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/ .