Commentary upon the Prophecy of Isaiah

Vers. 25. When he hath made it plain, will he not then sow the fitches, and sow cummin, and cast in wheat by measure, and the appointed barley and rye in their place? 26. For his God doth instruct him to have discretion, and doth teach him. 27. For fitches shall not be threshed with a threshing instrument, neither ⟨p. 282⟩shall a cart wheel be turned about upon the Cummin, but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and Cummin with a rod. 28. Bread corn when it is threshed, he doth not alway thresh it, neither doth the wheel of his cart still make a noise, neither will he break it with the teeth thereof.

Vers. 25. When he hath made it plaine, will he not then sow the fitches, and sow cummin, and cast in wheate by measure, and the appointed barley and rie in their place? 26. For his God doth instruct him to haue discretion, and doth teach him. 27. For fitches shall not bee threshed with a threshing instrument, neither ⟨p. 282⟩shall a cart wheele be turned about vpon the Cummin, but the fitches are beaten out with a staffe, and Cummin with a rod. 28. Bread corne when it is threshed, he doth not alway thresh it, neither doth the wheele of his cart still make a noyse, neither will he breake it with the teeth thereof.

Now he speaks of the seed, whereof the Ploughman puts not in as much as he can; neither pours he it out by heaps, but views the ground, and then sows it with as much as is convenient: for otherwise, great heaps would lie and rot, and there would not so much as one kernel take root. Again, he mingles not divers seeds together, but reserves one part of his field for wheat, another for fitches, and the rest for Cummin: all which he doth by measure, which is here understood by the word Shorah, which ought thus to be understood as I take it, and not for good, or excellent, for he speaks here of measuring. He saith the like of reaping and threshing: for corn is not beaten out all after one manner, but wheat is beaten out with the cart wheel, or some ragged or toothed instrument: fitches with a rod, and Cummin with a flail. Now he speaks here after the custom of his Country: for wheat is threshed in France only with a flail, Provence only excepted. To be short, his meaning is, that every kind of grain is not beaten out after one fashion, but every one hath such an Instrument as fits the nature thereof. Also that the Husbandman is not alway threshing, but keeps a measure, lest otherwise he should bruise the corn.