Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

MILL

Two circular stones (millstones) used in the grinding of grain. The grinding of grain as depicted in ancient art is attested in archaeological excavations in the Middle East from at least the Neolithic period (c. 8300–4500 BC) in the shape of various concave stones with flat grinding pieces accompanying them. These were essentially handmills. Over the centuries improvements in technique took place. But two elements were always necessary, the lower one on which the grain was spread and the upper one, which was moved over the surface of the lower one under pressure, to grind the grain into flour. The Hebrew term for “mill” is grammatically a dual—that is, it refers to two elements.

The earliest mill, the saddle quern, consisted of a rough base stone, slightly concave, and a convex rubbing stone. The base stone varied from 18 to 30 inches (45.7 to 76.2 centimeters) across with one end a little thicker than the other. It was known in Hebrew as “the underneath portion” (Jb 41:24). The upper stone, called the “rider portion” (Jgs 9:53; 2 Sm 11:21), varied from 6 to 15 inches (15.2 to 38.1 centimeters) in length and was flat on one side and convex on the other. It could be held easily in the hand. Grinding was done by pushing the upper stone backward and forward over the grain, which lay on the lower stone. Only a small quantity of grain could be ground at one time using this method (Gn 18:6).

A second type of handmill consisted of two round stones. The lower one could be either convex or concave on top and the upper one was either concave or convex so as to fit nearly over the lower stone. Some examples of this type of mill have a funnel-shaped hole in the center of the top stone through which grain was poured. The upper mill was turned on the lower one by means of a wooden peg inserted on its outside edge. As the grain was crushed, it escaped along the edges of the upper stone. Commonly the stone used was black basalt because its rough and porous surface provided good cutting edges. The normal type of handmill could be operated by one person, but sometimes two persons were required (Mt 24:41).

So important was the handmill in the life of the people that it was prohibited by law to take a man’s millstone as a pledge against the payment of a debt, for this would deprive his family of the means of making flour for bread (Dt 24:6). These stones were heavy enough to kill a man when thrown on his head, as in the case of Abimelech (Jgs 9:53; cf. 2 Sm 11:21).

Normally, the grinding of grain was the task of servants (Ex 11:5) or of women (Is 47:2). The noise of grinding could be heard each day in every village in Palestine. When that sound ceased, the village had come to an end (Jer 25:10).

There seems to have been larger community mills that required animal power. A heavy round stone, perhaps four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) in diameter, was rolled on its edge by means of a pole through its center. This pole rotated around a vertical post in much the same way as one finds in some Eastern lands even today. It may have been a large mill of this type that Samson was forced to use to grind grain for the Philistines (Jgs 16:21).