Straw

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Straw. Both wheat and barley straw were used by the ancient Hebrews, chiefly as fodder for the horses cattle and camels.  Genesis 24:25;  1 Kings 4:28;  Isaiah 11:7;  Isaiah 66:25. There is no intimation that straw was used for litter. It was employed by the Egyptians for making bricks,  Exodus 5:7;  Exodus 5:16, being chopped up and mixed with the clay, to make them more compact, and to prevent their cracking. See Brick .

The ancient Egyptians reaped their corn close to the ear, and, afterward, cut the straw close to the ground and laid it by. This was the straw that Pharaoh refused to give to the Israelites, who were, therefore, compelled to gather "stubble" instead - a matter of considerable difficulty, seeing that the straw itself had been cut off near to the ground.

King James Dictionary

Straw n. G., L. See Strew.

1. The stalk or stem of certain species of grain, pulse, &c. Chiefly of wheat, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat and peas. When used of single stalks, it admits of a plural, straws. Straws may show which way the wind blows. We say of grain while growing, the straw is large, or it is rusty. 2. A mass of the stalks of certain species of grain when cut, and after being thrashed as a bundle or a load of straw. In this sense, the word admits not the plural number. 3. Any thing proverbially worthless. I care not a straw for the play. I will not abate a straw.

STRAW, To spread or scatter. See Strew and Strow.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing; a mere trifle.

(2): ( n.) The gathered and thrashed stalks of certain species of grain, etc.; as, a bundle, or a load, of rye straw.

(3): ( n.) A stalk or stem of certain species of grain, pulse, etc., especially of wheat, rye, oats, barley, more rarely of buckwheat, beans, and pease.

(4): ( v. t.) To spread or scatter. See Strew, and Strow.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

This is spoken of as being eaten by the cattle, and it is foretold that it will be the food even of the lion in a future day. This agrees with the practice in the East where the straw is cut up or crushed, and used as food for cattle.  1 Kings 4:28;  Isaiah 11:7 . It was used in Egypt for mixing with the clay in making bricks: in some of the ancient Egyptian bricks the straw can be seen.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Teben . The Egyptians reaped grain close to the ear, afterward they cut the straw close to the ground and laid the straw by Pharaoh refused this straw to Israel, who therefore had to gather the short stubble left; translated  Exodus 5:12, "gather ( Qash ) stubble for the straw," i.e. to be prepared as straw chopped small; so the old versions and Targum Onkelos.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Exodus 5:7-18 Job 41:27 Isaiah 11:7 25:10 65:25

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Exodus 5:6-13Stubble

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( תֶּבֶן , Teben [once "stubble,"  Job 21:18; once "chaff,"  Jeremiah 23:28]; once the cognate מַתְבֵּן , Mithben,  Isaiah 25:10; Sept. Ἄχυρον ; Vulg. Palea ) . Both wheat and barley straw were used by the ancient Hebrews chiefly as fodder for their horses, cattle, and camels ( Genesis 24:25;  1 Kings 4:28; Isaiah 11:7; 55:25). The straw was probably often chopped and mixed with barley, beans, etc., for provender (see Harmer, Obs. [Lond. 1797], 1, 423, 424; Wilkinson, Ancient Egypt. [ibid. 1854], 2, 48). There is no intimation that straw was used for litter; Harmer thinks it was not so employed. The litter the people now use in those countries is the animal's dung, dried in the sun and bruised between their hands which they heap up again in the morning, sprinkling it in the summer with fresh water to keep it from corrupting (Harmer, Obs. p. 424). Straw was employed by the Egyptians for making bricks ( Exodus 5:7;  Exodus 5:16); it was chopped up and mixed with the clay to make them more compact and to prevent their cracking (Wilkinson, Ancient Egypt. 2 , 194). (See Brick).

The ancient Egyptians reaped their corn close to the ear and afterwards cut the straw close to the ground ( Ibid. p. 48) and laid it by. This was the straw that Pharaoh refused to give to the Israelites, who were therefore compelled to gather "stubble" ( קִשׁ , Kash ) instead, a matter of considerable difficulty, seeing that the straw itself had been cut off near to the ground. The stubble (q.v.) frequently alluded to in the Scriptures may denote either the short standing straw mentioned above, which was commonly set on fire (hence the allusions in  Isaiah 5:24;  Joel 2:5), or the small fragments that would be left behind after the reapings (hence the expression "as the Kash before the wind" [ Psalms 83:13;  Isaiah 41:2;  Jeremiah 13:24]). (See Agriculture).