Millstone

How Nave’s arranged it

• Not to be taken as a pledgeDeuteronomy 24:6
• Probably used in executions by drowningMatthew 18:6Mark 9:42Luke 17:2
• Abimelech killed by one being of hurled upon himJudges 9:53
• Figurative of a hard heartJob 41:24

The passages, in Bible order (6)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 6 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. Deuteronomy 24:6

   Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.

   ›Commentary on Deuteronomy 24:62 voices

   “The nether or the upper mill-stone - Small hand-mills which can be worked by a single person were formerly in use among the Jews, and are still used in many parts of the East. As therefore the day’s meal was generally ground for each day, they keeping no stock beforehand, hence they were forbidden to take either of the stones to pledge, because in such a case the family must be without bread. On this account the text terms the millstone the man’s life.

   “Mill-stone - Used in their hand-mills. Under this, he understands all other things necessary to get a livelihood, the taking away whereof is against the laws both of charity and prudence, seeing by those things alone he can be enabled both to subsist and to pay his debts.

   Everything gathered on Deuteronomy 24:6→

   Verse page →Original language →

2. Judges 9:53

   But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.

   ›Commentary on Judges 9:531 voice

   “A piece of a millstone - פלח רכב pelach recheb, a piece of a chariot wheel; but the word is used in other places for upper millstones, and is so understood here by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. And all to break his skull - A most nonsensical version of ותרץ את גלגלתו vattarits eth gulgolto, which is literally, And she brake, or fractured, his skull. Plutarch, in his life of Pyrrhus, observes that this king was killed at the siege of Thebes, by a piece of a tile, which a woman threw upon his head.

   Everything gathered on Judges 9:53→

   Verse page →Original language →

3. Job 41:24

   His chest is as hard as a rock, as hard as a lower millstone!

   ›Commentary on Job 41:242 voices

   “His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. Which must be understood not of the substance but of the qualities of it, being bold, courageous, undaunted, and unmerciful; which is true both of the whale and crocodile, and particularly of the crocodile: Aelianus (z) relates of one sort of them that they are unmerciful, though elsewhere (a), he represents them as fearful. (z) De Animal. l. 12. c. 41. (a) Ibid. l. 10. c. 24.

   “His heart shall be hardened as a stone, and he will be bound as the anvil of the hammerer. 11. For the heart of the ancient enemy will be hardened as a stone, because it will never be softened by any penitence of conversion. And because he will be fitted only for the blows of eternal punishment, it is rightly immediately added; And he will be bound as the anvil of the hammerer. For the hammerer puts up an anvil fitted to receive blows only. For an anvil is erected for the very purpose of being struck with frequent blows.

   Everything gathered on Job 41:24→

   Verse page →Original language →

4. Matthew 18:6

   But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

   ›Commentary on Matthew 18:61 voice

   “(Verse 6.) But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Note that whoever is scandalized is little: for the greater ones do not receive scandals. Let him be hanged with a millstone around his neck, and let him be thrown into the depths of the sea.

   Everything gathered on Matthew 18:6→

   Verse page →Original language →

5. Mark 9:42

   But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea.

   ›Commentary on Mark 9:422 voices

   “But in Mt 18:6 it is the "ass-turned" kind, far heavier than the small hand-mill turned by female slaves, as in Lu 17:35. It is of course the same which is meant here. and he were cast into the sea--meaning, that if by such a death that stumbling were prevented, and so its eternal consequences averted, it would be a happy thing for them.

   “(in Ezech. 1. Hom. 7) We must observe, however, that in our good works we must sometimes avoid the offence of our neighbour, sometimes look down upon it as of no moment. For in as far as we can do it without sin, we ought to avoid the offence of our neighbour; but if a stumblingblock is laid before men in what concerns the truth, it is better to allow the offence to arise, than that the truth should be abandoned. (de cura past. p. i. c.

   Everything gathered on Mark 9:42→

   Verse page →Original language →

6. Luke 17:2

   It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

   ›Commentary on Luke 17:22 voices

   "It is impossible," he says, "that scandals should not come." I suppose that a scandal is a sin because sin comes through scandal. "In many things we all offend." Granted that I have not come to ruin, but I have certainly offended not only in one thing but also in many things.

   “A mill-stone - That drowning a person with a stone tied about the neck was an ancient mode of punishment, see proved in the note on Mat 18:6, Mat 18:7 (note), to which let the following be added. To have a mill-stone hanged about the neck, was a common proverb. “Samuel saith, A man may marry, and after that addict himself to the study of the law. Rab.

   Everything gathered on Luke 17:2→

   Verse page →Original language →