πτύον (ptuon)
ptuon
winnowing fork
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun ptuon refers to a winnowing fork or shovel, a simple agricultural tool used in ancient grain processing. Its primary function was to toss threshed wheat into the air so that the wind could blow away the lighter chaff, leaving the heavier grain behind. This concrete image appears in only two New Testament verses, both describing John the Baptist’s prophecy about Jesus’ future judgment (Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17).
The word highlights a decisive separation between what is valuable and what is waste. In these passages, the tool symbolizes the authority of the coming Messiah to sort people into categories of righteousness or judgment. The imagery relies on a familiar rural practice, making the spiritual reality of divine discernment accessible to its original audience through everyday farming life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The image of a winnowing fork brings ancient farming into our spiritual understanding. Farmers tossed threshed grain into the air, letting the wind carry away light chaff while heavy wheat fell back down. This simple act became a powerful picture of how Jesus separates what is lasting from what is temporary.
When we read that this tool is in His hand, it reminds us that He sees clearly what our eyes miss. You do not need to worry about being overlooked or misunderstood by God. The One who holds the fork knows the weight and worth of every heart, gathering what is true into His care.
This promise offers deep comfort. While the world often mixes good with bad, Jesus brings clarity. We can rest in the knowledge that He handles judgment with perfect fairness, saving what is precious and leaving behind what has no eternal value.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- winnowing fork [is]2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πτύον2×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
This verse places the tool directly in Jesus' hand, emphasizing His personal authority to separate righteousness from judgment.
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Luke 3:17
His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Luke uses this agricultural metaphor to show that Jesus actively cleanses His domain, gathering the faithful while removing what is worthless.