Matthew 3 12

Matthew 3:12 kjv

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

Matthew 3:12 nkjv

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

Matthew 3:12 niv

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

Matthew 3:12 esv

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

Matthew 3:12 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."

Matthew 3 verses

Matthew 3 12 Meaning

Matthew 3:12 conveys John the Baptist's vivid prophecy of Jesus Christ's ultimate work of judgment and salvation. It describes the Lord Jesus, depicted as a farmer with a winnowing shovel, who will decisively separate humanity. The truly repentant and righteous ("wheat") will be gathered into His secure "garner" (a place of eternal safety), while the unrepentant and worthless ("chaff") will face an inescapable and complete destruction by "unquenchable fire." This signifies a definitive and final sifting between those genuinely converted and those merely religious or unfaithful.

Matthew 3 12 Context

Matthew 3:12 stands at the culmination of John the Baptist's fervent preaching of repentance in the wilderness of Judea. His message was a call to prepare for the imminent arrival of the Messiah, emphasized by the dramatic act of water baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Mt 3:1-6). John specifically confronted the self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees, admonishing them to produce "fruit meet for repentance" rather than relying on their lineage from Abraham (Mt 3:7-9). He also warned that an "axe" was laid at the root of unfruitful trees, signaling imminent judgment (Mt 3:10). In Matthew 3:11, John explicitly contrasts his baptism with water, for repentance, with the coming one who will baptize "with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Verse 12 directly elaborates on this "baptism with fire," revealing it as the act of divine judgment and purification performed by the Messiah, making clear the decisive, separating nature of His work. It speaks of a critical threshold in God's redemptive history where true devotion will be distinct from mere external adherence.

Matthew 3 12 Word analysis

• Whose fan (οὗ τὸ πτύον, hou to ptyon):
  • Whose: Refers unequivocally to the coming one, Jesus Christ, as spoken of by John the Baptist (Mt 3:11).
  • fan (ptyon): A winnowing shovel. This was an essential agricultural tool in ancient times, a broad, scoop-like implement used to toss threshed grain (wheat and chaff) into the air. The heavier grain would fall back to the threshing floor, while the lighter chaff would be blown away by the wind. It symbolizes an instrument of judgment and separation.
• is in his hand: Denotes power, authority, control, and immediate capability. It signifies that the Messiah has sovereign command over the process of separation and judgment.
• and he will thoroughly purge (διακαθαριεῖ, diakathariei):
  • diakathariei: A strong verb, implying an intensive and complete cleansing or purification. It is not a partial or temporary removal but a definitive act of purification and separation.
• his floor (τὴν ἅλωνα, tēn halona):
  • halona: A threshing floor. A flat, circular, hardened area, typically on high ground, where grain was processed. Symbolically, this "floor" represents the community, the people of God, or even the world itself, where the "wheat" and "chaff" coexist until the time of divine sifting.
• and gather (συνάξει, synaxei): To collect, assemble, or bring together. Implies a protective and purposeful collection.
• his wheat: Represents the righteous, the truly repentant, those who bear good fruit, who genuinely belong to Christ. They are precious and valued.
• into the garner (εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην, eis tēn apothēkēn):
  • apothēkēn: A granary, barn, or storehouse. This symbolizes a place of safety, preservation, blessing, and eternal security with God for the righteous.
• but he will burn up (κατακαύσει, katakausei):
  • katakausei: To consume completely by fire; to utterly destroy by burning. It indicates finality and irreversible destruction.
• the chaff (τὸ ἄχυρον, to achyron): The lightweight, worthless husks and debris separated from the grain. It represents the unrepentant, the unfruitful, the wicked, those who have no genuine spiritual substance, merely external appearance. They are worthless and designated for destruction.
• with unquenchable fire (ἀσβέστῳ πυρί, asbesto pyri):
  • asbesto: Unextinguishable, perpetual, never-ending.
  • pyri: Fire, a powerful biblical symbol of divine judgment, purification, wrath, and destruction.
  • "Unquenchable fire" denotes a punishment that is severe, complete, eternal, and from which there is no escape or cessation. It signifies the permanent nature of eternal destruction for the ungodly.

Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:

• Whose fan is in his hand: Establishes Jesus' sovereign power and active role as the ultimate Judge and Separator, ready to act immediately.
• he will thoroughly purge his floor: Highlights the decisive and comprehensive nature of Christ's cleansing act upon humanity, distinguishing genuine followers from those without true spiritual life.
• gather his wheat into the garner: Emphasizes the blessed destiny of the redeemed: they are secured, valued, and brought into eternal safety with Christ.
• but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire: Contrasts starkly with the former outcome, revealing the irreversible, complete, and eternal destruction awaiting the unrepentant and those rejected by Christ.

Matthew 3 12 Bonus section

This verse foreshadows Jesus' later teachings about judgment and separation, particularly parables like the wheat and tares (Matt 13) and the sheep and goats (Matt 25), reinforcing the idea that a time of ultimate distinction is coming. It is essential to understand that the "fire" spoken of here is not primarily the Holy Spirit (as in Matt 3:11, where Jesus also baptizes with the Holy Spirit for sanctification), but the fire of divine, consummating judgment. The "unquenchable" nature highlights the eternity of the destiny of the lost. The thoroughness of the purging signifies that nothing unclean will remain in God's final assembly, emphasizing divine justice and holiness.

Matthew 3 12 Commentary

Matthew 3:12 encapsulates the solemn reality of divine judgment administered by Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, speaking as His forerunner, presents the Messiah not merely as a benevolent figure, but also as a powerful Judge. The agricultural metaphor, deeply relatable to an ancient audience, powerfully illustrates the future sifting process. The threshing floor symbolizes the arena where humanity's true spiritual state will be revealed. With His winnowing shovel (authority and discernment), Christ will definitively separate those with genuine faith and repentance (the "wheat") from those whose religious pretense or lack of true fruit makes them spiritually worthless (the "chaff"). This is an act of purification, where the impurities are removed, and only what is pure remains. The destination for the "wheat" is a secure "garner"—a place of preservation and blessing, signifying eternal life in God's presence. In stark contrast, the "chaff" faces "unquenchable fire," underscoring the finality and severity of eternal separation from God and spiritual destruction. This verse is a powerful call to examine one's own life and ensure a true, saving relationship with Christ, characterized by repentance and bearing righteous fruit, rather than merely relying on outward religious practices or ancestry. It signifies the inescapable reality of Christ's dual role as Savior and Judge, urging immediate and genuine repentance.