writers on the Greek of the NT, incline to regard the ἄχυρον as including the cut or broken-up straw which mingles with the chaff proper.

Schleusner, controverting the opinion of previous lexicographers, says that the word for the outer integuments ( palea ) is ἀχοη, and that ἅχυρον includes totum calamum frumenti inde a radice usque ad spicam quae grana continet , and that it is equivalent to the Heb. חֶּבֶן tebhen; and Post (art. ‘Straw’ in Hastings’ B [Note: Dictionary of the Bible.] ) suggests the use of the Arab. [Note: Arabic.] word tibn , which denotes the nugled chaff and cut or broken straw.

In reaping it was often the practice to leave all the straw, except an inch or two cut off with the ear. The dust of the chaff is in the LXX Septuagint χνοῦς ( Psalms 1:4;  Psalms 35:5,  Isaiah 29:5,  Hosea 13:3), and once χνοῦς ἀχύρου ( Isaiah 17:13), and once κονιορτός ( Job 21:18).

The combination of broken straw with the chaff is explained by the process of harvesting, threshing, and winnowing in Palestinian agriculture. The threshing-machine, or threshing-waggon (see art. ‘Agriculture’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible), which, by repeatedly passing over the sheaves, broke up the short straw into fragments, separated the grain from its dried envelopes. The threshing-floor was so placed, usually in an elevated and breezy position, that the wind could be utilized to separate the lighter, heavier, and heaviest materials from one another, and the method of winnowing secured that the grain should fall in the centre, the heavier straw at a small distance from the grain heap, while the broken straw and chaff (ἄχυρον) were carried away by the wind, either out of the threshing-floor, or so that it could be swept together for burning. The complete separation of the chaff, which included fragments of the awns and straw, from the corn was effected by means of the winnowing-fan (πτύον), the broad shallow shovel with which corn after threshing was thrown up against the wind, and so finally cleansed of the chaff. See art. ‘Shovel’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible. This final stage of the winnowing process is referred to by John the Baptist in the only occurrences of the word ‘chaff’ in the NT ( Matthew 3:12,  Luke 3:17).

The imagery of the threshing-floor was finely adapted to express the sweeping reform of the national life which the ardent soul of the Baptist expected to characterize the coming of the Jewish Messiah. The chaff well represented (1) the insincerity and hypocrisy of the national religious leaders, profession without substance, looking at a distance like grain, but proving on near inspection to be chaff; and (2) the light irresponsibility, the absence of true principle, in the people who accepted this formalism and pretence as genuine grain of godliness. And the winnowing represented the readiness with which such unsubstantial elements of national character would be carried away by the first wind of trial, or burnt up by the divinely authorized Messiah, whose coming John expected to be with swift discrimination and judgment. John looked for the immediate separation of the false from the true, the bad from the good. The Christ would come as Malachi ( Malachi 3:1-5) predicted, with searching and striking condemnation of all that was worthless and injurious; and the comparative slowness and indirectness of our Lord’s method was the moving cause of his perplexed question, when he heard in the prison the works of Christ, and sent his disciples to ask, ‘Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?’ ( Matthew 11:3,  Luke 7:19).

Literature.—Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs , pp. 34–36; Tristram, Eastern Customs in Bible Lands , ch. 6; Jahn, Biblical Archaeology , pp. 66–73; Thomson, Land and the Book , pp. 538–540; Nowack, Heb. Arch . i. 233 f.; artt. ‘Agriculture,’ ‘Chaff,’ ‘Straw,’ in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible.

T. H. Wright.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

All refuse of threshed and winnowed grain, not merely the outer covering as with us. Image of all worthless doctrine, and vain counsels, and hollow professors, about to perish utterly.  Jeremiah 23:28; "What is the chaff to the wheat?" God answers the objection, What must we do when lies are spoken as truths and prophets oppose prophets? Do as you would with wheat mixed with chaff; do not reject the wheat, because of the chaff mixed with it, but bring both to the test of "My word" ( Jeremiah 23:27;  Jeremiah 23:29); so discriminate as to what to reject, and what to keep.

My word, which is wheat or food to the true prophet and his hearers, is a consuming "fire" to the "chaff," i.e. false prophets, their followers and doctrine. ( Psalms 1:4;  Isaiah 33:11;  Isaiah 17:13;  Hosea 13:3;  Matthew 3:12.) Chaff is separated from the grain, after having been threshed, on high threshing floors on hills, to earth the wind. So the final doom of the world powers before the coming manifested kingdom of Messiah ( Daniel 2:35). "(Before) the day pass as the chaff" in  Zephaniah 2:2 means, Before the day of repentance pass, and with it you, ungodly, pass away as the chaff.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

In the general sense of the word, chaff is the husk of wheat; in itself useless, and only intended to form a covering for the pure seed. But in Scripture language, it is used figuratively, to denote the uselessness and folly of a name to live, while virtually dead before God. Hence the Lord, speaking of the preciousness of his word to that of the invention of men, thus expresseth "What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord?" ( Jeremiah 23:28) And the sacred writers, under the same Almighty authority, describe the wicked as chaff, which the wind scattereth, and the storm carrieth away; and which the Lord will burn up in the end, with unquenchable fire. (See  Job 21:18;  Psalms 1:4;  Hosea 13:3;  Matthew 3:12)

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 Job 21:18 (a) As chaff has no value to the farmer, so the wicked have no value to GOD. Because they are worthless and are not stable, nor useful in GOD's program of life, they must be sent to the fire.

 Psalm 1:4 (b) Here we have a type of certain kinds of people who have no value to GOD because of their wickedness. As chaff contains no chemicals that can be used by the farmer in any way, so the wicked are lacking in any value to GOD, and so are shut out from GOD's presence because of their worthlessness (See  Matthew 3:12).

 Isaiah 33:11 (a) By this term the Lord reveals to us how worthless to Him are the ideas, schemes, and programs of the religious movements of this world.

 Jeremiah 23:28 (a) This is a symbol of the worthlessness of men's dreams and their idle reasonings. GOD makes foolish the wisdom of this world (See also1Co  3:19).

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) Light jesting talk; banter; raillery.

(2): (n.) Straw or hay cut up fine for the food of cattle.

(3): (n.) Anything of a comparatively light and worthless character; the refuse part of anything.

(4): (n.) The glumes or husks of grains and grasses separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc.

(5): (n.) The scales or bracts on the receptacle, which subtend each flower in the heads of many Compositae, as the sunflower.

(6): (v. i.) To use light, idle language by way of fun or ridicule; to banter.

(7): (v. t.) To make fun of; to turn into ridicule by addressing in ironical or bantering language; to quiz.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: ἄχυρον (Strong'S #892 — Noun Neuter — achuron — akh'-oo-ron )

"chaff, the stalk of the grain from which the kernels have been beaten out, or the straw broken up by a threshing machine," is found in  Matthew 3:12;  Luke 3:17 .

King James Dictionary

CHAFF, n.

1. The husk, or dry calyx of corn, and grasses. In common language, the word is applied to the husks when separated from the corn by thrashing, riddling or winnowing. The word is sometimes used rather improperly to denote straw cut small for the food of cattle. 2. Refuse worthless matter especially that which is light, and apt to be driven by the wind. In scripture, false doctrines, fruitless designs, hypocrites and ungodly men are compared to chaff.  Psalms 1:4;  Jeremiah 23:28;  Isaiah 33:11;  Matthew 3:12 .

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The refuse of threshed and winnowed grain — the husk of the wheat. Used symbolically for that which is quickly consumed, or easily swept away by the wind — worthless people.  Psalm 1:4;

 Psalm 35:5;  Isaiah 5:24;  Jeremiah 23:28 . The wicked also are compared to chaff to be burned up with unquenchable fire — eternal punishment.  Matthew 3:12;  Luke 3:17 .

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Chaff. The Husk Of Corn Or Wheat which was separated from the grain, by being thrown into the air, the wind blowing away the chaff , while the grain was saved. The carrying away of chaff by the wind is an ordinary scriptural image of the destruction of the wicked and of their powerlessness to resist God's judgments.  Psalms 1:4;  Isaiah 17:13;  Hosea 13:3;  Zephaniah 2:2.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Exodus 15:7 Isaiah 5:24 Matthew 3:12 Isaiah 5:24 33:11 Psalm 1:4 Matthew 3:12 Jeremiah 23:28 Isaiah 17:13 Hosea 13:3 Zephaniah 2:2

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Hosea 13:3 Isaiah 5:24 Luke 3:17

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

CHAFF . See Agriculture, § 3 .

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

chaf : Four different words have been translated "chaff" in the Old Testament:

(1) מוץ , mōc , is found in  Job 21:18;  Psalm 1:4;  Psalm 35:5;  Isaiah 17:13;  Isaiah 29:5;  Isaiah 41:15;  Hosea 13:3;  Zephaniah 2:2 .

(2) חשׁשׁ , ḥăshash , occurs in two verses ( Isaiah 5:24 and   Isaiah 33:11 ). Compare " ḥashı̄sh ," an Arabic word which, as commonly used, denotes grass either standing or cut, green or dry, although, strictly speaking, dry or cut grass alone. In the Revised Version (British and American)  Isaiah 5:24 the translation is "dry grass."

(3) תּבן , tebhen , is translated "chaff" in the King James Version ( Jeremiah 23:28 ). The same word is rendered "straw" in the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Arabic tibn ).

(4) אוּר , 'ūr , a Chaldaic word, occurs in  Daniel 2:35 .

In the New Testament ἄχυρον , áchuron , is found in  Matthew 3:12 and   Luke 3:17 .

In the process of winnowing, as it has been carried on in the East for thousands of years, the grain is tossed into the air so that the wind may cause a separation of chaff and straw. The light husks from the wheat and fine particles of straw are dispersed by the wind in the form of a fine dust; the heavier straw which has been broken into short pieces by the threshing process falls near at hand on the edge of the threshing-floor, while the grain falls back upon the pile. In Syria and Palestine, that which falls near at hand as cut straw is called tibn. This word occurs in the Arabic translation of  Matthew 3:12 and   Luke 3:17 . This straw is ordinarily saved and fed as "roughage" to the animals. It could easily be gathered and burned, as indicated in the above-mentioned verses, while the chaff is blown away beyond recovery, a strong figure to depict complete annihilation ( Job 21:18;  Isaiah 29:5;  Isaiah 41:16;  Hosea 13:3 ,  Daniel 2:35 ). See Agriculture; Straw; Winnowing .

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(properly מוֹוֹ , Mots; Ἄχυρον ), the refuse of winnowed grain, separated by the breeze, and consisting of hushand broken straw. It was the custom in the East to burn the chaff after winnowing. There was danger lest, after they had been separated, the chaff should be blown again among the wheat by the changing of the wind, and to prevent this they put fire to it at the windward side, which crept on and continued to burn till it had consumed all the chaff ( Psalms 83:13;  Isaiah 5:4;  Matthew 3:12). (See Agriculture).

The word rendered "chaff" in  Isaiah 5:24;  Isaiah 33:11, is חֲשִׁשׁ (Chashash´), and means rather dried grass or Hay. In  Jeremiah 23:28, it is (תֶּבֶן ), elsewhere "straw." In  Exodus 5:12, we read of קִשׁ לִתֶּבֶן, Stubble For Straw; so that it is not the same as stubble. It means straw cut into small portions, in which state it was mixed with the mud of which bricks were made to give it consistency. (See Straw). In  1 Kings 4:28, mention is made of a mixed provender for horses and camels of barley and תֶּבֶן, such as the Arabs call Tibn to this day. In  Daniel 2:35, the term is the Chaldee עוּר(ur). (See Threshing).

Chaff in the Scriptures is a frequent emblem of abortive wickedness ( Psalms 1:4;  Matthew 3:12, etc.). False doctrines are. called chaff; they are unproductive, and cannot abide the trial of the word and Spirit of God ( Jeremiah 23:28). (See Baptism Of Fire). The carrying away of chaff by the wind is an ordinary scriptural image of the destruction of the wicked, and of their powerlessness to resist God's judgments ( Isaiah 17:13;  Hosea 13:3;  Zephaniah 2:2).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Chaff, the refuse of winnowed corn. It is used as a symbol for unprofitable and worthless characters (; ).