Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PLOW, PLOWSHARE

The single-furrow plow was a straight pole (a thin trunk or long branch) that ran parallel to the ground. A yoke enabled the plowman to attach one end to a draft animal; a branch or arm projected down from the pole’s other end at an angle, with a plow point or plowshare secured at the arm’s end. The farmer pushed the plow down so that the plowshare came into contact with the ground and pierced its surface. Before the invention of iron, plow points were made of stone, hardwood, or bronze; even after iron came into use (after ca. 1200 b.c.), many plowshares were still fashioned from bronze. These points have survived at many archaeological sites.

In biblical times the plow was quite primitive and farmers were able to do little more than scratch the surface and cut a shallow furrow into the soil. The point of the plow broke up hard-packed, sun-baked ground to give seeds a place to germinate and allow the winter precipitation to soak in. Therefore it required sharpening to be effective (1 Sam. 13:19-22). Once a farmer broke the soil, it was necessary to smash the clods and level the surface with a hoe or harrow (Isa. 28:24-25). Plows were usually yoked to oxen, but cows, mules, and asses were also used. Mosaic law prohibited yoking an ox with an ass (Deut. 22:10). When the early rains of late autumn began, plowing for winter crops could take place (cf. Prov. 20:4).

Plowing was used metaphorically throughout the OT (e.g., Job 4:8; Ps. 129:3; Jer. 26:18 = Mic. 3:12; Hos. 10:11). For example, an era of peace will arrive when people turn swords into plowshares (Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3; but Joel 3:10[MT 4:10]). Jesus used the plowing process to emphasize the importance of commitment to the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).

Bibliography. O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel (Winona Lake, 1987); J. A. Thompson, Handbook of Life in Bible Times (Downers Grove, 1986).

Gerald L. Mattingly

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PLOW, PLOWSHARE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)