Luke 3 17

Luke 3:17 kjv

Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

Luke 3:17 nkjv

His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

Luke 3:17 niv

His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Luke 3:17 esv

His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Luke 3:17 nlt

He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire."

Luke 3 verses

Luke 3 17 Meaning

Luke 3:17 proclaims the definitive role of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as the one who will execute a final and comprehensive judgment. Through the powerful imagery of a threshing floor, it illustrates His dual function: meticulously separating the righteous from the wicked. The genuine believers, likened to wheat, will be securely gathered into His eternal storage, while the unrepentant and worthless, symbolized by chaff, will face complete and irreversible destruction in an eternal, inescapable fire. This verse emphasizes the certainty, totality, and finality of Christ's judgment and the distinct fates awaiting all humanity.

Luke 3 17 Context

Luke 3:17 stands within John the Baptist's passionate proclamation concerning the one who is to come after him. Having called the crowds to repentance and a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Lk 3:3), John confronts the self-righteousness of the religious leaders, urging them to "bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Lk 3:8). The immediate preceding verse, Luke 3:16, contrasts John's water baptism with the Messiah's superior baptism, stating, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Verse 17 elaborates on the "fire" aspect of the Messiah's coming work, which refers not to the purifying presence of the Holy Spirit (as at Pentecost) but to the consuming judgment upon the unrighteous.

Historically and culturally, the image draws from common agricultural practices of the ancient world. Threshing floors were large, open, circular areas, often on a slight incline, where harvested grain was laid out. Animals would trample the stalks to separate grain from straw, and then the mixture would be "winnowed"—tossed into the air with a fork on a windy day. The heavier grain would fall to the floor, while the lighter chaff would be blown away. The chaff was often collected and burned as refuse, ensuring the purity of the grain and preventing it from scattering to become a nuisance. This familiar scene provided a vivid and accessible metaphor for the absolute and imminent separation to be performed by the Messiah, reflecting a Jewish prophetic tradition of a coming day of judgment and purification for Israel and the nations (e.g., Mal 3-4).

Luke 3 17 Word analysis

• His (Greek: αὐτοῦ, _autou_): Possessive pronoun referring to the Messiah (Jesus) who John the Baptist proclaims is coming, highlighting His ownership and sovereign authority over the judgment process.
• winnowing fork (Greek: τὸ πτύον, _to ptyon_): A large wooden fork used to toss grain into the air on a threshing floor. It's a tool of separation. Symbolically, it represents the precise, decisive, and active instrument of divine judgment that Jesus will employ to distinguish between individuals.
• is in his hand (Greek: ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, _en tē cheiri autou_): Denotes readiness, possession, and immediate power or control. It signifies that the authority to judge is not merely assigned but actively wielded by Him. The hand often symbolizes action and authority in biblical contexts.
• and he will clear (Greek: διακαθαίρω, _diakathairō_): This compound verb means "to thoroughly cleanse," "to completely purge," or "to utterly purify." It emphasizes the decisive and comprehensive nature of the Messiah's cleansing action. It is a one-time, final separation that leaves nothing impure behind.
• his threshing floor (Greek: τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ, _tēn halōna autou_): The physical place where grain is separated from chaff. Symbolically, it represents the world or the collective body of humanity where judgment will occur. "His" further signifies God's ultimate ownership and sovereignty over humanity and the process of judgment.
• and gather (Greek: συνάγω, _synagō_): To bring together, to collect. Implies a protective gathering into a place of safety.
• the wheat (Greek: τὸν σῖτον, _ton siton_): The valuable, edible grain. Represents the righteous, genuine believers, those who have repented and borne good fruit, who are fit for God's eternal presence.
• into his barn (Greek: εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ, _eis tēn apothēkēn autou_): A storage place for grain. Symbolically, this refers to a place of eternal safety, security, and blessedness, often interpreted as God's kingdom, heaven, or His secure fellowship. It emphasizes the ultimate salvation and preservation of the elect.
• but the chaff (Greek: τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον, _to de achyron_): The light, worthless husk and debris separated from the grain. Symbolically, it represents the unrepentant, the unfruitful, those who profess faith but lack genuine spiritual life, and all who are wicked. It signifies that which is valueless in God's eyes.
• he will burn (Greek: κατακαίω, _katakaiō_): To burn up completely, to consume entirely. It signifies total destruction, utter annihilation, and removal from existence in any meaningful sense relative to God's presence.
• with unquenchable fire (Greek: πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ, _pyri asbestō_): "Fire" is a common biblical metaphor for judgment and divine wrath. "Unquenchable" (ἄσβεστος, _asbestōs_) means inextinguishable, unable to be put out, never ceasing. This powerful phrase denotes a judgment that is eternal, decisive, irreversible, and from which there is no escape or relief. It is not a fire of purification but one of final consumption. This also stands as a polemic against any notion that ultimate judgment is temporary or conditional.

Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:

• "His winnowing fork is in his hand": This phrase underscores the active and imminent control Jesus has over the judgment. It's not a future hypothetical, but a certain reality, and the means of execution are already in His possession, indicating readiness for the appointed time.
• "and he will clear his threshing floor": Signifies that the world, where good and evil co-exist, is the arena of God's sovereign work of separation. This action will be decisive and thorough, ensuring no mixing of the saved and unsaved.
• "and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn": This contrasting parallel powerfully depicts the two distinct and eternal outcomes. There are only two destinations; no middle ground, and the separation is irreversible. It speaks to a divine discrimination where value (wheat) is preserved and worthlessness (chaff) is destroyed.
• "with unquenchable fire": Emphasizes the severity and finality of the judgment upon the unrighteous. It conveys an absolute and eternal consequence, underscoring the infinite gravity of being cast out from God's presence.

Luke 3 17 Bonus section

This verse explicitly links the "fire" of judgment with the Messiah, showing that the cleansing He brings is two-fold: purifying (Holy Spirit for believers, as in Lk 3:16) and destructive (consuming fire for unbelievers). This imagery would have resonated deeply with a Jewish audience familiar with Old Testament prophecies of God's righteous judgment against wickedness. The precision implied by the "winnowing fork" indicates a judgment based on absolute discernment, where no one's true state is mistaken, and all receive their just due. The comprehensive nature of "clearing His threshing floor" signifies a universal judgment, affecting all who exist, under the direct, authoritative hand of the Son of God.

Luke 3 17 Commentary

Luke 3:17 provides a vivid and unvarnished portrait of the Messiah's eschatological role as judge. John the Baptist's prophetic words reveal that Jesus' mission extends beyond mercy and salvation to include the crucial task of ultimate separation and judgment. The agricultural imagery is clear: just as a farmer sorts the valuable grain from worthless refuse, so too will Christ infallibly distinguish between those genuinely dedicated to God (the "wheat") and those who are outwardly religious or rebellious (the "chaff"). The "barn" symbolizes the safety and blessing of God's eternal kingdom for the redeemed, while "unquenchable fire" represents the horrifying and eternal punishment awaiting the unrighteous. This verse powerfully conveys the certainty, impartiality, and finality of divine judgment, highlighting the urgent call for genuine repentance that prepares one for the coming of Christ, the true King and ultimate Judge.