FAN, FANNER (KJV rendering of מִזְרֶה, H4665, a pitchfork with six prongs, from זָרָה֒, H2430, scatter, fan, winnow; πτύον, G4768, winnowing fork). In Isaiah 30:24 the מִזְרֶה, H4665, is used for winnowing provender. Jeremiah 15:7 mentions winnowing as the judgment of God upon Jerusalem. In the NT, the figure describes the judging activity of Christ as He separates the wheat from the chaff (Matt 3:12; Luke 3:17).

The verb also can refer to the scattering of powder (Exod 32:20) or to the dispersion of the nation Israel (Ezek 36:19). God is said to “sift” our activities (Isa 30:28).