Straw
“Chopped straw”
Summary
The stalks of grain crops used primarily as animal fodder and as a binding material in brick-making.
☩Uses in Ancient Israel
Both wheat and barley straw were used by the Hebrews chiefly as fodder for horses, cattle, and camels. The straw was typically chopped and mixed with grain for provender. Unlike modern practice, straw was apparently not used for animal bedding. In brick-making, chopped straw was mixed with clay to make bricks more compact and prevent cracking.
☩The Israelites in Egypt
The most memorable biblical reference to straw involves the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt. Pharaoh ordered that straw no longer be supplied for brick-making, forcing the Israelites to gather stubble while maintaining their quota of bricks. The Egyptians had reaped their grain close to the ear and then cut the straw separately; this prepared straw was what Pharaoh withheld. The Israelites then had to gather the short stubble left in the fields, greatly increasing their labor.
Related Verses20 mentions
References
- 1.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Straw," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 2.John McClintock and James Strong, "Straw," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Straw," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).