For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.
Dill seeds aren't threshed with heavy threshing tools, and cart wheels aren't rolled over cumin seeds. Instead, dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.
The writer is showing that different crops require different, gentler methods of harvesting - you don't use the same heavy approach for delicate seeds.
📚 Historical Context
Isaiah is using farming practices familiar to his audience to illustrate God's wisdom and discernment. In ancient Israel, farmers knew that delicate herbs like dill and cumin needed careful, measured treatment during harvest, unlike grain crops that could withstand heavier threshing methods. This agricultural wisdom served as a metaphor for how God deals differently with different situations and people.
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