Grain

Grain in the biblical world referred primarily to wheat and barley, the staple crops of Palestine and the ancient Near East. Grain is used theologically in two principal metaphors. (1.) In Amos 9:9, God promises to sift Israel as grain is sifted in a sieve, ensuring that no true kernel falls to the ground. (2.) In Jesus' teaching, a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying to bear much fruit (John 12:24) becomes the paradigm for his own death and resurrection and for the self-denying life of discipleship. The grain of mustard seed (Matt. 13:31) illustrates the surprising growth of the kingdom from small beginnings. Grain offerings (minḥāh) were a key element of the Levitical sacrificial system (Lev. 2), presented to God as an expression of dedication.