Don't Muzzle the Ox

DON’T MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE’S FEEDING

I originally thought this saying was “Don’t muscle the ox while he is feeding”. I found out I was wrong, I also found out this is not a farm saying but a biblical saying and was orgnially “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING ”

Meaning: In ancient times an animal was used to spin a wheel or walk a threshing floor to separate the wheat from the stalk/chaff. Those who were first to harness animal power to thresh wheat quickly discovered that their “power source” was eating the grain they were harvesting. Animal owners quickly began to muzzle the ox/donkey to keep it from eating the grain. In the old testament Law God commanded Israel to permit the animal doing the labor to share in the benefits of his hard work. It is designed to teach us that those working hard to produce, ought rightly to share in the benefits of their production.

Origin: The Bible, Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians: “For it is written in the Law of Moses, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING ”

From: http://dollarsanddoctrine.com/2010/01/04/what-does-muzzle-the-ox-mean/

Farm Sayings Friday is weekly feature of Yield Starts Here. You might think your grandparents made it up, but that old saying likely goes back many years. In this feature we will figure out who said it first and what it really means! Do you have a well used saying in your family, send to us and we'll feature it in a future blog.

Yield Starts Here is a blog for farmers, focusing on increasing yield and profitability by focusing on the soil. It is managed by Craig Dick, a Blogronomist and Sales and Marketing Manager at Calcium Products. Find other articles by Craig and guest writers at http://blog.calciumproducts.com/ .

Continuing along this same line of thinking, Timothy in his writings in the Bible (1 Timothy 5:18) said, "...The laborer is worthy of his hire." Yes, just as the ox deserves to eat for the work it does for us, so each man that works should not be denied his pay. This is the foundation for our capitalistic society, that each man and woman should be rewarded for the work he or she does. But if someone is not willing to work, then there is no reward. Even Paul supported this in his travels, stating that if any would not work, neither should he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10) These are good lessons for us all to learn from!

I guess today I learned I was completely wrong about that verse for years. I had reason to research it on the web recently and found that most versions believe the ox was 'treading' on the wheat to separate it. That clearly would not work, since the ox would crush the wheat and also poop on it. That wouldn't be Kosher. Also, the KJV version I thought read "grindeth the corn". That would mean the ox is attached to a mill by a long "singletree", if you will, and walked round and round turning the grindstones. This view would also mean that there is no grain on the ground for him to eat. I've always thought the verse meant don't muzzle the ox to keep him from bellowing, or complaining. The lesson in that for me is that a worker should be able to speak his mind, at least to some extent, and the boss should listen, or at least put up with it, because that's all the ox can do to relieve his burden. I accept that I could be wrong, but don't think they ate poopy wheat!