Harrow
Summary
The Hebrew word translated "harrow" in some passages likely refers to a threshing sledge used in agriculture, while the verb "to harrow" simply means breaking clods before sowing.
☩The Hebrew Terms
Two Hebrew words are rendered "harrow" in English versions. The noun charits (meaning "a cutting") in 2 Samuel 12:31 and 1 Chronicles 20:3 more accurately denotes a threshing sledge—a frame with sharp stones or metal pieces dragged over grain to separate it from the straw. The verb sadad, meaning "to level off," describes breaking clods of soil before sowing, as in Job 39:10, Isaiah 28:24, and Hosea 10:11.
☩Agricultural Practice
It is doubtful whether the ancient Hebrews possessed an implement corresponding to the modern harrow. In ancient Egypt and modern Palestine, a simple board was dragged over fields to level lumps after plowing. Sometimes oxen were turned in to trample the clods, or a thorn bush was dragged over the surface. These processes typically occurred before, not after, the seed was sown.
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Harrow," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Harrow," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Harrow," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.Edwin W. Rice, "Harrow," in The People's Dictionary of the Bible (American Sunday-School Union, 1893).