229. aléthó
Lexical Summary
aléthó: To speak the truth, to be truthful

Original Word: ἀληθῶ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: aléthó
Pronunciation: ah-lay-THO
Phonetic Spelling: (al-ay'-tho)
KJV: grind
NASB: grinding
Word Origin: [from aleo "to grind"]

1. to grind

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
grind.

From the same as aleuron; to grind -- grind.

see GREEK aleuron

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as aleuron
Definition
to grind
NASB Translation
grinding (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 229: ἀλήθω

ἀλήθω; (a common Greek form for the Attic ἀλέω, cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 151); to grind: Matthew 24:41; Luke 17:35. It was the custom to send women and female slaves to the mill-houses (?) to turn the hand-mills (Exodus 11:5), who were called by the Greeks γυναῖκες, ἀλετρίδες (Homer, Odyssey 20, 105); (cf. B. D. under the word ).

Topical Lexicon
Entry Title: ἀλέθω – Strong’s Greek 229

Literal Background

Grinding grain was one of the most ordinary yet indispensable tasks in the ancient Near East. Families used two circular stones—an upper hand-stone (the rider) worked against a lower stationary stone—to turn harvested grain into flour for daily bread. Though donkey-powered and larger village mills are attested, household grinding was typically performed by women at dawn and dusk, the rhythmic sound becoming a hallmark of settled life (Jeremiah 25:10). Because bread was the staple of every table, the action of grinding symbolized normalcy, routine, and the very continuity of community life.

Occurrences in the New Testament

The participle ἀλήθουσαι appears twice, both in prophetic discourse:
Matthew 24:41 – “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Luke 17:35 – “Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

In both settings Jesus describes the unexpected separation that will accompany His return. By choosing the mundane scene of women at a millstone, He underscores that final judgment will invade ordinary moments with no advance warning.

Eschatological Emphasis

The contrast “one taken … the other left” highlights divine sovereignty rather than human status. Grinding was a humble, repetitive duty shared by many; yet from within that sameness Christ distinguishes hearts. The passage complements the warnings of Matthew 24:36–39 that the days of Noah seemed routine until the flood came. Thus ἀλέθω becomes a vivid reminder that preparedness is spiritual, not circumstantial.

Old Testament Echoes

1. Exodus 11:5 locates a servant girl “at the millstone” when the firstborn of Egypt die, foreshadowing a nighttime judgment that spared none but the protected.
2. Isaiah 47:2 depicts Babylon humbled: “Take millstones and grind flour,” a reversal of royal dignity.
3. Judges 16:21 records Samson forced to grind in prison, pairing the image with humiliation and bondage.

These texts form a scriptural backdrop in which grinding can signify both ordinary life and imposed servitude, intensifying Jesus’ warning that final separation will reach into every social stratum.

Socio-Economic Significance

Because grinding was daily and domestic, it represents the heartbeat of agrarian society. The verb therefore connotes:
• Provision: Without flour, families starved.
• Persistence: Stones were heavy; the labor was unending.
• Community rhythm: The communal dawn chorus of millstones marked the day’s start.

By inserting judgment into this sphere, Scripture teaches that salvation concerns those who labor unseen as much as kings and priests.

Historical and Archaeological Notes

Excavations in Galilee and Judea uncover basalt hand-mills in most first-century homes. Lower stones average 30–40 cm in diameter, their surfaces worn hollow by decades of use. Larger rotary mills appear in sites such as Capernaum, indicating village-level production. Such findings corroborate the realism of Jesus’ illustration; hearers would have pictured mothers, daughters, and servants crouched over these stones at dawn.

Ministry Insights and Application

1. Readiness Amid Routine – Believers are called to watchfulness even while fulfilling everyday duties (1 Thessalonians 5:2–6).
2. Dignity of Ordinary Work – The Lord’s parables honor common labor, encouraging a theology of vocation that encompasses homemakers and tradesmen.
3. Imminence of Judgment – Just as grain could be ground without thought of crisis, so modern schedules can dull spiritual alertness. Pastors may draw on the ἀλέθω passages to press urgency upon congregations complacent in “business as usual.”

Typological Reflections

Grain, once crushed, yields bread that sustains life; Christ, once “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5), becomes the Bread of Life. The act of grinding therefore points both to human dependence and to the redemptive pattern of brokenness leading to provision.

Related Themes and References

• Daily Bread – Matthew 6:11; Exodus 16:4
• Sudden Judgment – Luke 12:39–40; Revelation 18:22 (loss of millstone sound in fallen Babylon)
• Labor and Reward – Colossians 3:23–24; Proverbs 31:15

Summary

Strong’s Greek 229, though appearing only twice, invites contemplation of Christ’s return amid commonplace activity. Grinding grain epitomizes ordinary life, yet Scripture weaves this modest verb into its grand eschatological tapestry, affirming that in God’s economy no task is too small to serve as a stage for eternal consequence.

Forms and Transliterations
αληθουσαι αλήθουσαι ἀλήθουσαι αληθούσης αλήθων ήληθον alethousai alēthousai alḗthousai
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 24:41 V-PPA-NFP
GRK: δύο ἀλήθουσαι ἐν τῷ
NAS: Two women [will be] grinding at the mill;
KJV: Two [women shall be] grinding at
INT: two [women] grinding at the

Luke 17:35 V-PPA-NFP
GRK: ἔσονται δύο ἀλήθουσαι ἐπὶ τὸ
NAS: There will be two women grinding at the same
KJV: [women] shall be grinding together;
INT: there will be Two [women] grinding at the

Strong's Greek 229
2 Occurrences


ἀλήθουσαι — 2 Occ.

228
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