Chaff
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Key Words
| Word | Gloss | Psalms |
|---|---|---|
| מֹץ | "chaff" | Ps. 1:4, 35:5 |
| קַשׁ | "chaff" | Ps. 83:14 |
Ancient Setting
Chaff is separated from grain and blown away by the wind during the winnowing process. “In winnowing, grain is threshed in order to separate the kernel of grain from the husk and straw. The mixture is thrown into the air with a winnowing fork or shovel. The wind blows the light husks away, the heavier straw falls near the edge of the threshing floor, and the grain falls back to the floor to be collected. Both the light husks and the heavier straw are referred to in the words translated ‘chaff’ in the Bible.”[1]
Target Domains
The image of chaff is relatively rare in the Psalms. In every case, it is used in a marked comparison (ּwith the prefixed preposition ּכ) as an image of the wicked alongside the image of wind. Chaff connotes the ideas of "lightness, instability, and worthlessness.”[2] It is thus an appropriate image for the fate of the wicked.
- In Psalm 1 the image of chaff maps onto the wicked person. The blowing away of the chaff by the wind may map onto the wicked's death or lack of success. The image of chaff is chosen as a contrast to the image of a tree, which maps onto the righteous person. Tree vs. chaff is a comparison not only of permanence vs. impermanence, but (agricultural) usefulness vs. uselessness.