Sickle in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

sik'-'l (chermesh (Dt 16:9; 23:25), maggal; compare Arabic minjal (Jer 50:16; Joel 3:13); drepanon (Mk 4:29; Rev 14:14- 19)): Although the ancients pulled much of their grain by hand, we know that they also used sickles. The form of this instrument varied, as is evidenced by the Egyptian sculptures. The earliest sickle was probably of wood, shaped like the modern scythe, although much smaller, with the cutting edge made of sharp flints set into the wood. Sickle flints were found at Tel el-Chesy. Crescent-shaped iron sickles were found in the same mound. In Israel and Syria the sickle varies in size. It is usually made wholly of iron or steel and shaped much like the instrument used in western lands. The smaller- sized sickles are used both for pruning and for reaping.