Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:
Ancient sieves, or sifters, were crudely made of rushes, though the Gauls are credited with their manufacture from horsehair
From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Amos 9: 9. I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve.
A part of the process of winnowing grain consisted in the use of a sieve, by which means the particles of earth, and other impurities which clung to the corn during the process of threshing, were separated from the grain. In addition to this text, reference is figuratively made to the sieve in Isaiah 30:2828And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err. (Isaiah 30:28), and Luke 22:3131And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: (Luke 22:31). See also note on Ruth 3:22And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. (Ruth 3:2) (#243) and on Matthew 3:1212Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12) (#634).
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