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The Barley Harvest

Ruth 3:2

In ancient times, harvesting barley involved several stages. After cutting the grain with a sickle and gathering it into sheaves, the reapers took the barley to the threshing floor on top of a hill. Oxen were attached to a long board, and as they circled the raised threshing platform, the stalks of grain were crushed. Workers then threw the grain into the air using pitchforks (winnowing), and the chaff (the inedible seed casing) would be blown away in the wind while the precious grain would fall to the ground, where it was shoveled up and stored in barns. Each night during the harvest, the workers would celebrate God's provision of grain and then go to sleep on the threshing floor.

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