Lexical Summary
mots: Chaff
Original Word: מֹץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: mots
Pronunciation: mohts
Phonetic Spelling: (motes)
KJV: chaff
Word Origin: [from H4160 (מוּץ - To shake)]
1. chaff (as pressed out, i.e. winnowed or (rather) threshed loose)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
chaff
Or mowts (Zephaniah 2:2) {motes}; from muwts; chaff (as pressed out, i.e. Winnowed or (rather) threshed loose) -- chaff.
see HEBREW muwts
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[],
Isaiah 29:5 (Talmud , Arabic
👁 Image straw ); — absolute
Hosea 13:3 6t.; construct
Isaiah 17:13; —
chaff, always as driven by wind, and always with , in simile; of wicked
Job 21:18 ("" ), compare
Psalm 1:4;
Psalm 35:5;
Hosea 13:8; of hostile nations
Isaiah 17:13 ( ),
Isaiah 29:5 ("" ); hyperb. of Judah's power,
Isaiah 41:16 ("" ); of passing time,
Zephaniah 2:2.
I, II. , [] see .
I. , [] see .
II. see .
Topical Lexicon
Agricultural BackgroundIn ancient Near Eastern threshing floors, harvested grain was crushed under sledges or the hooves of oxen, then tossed into the evening breeze with a winnowing fork. The heavier kernels fell back to the floor; the light, worthless husks—מֹץ—were blown away or gathered for fuel. Understanding this simple, ubiquitous scene is essential for grasping every biblical use of the term.
Literal Usage
Job uses מֹץ to depict the fragility of human resistance to God: “Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?” (Job 21:18). While the word is not common outside metaphor, whenever it appears it keeps its concrete sense of loose, papery refuse from grain.
Symbol of the Wicked
Psalm 1:4 contrasts the righteous, who are rooted “like a tree planted by streams of water,” with the wicked, who “are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The image stresses instability, worthlessness, and inevitable removal. Similarly, Hosea 13:3 links idolatrous Israel to chaff: “Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like early dew that vanishes, like chaff swirling from the threshing floor.” Everywhere מֹץ is the antithesis of covenant fidelity.
Divine Judgment and Winnowing Imagery
Chaff appears whenever the Spirit speaks of judgment by storm, whirlwind, or consuming fire (Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5). Isaiah 41:15 intensifies the picture by promising that Israel, newly empowered, will thresh nations so thoroughly that their power will be reduced to chaff. Zephaniah 2:2 urges repentance “before the decree takes effect and that day passes like chaff,” reminding hearers that divine judgment can arrive suddenly and irrevocably.
Contrast with the Righteous
Wherever מֹץ occurs, a moral separation is implied. The righteous are likened to weighty grain; the wicked to husks. This polarity supports the doctrine of two ways, frequently affirmed throughout wisdom literature and prophetic proclamation.
Prophetic and Eschatological Overtones
The prophets employ מֹץ to foreshadow the Day of the Lord, when transitory human pride will be swept away. The language anticipates the Messianic winnowing announced by John the Baptist: “His winnowing fork is in His hand... the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). Thus the Old Testament metaphor prepares hearers for New Testament fulfillment.
Christological Continuity
Jesus Christ gathers wheat into His barn and destroys chaff (Luke 3:17). By retaining the threshing–chaff motif, the New Testament vindicates the consistency of redemptive revelation: judgment on the unrepentant, preservation of the faithful.
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
1. Assurance: Believers may rest secure, knowing that their rootedness in Christ distinguishes them from chaff (Psalm 1:3–4).
2. Warning: The fleeting nature of chaff exhorts complacent hearts to repentance (Zephaniah 2:2).
3. Evangelism: The image clarifies the urgency of gospel proclamation—before the wind of judgment scatters every empty profession.
Related Hebrew Terms
• תֶּבֶן (teben, straw) – larger stalks left after harvesting.
• קַשׁ (qash, stubble) – coarse residue remaining in fields after reaping.
Each term underscores futility when set against God’s purifying work but מֹץ uniquely highlights weightlessness and impending removal.
See Also
Psalm 83:13; Proverbs 21:8; Isaiah 5:24; Malachi 4:1 for further chaff imagery.
Forms and Transliterations
וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ וּכְמֹ֤ץ וכמץ כְּמֹ֖ץ כְּמֹ֤ץ כְּמֹ֥ץ כְּמֹץ֙ כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ כַּמֹּ֥ץ כמץ kam·mōṣ kammōṣ kamMotz kə·mōṣ kəmōṣ keMotz ū·ḵə·mōṣ ucheMotz ūḵəmōṣ
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
