Original Word: דַּיִשׁ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: dayish
Pronunciation: dah-yeesh
Phonetic Spelling: (dah-yish')
KJV: threshing
NASB: threshing
Word Origin: [from H1758 (דּוּשׁ דּוֹשׁ דִּישׁ - threshing)]

1. threshing-time

threshing

From duwsh; threshing-time -- threshing.

see HEBREW duwsh

Word Origin
from dush
Definition
a threshing
NASB Translation
threshing (1).

דַּ֫יִשׁ noun masculine threshing, i.e. the process of threshing, Leviticus 26:5 (H) אֶתבָּֿצִיר ׳וְהִשִּׂיג לָכֶם ד.

Agricultural Background

Threshing was the crucial stage of grain processing in which the edible kernels were separated from husk and straw, normally by animals’ hooves (Deuteronomy 25:4), a threshing sledge (Isaiah 41:15), or the feet of those rejoicing at harvest (Isaiah 16:10). In Israel’s dry-season climate the work happened on exposed rock or a prepared floor, with afternoon winds aiding the later winnowing. Without successful threshing there could be no bread, so the verb dush and the noun dayish evoke the very heartbeat of rural life.

Biblical Occurrence and Context (Leviticus 26:5)

“Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing, and you will eat your food in security and dwell in your land safely.” (Leviticus 26:5)

Here dayish marks the beginning of an uninterrupted cycle of agricultural plenty promised to an obedient covenant people. The threshing season (late spring) overlaps into the grape vintage (late summer), then runs on until the next sowing (autumn), sketching an entire year of overflowing provision. The single mention of dayish thus resides within the Torah’s seminal statement of blessing and curse (Leviticus 26), framing threshing as a barometer of Israel’s spiritual fidelity.

Threshing as a Sign of Covenant Blessing

1. Assurance of food security (Leviticus 26:5).
2. Joyful celebration after the toil (Psalm 126:6).
3. Participation of the whole community, including sojourners, servants, and livestock (Deuteronomy 24:19; Deuteronomy 25:4).

Abundant threshing symbolized a land at rest from enemies and drought, while a lack of grain signaled broken covenant relationship (Hosea 9:2).

Threshing Imagery in Divine Judgment and Salvation

The same act that separates kernel from chaff becomes a divine metaphor for separation between righteous and wicked.
• Judges 8:7—Gideon threatens to “thrash your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness”.
• Isaiah 28:27-28—Yahweh regulates threshing so the grain is not destroyed, a picture of measured discipline.
• Jeremiah 51:33—Babylon is likened to a floor soon to be trodden.
• Micah 4:12-13—Zion receives iron horns “to thresh many peoples,” anticipating universal justice.

John the Baptist later echoes this imagery: “His winnowing fork is in His hand…He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). Thus the humble agricultural practice becomes an eschatological signpost.

Ethical and Social Implications

Scripture embeds compassion in the threshing process:
• Deuteronomy 25:4 requires kindness to working animals, a command Paul applies to gospel laborers (1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18).
• Ruth 3 records Boaz guarding both Ruth’s reputation and provision on the threshing floor, modeling redemptive generosity.
• Amos 1:3 condemns the brutality of Damascus, who “threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth,” revealing that technological prowess without covenant ethics invites judgment.

Christological and Eschatological Themes

The Messiah gathers the wheat into His barn (Luke 3:17). In Revelation 14:14-16 a harvest is reaped by “One like the Son of Man,” sealing eternal destinies. The temporal dayish of Leviticus 26:5 anticipates this ultimate harvest, where abundance belongs to those united to Christ and famine to those who reject Him.

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Faith communities may regard every season of provision as emblematic of covenant faithfulness, prompting gratitude and stewardship.
• Pastoral labor mirrors threshing: patiently separating truth from error so believers may “eat and be satisfied” (John 21:15).
• Christian service deserves tangible support, just as the ox enjoys the grain it treads (1 Corinthians 9:10-11).
• The certainty of an approaching final threshing presses the church toward evangelism and holy living (2 Corinthians 5:11).

דַּ֙יִשׁ֙ דיש da·yiš dayiš dayishInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts