20:26

This proverb uses the related metaphors of winnowing and threshing. These metaphors describe the way in which a wise king removes wicked people from his kingdom.

26a A wise king separates out the wicked

26b and drives the threshing wheel over them.

Both metaphors describe the way that the chaff and husks are separated from the kernels of grain. In agricultural practice, threshing precedes winnowing. Here the order is reversed, perhaps to emphasize that the king is very thorough in removing wicked people.

The idea of removing the wicked from the kingdom probably implies that they are punished or destroyed. Some versions make this explicit. See the General Comment on 20:26a–b at the end of 20:26b for ways to translate these metaphors.

20:26a

A wise king separates out the wicked: This metaphor is similar to the metaphor used in 20:8b. See the note there for a description of the winnowing process. Some differences between the two metaphors are:

(a) Verse 20:26a refers to wicked people, whereas 20:8b refers mainly to evil or wickedness in general.

(b) Verse 20:8b focuses on the king’s ability to distinguish evil from good. Verse 20:26a focuses on his action in getting rid of people who are evil.

20:26b

drives the threshing wheel over them: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “he causes the wheel to return over them.” This is a metaphor. The king’s action in separating and removing wicked people is compared to the farmer’s use of a threshing wheel.

The farmer used an animal to pull a frame or sledge. The sledge moved on heavy iron wheels or rollers with metal spikes or cutters. The sledge was driven repeatedly over bundles of grain that were spread on a stone threshing floor. This process separated the chaff and husks from the kernels of grain. They were then winnowed so the wind could blow away the useless material.