רַ֫חַת (ra.chat)
ra.chat
shovel
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun rachath refers to a winnowing shovel, a tool essential for separating grain from chaff after harvest. In Isaiah 30:24, it describes the implement used by oxen-drawn plows or carts to toss threshed wheat into the air so the wind could blow away the lighter husks.
This single occurrence in Scripture anchors the word in the concrete reality of ancient agriculture. The image highlights a process of purification where the valuable grain is preserved while the useless chaff is discarded, a metaphor later adopted in Jewish and Christian traditions to describe divine judgment.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word rachath describes a specific agricultural tool used in ancient Israel: a large wooden shovel for tossing threshed grain into the wind. This process separated the valuable wheat from the useless chaff, ensuring that only the nourishing food remained. It reminds us that God’s work often involves careful separation, preserving what is good and discarding what hinders growth.
In Isaiah 30:24, this tool appears in a vision of peace where even the animals eating feed are part of a purified, abundant harvest. For your faith, this suggests that spiritual nourishment comes through a process of refinement. God uses life’s experiences to sift away distractions, leaving you with what truly sustains your soul.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- with the/ shovel1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בָ/רַ֖חַת1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 30:24
The oxen likewise and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat savory feed, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork.
This verse uniquely places the shovel in a context of peaceful provision, showing that purification leads to abundant nourishment for all creation.