Original Word: רֵחֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: recheh
Pronunciation: reh'-keh
Phonetic Spelling: (ray-kheh')
KJV: mill (stone)
NASB: millstones, handmill
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to pulverize]

1. a mill-stone

mill stone

From an unused root meaning to pulverize; a mill-stone -- mill (stone).

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
(hand)mill
NASB Translation
handmill (1), millstones (4).

[רֵחַה] noun [masculine], only

dual רֵחַיִם (hand-)mill (probably = two mill-stones); — ׳ר absolute, common household utensil, turned by maids, Exodus 11:5 (הָרֵחָ֑יִלם; J), female slaves Isaiah 47:1 (with טָחַן, q. v.); ׳טָחַן בָּר Numbers 11:8 (J); וָרָ֑כֶב ׳ר Deuteronomy 24:6 (see רכב); ׳קוֺל ר as sound of family life Jeremiah 25:10.

Physical description and everyday function

רֵחֶה designates the small, hand-turned mill of the ancient household—two circular stones, the lower fixed, the upper rotated by one or two women seated behind it (Exodus 11:5). Grain poured into a central hole was rubbed into flour as the upper stone revolved. Because bread was the staple of life, the millstone was as indispensable as the hearth, symbolizing subsistence, continuity, and family labor.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Exodus 11:5 sets the mills of slave women in stark contrast to Pharaoh’s throne, showing that the coming judgment of the firstborn would touch every social stratum “from…Pharaoh…to the firstborn of the maidservant behind the millstones.”
• Numbers 11:8 describes Israel turning miraculous manna “in hand mills” into cakes, underscoring both God’s provision and human responsibility to prepare what He supplies.
• Deuteronomy 24:6 forbids taking “an upper or lower millstone as security,” recognizing that seizing a family’s mill destroys its capacity to live—“that would be taking a life as security.”
• Isaiah 47:2 commands proud Babylon, “Take millstones and grind flour,” portraying enforced humiliation: a royal lady reduced to servile labor.
• Jeremiah 25:10 foretells national desolation in which “the sound of the millstones” is silenced; with no grain being ground, life and joy have vanished.

Legal and ethical dimensions

In Deuteronomy the millstone becomes a test case for righteous lending. Property essential to survival must never be demanded as collateral. The verse affirms the sanctity of life and labor while restraining exploitive economics. By extension, believers are warned to avoid practices that jeopardize another person’s livelihood.

Symbolism in prophetic judgment

Isaiah and Jeremiah employ the millstone to picture the reversal of fortunes and the collapse of societal normalcy. When the mill ceases, daily bread, commerce, marriage festivities, and hope itself are gone. The image therefore intensifies oracles of woe, making the loss of routine sounds a token of utter ruin.

Typological and Christological echoes

Jesus’ warning that it would be better to have “a large millstone hung around his neck” than to cause a little one to stumble (Matthew 18:6) draws on the same implement, magnifying its weight to stress divine retribution. The continuity from רֵחֶה to the Greek μύλος underlines the moral consistency of both Testaments: life-sustaining tools become metaphors of death when misused or despised.

Ministry applications

1. Stewardship: The household mill illustrates God’s pattern of provision joined to diligent work; ministries should encourage both faith and industry.
2. Compassionate lending: Churches involved in benevolence must safeguard the dignity and essential means of the needy, never leveraging aid in ways that enslave.
3. Warning and hope: Preaching on Isaiah 47 or Jeremiah 25 may link the silenced mill to Christ’s call to repentance, contrasting impending judgment with the promise of the Bread of Life who restores abundance.

Historical notes for teaching

Archaeology in Israel uncovers querns and rotary mills in nearly every domestic context from the Bronze Age through the Roman period, validating the biblical portrayal. Their ubiquity explains why the prophets could evoke powerful emotions simply by mentioning their sound.

Summary

רֵחֶה represents more than an ancient appliance; it is a theological object lesson affirming God’s care, demanding social justice, and warning of judgment. Whether grinding manna in the wilderness or standing silent in a ruined city, the millstone calls every generation to honor the Lord who alone gives daily bread.

בָרֵחַ֗יִם ברחים הָרֵחָ֑יִם הרחים רֵחַ֖יִם רחים ḇā·rê·ḥa·yim ḇārêḥayim hā·rê·ḥā·yim hareChayim hārêḥāyim rê·ḥa·yim reChayim rêḥayim vareChayimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts