SHOVEL

shuv'-l: (1) rachath, is a wooden shovel used on the threshing-floor for winnowing the grain (Isaiah 30:24). (2) ya`, is used in various passages to indicate some instrument employed to carry away ashes from the altar (Exodus 27:3; 38:3; Numbers 4:14; 1 Kings 7:40,45; 2 Kings 25:14; 2 Chronicles 4:11,16; Jeremiah 52:18). It was very likely a small shovel like those used in connection with modern fireplaces for cleaning away the ashes (compare Hebrew ya`ah, "to sweep away") or for carrying live coals to start a new fire. (3) yathedh (Deuteronomy 23:13 the Revised Version margin)

James A. Patch

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.