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On translating "winnowing fork"
The ISV
renders Matthew 3:12 as "His winnowing fork is in his hand. He will clean up
his threshing floor and gather his grain into the barn, but he will
burn the chaff with his inextinguishable fire. I do not know the modified
Greek used for this translation (nor do I know the original Greek), however,
in Greek Orthodoxy, there is a very significant icon (image) of Christ with
a broom (a 'winnowing reed', I suppose it was called). It is a very ancient
icon. This has significance, of course, for Christ will separate those
who are 'filled with Him' (the wheat, or grain in this translation) and have
life (or the potentiality for true life (the true life of a grain), vs those
who are just hollow, empty, dead shells (the chaff). I don't know what a
winnowing fork would be though.
The Greek word describes a
tool utilized to grab cut wheat for threshing by tossing it into the air, at
which time wind currents would separate the heavier wheat grains from the
lighter chaff. Think of a pitchfork-like device and you'll not be far off.
The image of a broom isn't quite accurate, however. We chose to use the term
"winnowing fork" because the term accurately describes what the device may
have looked like. Note that that the Greek word implies a tool that takes
two hands to use. The text in Matthew implies that the tool is being held in
one hand, and is therefore not yet ready for use. Think of a farmer holding
a pitch fork in one hand, with the handle resting on the ground and the fork
end pointing upward, and I don't think you'll be too far off the mark of
what the text is saying. The connotation of the warning of impending
judgment that has not yet commenced is clearly brought out by the ISV.
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