The Wheat Harvest
- Biblical Academia
- Oct 18
- 9 min read
The Wheat Harvest
Introduction
Next in a series of Harvests & Celebrations studies is The Wheat Harvest. The details concerning the wheat harvest directly correspond to the Feast of Shavuot, also referred to as Pentecost. Understanding the agricultural terms for wheat will provide a better understanding of the observance of Shavuot, as well as, the prophecy that uses their terminology and what role they play in God’s plan for his people.
Climate & Harvest Time
Recall that it takes 50 days from the time barley is harvest ready until the time the wheat is ready to be harvested.
The 50 days was an unpredictable period of time for the wheat crops. Winds increased during the seven weeks. Most wind came from the West. The winds that came in from the East were dry. This allowed the crops to pollinate. The east winds were favored for the winnowing of grains. The winds from the West could potentially bring an early or heavy rain; preventing pollination or destroying the crop. Whirlwinds could form if West winds strove against the East winds.
Scripture shows that when the barley was smitten by the plague of hail in Egypt, the wheat was young and not grown enough to incur damage.
Exodus 9:31-32 KJV - "31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. 32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up."
In Israel, May is when the temperature increases. The hot dry weather continues for the next five months. From May to June, wheat crops are harvested. If the wheat crops do exceptionally well, harvesting could continue through to the time of the summer grape harvest. Both threshing wheat and wine pressing could occur at the same time.
Leviticus 26:3-5 KJV - "3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely."
As the wheat crop ripens, the kernels become crunchy and the ears become lighter in color.
In some places, this process is culturally referred to as "whitening". Though the light beige color of the crop is not truly white, a ripe crop ready for harvesting may be referred to as being white. Additionally, wheat grows upright until it is harvest ready; when the wheat has shifted to a bowing position.
Harvest Terms
Wheat and barley share many of the same terms and definitions. (See The Grain Crops)
Wheat
While wheat shares some definitions with corn, wheat is also defined as follows:
Strong's Hebrew 2406 - חִטָּה chiṭṭâh; of uncertain derivation; wheat, whether the grain or the plant
Strong's Hebrew 2591 - חִנְטָא chinṭâʼ; (Chald) corresponding to 2406; wheat
Strong's Greek 4621 - σῖτος sitǒs; plural, irregular, neuter. σῖτα sita; of uncertain derivation; grain, especially wheat
Strong's Hebrew 1250 - בָּר bâr; or בַּר bar; from 1305 (in the sense of winnowing); grain of any kind (even while standing in the field); by extension the open country
Strong's Hebrew 1715 - דָּגָן dâgân; from 1711; properly, increase, i.e. grain
Exodus 9:32 KJV - "But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up."
(Wheat H2406)
TARE
Tares resemble wheat in appearance. From a distance you cannot tell them apart. There are however, a few differences between them; one of them being that both produce seeds but the seeds of the tares are black and poisonous if eaten. If the tares are pulled up before the wheat is ready to be harvested, young wheat could be mistaken for a tare and be uprooted with it.
Strong's Greek 2215 - ζιζάνιον zizániŏn; of uncertain origin; darnel or false grain:—tares
Matthew 13:26 KJV - "But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also."
(tares G2215)
Husbandman
Field cultivators of the grain crop were known as husbandmen and plowmen.
Strong's Hebrew 406 - אִכָּר ʼikkâr; from an unused root meaning to dig; a farmer:—husbandman, ploughman.
Strong's Hebrew 3009 - יָגַב yâgab; a primitive root; to dig or plow.
Strong's Greek 1092 - γεωργός gěōrgǒs; from 1093 and the base of 2041; a land-worker, i.e. farmer
Jeremiah 31:24 KJV - "And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks."
(Husbandman H406)
Some English words for husbandman are formed from three different words in Hebrew: such as soil man and soil work man.
As a compound of words:
Strong's Hebrew 127 - אֲדָמָה ʼădâmâh; from 119; soil (from its general redness)
Strong's Hebrew 376 - אִישׁ ʼîysh; contracted for 582 [or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant]; a man as an individual or a male person;
Strong's Hebrew 5647 - עָבַד ʻâbad; a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.
THRESHING
Similarly to barley, wheat must undergo threshing to release the kernel from the chaff. Wheat requires more effort to thresh. The favored method of threshing was by foot; originally with assistance from farm animals like oxen.
Strong's Hebrew 1758 - דּוּשׁ dûwsh; or דּוֹשׁ dôwsh; or דִּישׁ dîysh; a primitive root; to trample or thresh
Genesis 42:1 KJV - "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?"
(Corn H7668)
THRESHING BOARD & CART
Threshing wheat would include the use of a threshing board, also known as a threshing sledge; which was pulled behind the oxen. The pressure would separate the kernel from the chaff.
Board (threshing sledge)
Strong's Hebrew 4173 - מוֹרַג môwrag; or מֹרַג môrag; from an unused root meaning to triturate; a threshing sledge
Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon (môwrag): “[1 Chr. 21:23], a threshing-sledge, Lat. Tribulum …a rustic instrument for rubbing or beating out grain upon the threshing-floor. It is of two kinds. The one is a sledge of thick planks, having the bottom fixed full of sharp stones or irons, and dragged about by oxen over the grain ..."Strong's Hebrew 7039 - קָלִי qâlîy; or יאקָלִ qâlîyʼ; from 7033; roasted ears of grain:—parched corn
Strong's Hebrew 7033 - קָלָה qâlâh; a primitive root [rather identical with 7034 through the idea of shrinkage by heat]; to toast, i.e. scorch partially or slowly
(See Leviticus 23:14, Ruth 2:14, 1st Samuel 17:17, 25:18, and 2nd Samuel 17:28)
1 Chronicles 21:23 KJV - "And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all."
(threshing instruments H4173)
Cart (threshing sledge)
Strong’s Hebrew 5699 - עֲגָלָה ʻăgâlâh; from the same as 5696; something revolving, i.e. a wheeled vehicle
Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon (môwrag): “…The other consists of three or four rollers of wood, iron, stone, made rough, and joined together in the form of a sledge or dray, drawn in like manner by oxen over the grain … the latter is called עֲגָלָה [ʻăgâlâh, Is 28:27]”
Isaiah 28:28 KJV - "Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen."
(cart H5699)
THRESHING FLAIL (BEAT/THRASH)
The alternative to using the threshing board was the flail. The flail was used to thrash, that is, to beat repeatedly the sheaves to separate the chaff from the kernel.
As a verb:
Strong's Hebrew 4347 - מַכָּה makkâh; or (masculine) מַכֶּה makkeh; (plural only) from 5221; a blow (in 2 Chronicles 2:10, of the flail); by implication, a wound; figuratively, carnage, also pestilence:
Strong's Greek 1194 - δέρω děrō; a primary verb; properly, to flay, i.e. (by implication) to scourge, or (by analogy) to thrash:—beat, smite.
As beaten corn:
Strong's Hebrew 1643 - גֶּרֶשׂ geres; from an unused root meaning to husk; a kernel (collectively), i.e. grain
2 Chronicles 2:10 KJV - "And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil."
(beaten H4347)
THRESHING-FLOOR
Threshing wheat required a breezy open area with a hard surface called a threshingfloor, or simply floor from the Greek. The wind from the breeze was needed for the winnowing that would take place after threshing.
Strong's Hebrew 1637 - גֹּרֶן gôren,; from an unused root meaning to smooth; a threshing-floor (as made even); by analogy, any open area
Strong's Greek 257 - ἅλων hálōn; probably from the base of 1507; a threshing-floor (as rolled hard), i.e. (figuratively) the grain (and chaff, as just threshed):—floor.
1 Chronicles 21:21 KJV - "And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground."
(threshingfloor H1637)
WINNOWING SHOVEL (FAN) & FORK
The instruments for winnowing includes a shovel, also referred to as a fan; used to "scatter"(H2219) the chaff, and a fork; used to cause the chaff to be carried away.
Strong's Hebrew 4214 - מִזְרֶה mizreh; from 2219; a winnowing shovel (as scattering the chaff):—fan.
Strong's Hebrew 7371 - רַחַת rachath; from 7306; a winnowing-fork (as blowing the chaff away):—shovel
Strong's Greek 4425 - πτύον ptuǒn; from 4429; a winnowing-fork (as scattering like spittle):—fan.
Strong's Hebrew 2219 - זָרָה zârâh; a primitive root (compare 2114); to toss about; by implication, to diffuse, winnow:—cast away, compass, disperse, fan, scatter (away), spread, strew, winnow.
Isaiah 30:24 KJV - "The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan."
(winnowed H2219, shovel H7371, fan H4214)
Based on personal choice and what is best suited for the grain stalks, either the shovel/fan or the fork would be used to scatter the chaff and debris form the kernels. The fork was capable of handling longer stalks of grain.
Fodder, Provender
Though the chaff is carried away, the remaining debris from the grain stalks is given to animals to feed on.
Strong's Hebrew 1098 - בְּלִיל bᵉlîyl; from 1101; mixed, i.e. (specifically) feed (for cattle)
Strong's Hebrew 4554 - מִסְפּוֹא miçpôwʼ; from an unused root meaning to collect; fodder
Isaiah 30:24 KJV - "The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan."
(provender H1098)
SIEVE
The wheat is sieved after being winnowed to remove any weed seeds, remaining chaff, dirt and rocks.
Strong's Hebrew 3531 - כְּבָרָה kᵉbârâh; from 3527 in its original sense; a sieve (as netted)
Strong's Greek 4617 - σινιάζω siniázō; from σινίον siníŏn (a sieve); to riddle (figuratively):—sift.
Amos 9:9 KJV - "For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth."
(sieve H3531)
Garner & Barn
After being sieved, the wheat kernels are cooked, ground into flour, or stored in a granary; also a barn.
Strong's Hebrew 4035 - מְגוּרָה mᵉgûwrâh; feminine of 4032 or of 4033; a fright; also a granary:—barn, fear
Strong's Greek 596 - ἀποθήκη apŏthḗkē; from 659; a repository, i.e. granary:—barn, garner.
Luke 12:24 KJV - "Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?"
(barn G596)
POUND/BRAY
Grains that are not stored for other or later use are ground into fine flour. One of the ways this is done is through pounding the kernels in a pestle and mortar.
As a verb:
Strong's Hebrew 3806 - כָּתַשׁ kâthash; a primitive root; to butt or pound
As pounded corn:
Strong's Hebrew 7383 - רִיפָה rîyphâh; or רִפָה rîphâh; from 7322; (only plural), grits (as pounded)
Proverbs 27:22 KJV - "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him."
(bray H3806)
MILLSTONE
An alternative method for grinding grain into flour, especially for larger quantities, is to use a millstone.
Strong's Hebrew 7393 - רֶכֶב rekeb; from 7392; a vehicle; by implication, a team; by extension, cavalry; by analogy a rider, i.e. the upper millstone:
Strong's Greek 3458 - μύλος mulŏs; probably ultimately from the base of 3433 (through the idea of hardship); a "mill", i.e. (by implication), a grinder (millstone):
2 Samuel 11:21 KJV - "Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."
(millstone H7393)
Grinding the kernels into flour was done by women. It is said that it took three hours to make enough flour for a home of six people.
Observing the TIMES
Preparing oneself to meet with God took much diligence and hard work. If the Israelites fell away from God during the 50 days, they would miss the opportunity to harvest their wheat crops and to meet with God. If they would have missed partaking in Passover and the barley sheaf wave offering due to falling away, they would have also missed the counting of Omer and the appointed time to offer up the firstfruits of the wheat harvest.