892. achuron
Lexical Summary
achuron: Chaff

Original Word: ἄχυρον
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: achuron
Pronunciation: AH-khoo-ron
Phonetic Spelling: (akh'-oo-ron)
KJV: chaff
NASB: chaff
Word Origin: [perhaps remotely from cheo "to shed forth"]

1. chaff (as diffusive)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
chaff.

Perhaps remotely from cheo (to shed forth); chaff (as diffusive) -- chaff.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain origin
Definition
chaff
NASB Translation
chaff (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 892: ἄχυρον

ἄχυρον, ἀχύρου, τό, "a stalk of grain from which the kernels have been beaten out; straw broken up by a threshing-machine, chaff": Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17. (In Greek writings from Herodotus 4, 72; Xenophon, oec. 18. 1, 2, 6 down; mostly in plural τά ἄχυρα; in Job 21:18 the Sept. also of the chaff accustomed to being driven away by the wind.)

Topical Lexicon
Literal and Agricultural Background

In first-century Palestine, winnowing separated edible kernels from worthless husks. After threshing, farmers tossed grain into the evening breeze; the heavy wheat fell at their feet, but the dry, weightless chaff (ἄχυρον) blew away or collected for burning. Listeners in Judea understood chaff as valueless refuse, fit only for fire.

Symbolic Usage in Scripture

Both Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17 employ ἄχυρον in identical preaching by John the Baptist:

“His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

ἄχυρον here pictures those who remain unrepentant when Messiah inaugurates His kingdom. The imagery distinguishes between authentic fruit (wheat) and superficial religiosity (chaff).

Connections with Old Testament Imagery

The prophets had already used chaff as a metaphor for the ungodly: “Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.” (Psalm 1:4). Isaiah likened hostile nations to chaff consumed “in an instant” (Isaiah 29:5). John’s use therefore bridges Old Testament warning and New Covenant fulfillment, declaring that the long-awaited Judge stands ready to act.

Christological Significance

John’s proclamation assigns to Jesus the divine prerogative of final separation. While John baptizes with water, Jesus wields the winnowing fork, gathers the righteous, and consigns chaff to “unquenchable fire.” The metaphor underscores both His saving authority and His judicial severity, uniting the twin themes of grace and judgment present throughout the Gospels.

Eschatological Dimension

ἄχυρον anticipates the ultimate sifting at Christ’s return (Matthew 13:30; Revelation 14:14-16). The image teaches:

1. Inevitability—no portion of the threshing floor escapes examination.
2. Finality—once the chaff is burned, reversal is impossible.
3. Certainty—“unquenchable” signals everlasting consequence, reinforcing eternal accountability.

Implications for Personal Holiness

Believers are called to self-examination (2 Corinthians 13:5), ensuring that professed faith bears genuine fruit. The epistle imagery of works tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) echoes the fate of chaff: only what is grounded in Christ endures. Thus, ἄχυρον warns against nominal discipleship and urges Spirit-wrought transformation.

Preaching and Teaching Applications

• Emphasize repentance: John’s message confronts complacency in religious heritage (Matthew 3:9).
• Highlight urgency: Present salvation is available, yet a definitive separation is approaching.
• Foster assurance: The same text that threatens judgment also promises secure “barn” gathering for true wheat.

Historical Interpretation in Church Tradition

Early fathers such as Chrysostom expounded these verses to refute antinomianism, asserting that orthodoxy without obedience is chaff. Reformers appealed to the passage when distinguishing invisible church (wheat) from visible mixed multitude. Contemporary evangelical missions employ the metaphor to stress both evangelism and discipleship, maintaining that numerical growth without conversion merely multiplies chaff.

Pastoral Exhortation

The twin occurrences of ἄχυρον call the Church to fearless proclamation of both gospel invitation and impending reckoning. Shepherds are to nurture wheat through Word and sacrament, while lovingly warning that the Judge already holds the fork.

Forms and Transliterations
άχυρα αχύροις αχυρον άχυρον ἄχυρον achuron achyron áchyron
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 3:12 N-ANS
GRK: τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ
NAS: but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
KJV: he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
INT: and [the] chaff he will burn up with fire

Luke 3:17 N-ANS
GRK: τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ
NAS: but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
KJV: but the chaff he will burn
INT: and [the] chaff he will burn with fire

Strong's Greek 892
2 Occurrences


ἄχυρον — 2 Occ.

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