Lexical Summary mots: Chaff Original Word: מֹץ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance chaff Or mowts (Zephaniah 2:2) {motes}; from muwts; chaff (as pressed out, i.e. Winnowed or (rather) threshed loose) -- chaff. see HEBREW muwts Brown-Driver-Briggs [מוֺץ], מֹץ noun masculineIsaiah 29:5 chaff (Talmud ᵑ7 מוֺצָא, Arabic  straw ); — ׳מ absolute Hosea 13:3 6t.; construct Isaiah 17:13; — chaff, always as driven by wind, and always with כְּ, in simile; of wicked Job 21:18 ("" רוּחַ תֶּבֶן לִפְנֵי), compare Psalm 1:4; Psalm 35:5; Hosea 13:8; of hostile nations Isaiah 17:13 (הָרִים ׳מ), Isaiah 29:5 ("" אָבָק דַּךְ); hyperb. of Judah's power, גְּבָעוֺת כַּמֹץ תָּשִׂים Isaiah 41:16 ("" הָרִים וְתָדֹק תָּדוּשׁ); of passing time, יוֺם Zephaniah 2:2. I, II. מוֺצָא, [מוֺצָאָה] see יצא. I. מוּצָק, [מוּצֶ֫קֶת] see יצק. II. מוּצָק see צוק. Topical Lexicon Agricultural BackgroundIn ancient Near Eastern threshing floors, harvested grain was crushed under sledges or the hooves of oxen, then tossed into the evening breeze with a winnowing fork. The heavier kernels fell back to the floor; the light, worthless husks—מֹץ—were blown away or gathered for fuel. Understanding this simple, ubiquitous scene is essential for grasping every biblical use of the term. Literal Usage Job uses מֹץ to depict the fragility of human resistance to God: “Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?” (Job 21:18). While the word is not common outside metaphor, whenever it appears it keeps its concrete sense of loose, papery refuse from grain. Symbol of the Wicked Psalm 1:4 contrasts the righteous, who are rooted “like a tree planted by streams of water,” with the wicked, who “are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The image stresses instability, worthlessness, and inevitable removal. Similarly, Hosea 13:3 links idolatrous Israel to chaff: “Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like early dew that vanishes, like chaff swirling from the threshing floor.” Everywhere מֹץ is the antithesis of covenant fidelity. Divine Judgment and Winnowing Imagery Chaff appears whenever the Spirit speaks of judgment by storm, whirlwind, or consuming fire (Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5). Isaiah 41:15 intensifies the picture by promising that Israel, newly empowered, will thresh nations so thoroughly that their power will be reduced to chaff. Zephaniah 2:2 urges repentance “before the decree takes effect and that day passes like chaff,” reminding hearers that divine judgment can arrive suddenly and irrevocably. Contrast with the Righteous Wherever מֹץ occurs, a moral separation is implied. The righteous are likened to weighty grain; the wicked to husks. This polarity supports the doctrine of two ways, frequently affirmed throughout wisdom literature and prophetic proclamation. Prophetic and Eschatological Overtones The prophets employ מֹץ to foreshadow the Day of the Lord, when transitory human pride will be swept away. The language anticipates the Messianic winnowing announced by John the Baptist: “His winnowing fork is in His hand... the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). Thus the Old Testament metaphor prepares hearers for New Testament fulfillment. Christological Continuity Jesus Christ gathers wheat into His barn and destroys chaff (Luke 3:17). By retaining the threshing–chaff motif, the New Testament vindicates the consistency of redemptive revelation: judgment on the unrepentant, preservation of the faithful. Pastoral and Homiletical Applications 1. Assurance: Believers may rest secure, knowing that their rootedness in Christ distinguishes them from chaff (Psalm 1:3–4). Related Hebrew Terms • תֶּבֶן (teben, straw) – larger stalks left after harvesting. Each term underscores futility when set against God’s purifying work but מֹץ uniquely highlights weightlessness and impending removal. See Also Psalm 83:13; Proverbs 21:8; Isaiah 5:24; Malachi 4:1 for further chaff imagery. Forms and Transliterations וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ וּכְמֹ֤ץ וכמץ כְּמֹ֖ץ כְּמֹ֤ץ כְּמֹ֥ץ כְּמֹץ֙ כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ כַּמֹּ֥ץ כמץ kam·mōṣ kammōṣ kamMotz kə·mōṣ kəmōṣ keMotz ū·ḵə·mōṣ ucheMotz ūḵəmōṣLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 21:18 HEB: לִפְנֵי־ ר֑וּחַ וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ גְּנָבַ֥תּוּ סוּפָֽה׃ NAS: the wind, And like chaff which the storm KJV: the wind, and as chaff that the storm INT: before the wind chaff carries the storm Psalm 1:4 Psalm 35:5 Isaiah 17:13 Isaiah 29:5 Isaiah 41:15 Hosea 13:3 Zephaniah 2:2 8 Occurrences |
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