Bible Dictionaries
Millstone

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

denotes "a handmill," consisting of two circular stones, one above the other, the lower being fixed. From the center of the lower a wooden pin passes through a hole in the upper, into which the grain is thrown, escaping as flour between the stones and falling on a prepared material below them. The handle is inserted into the upper stone near the circumference. Small stones could be turned by one woman (mill-grinding was a work deemed fit only for women and slaves; cp. Judges 16:21 ); larger ones were turned by two (cp. Matthew 24:41 , under MILL), or more.

Still larger ones were turned by an ass (onikos), Matthew 18:6 , RV, "a great millstone" (marg., "a millstone turned by an ass"), indicating the immediate and overwhelming drowning of one who causes one young believer to stumble; Mark 9:42 (where some mss. have lithos multikos, "a stone of a mill," as in Luke 17:2 ); Revelation 18:22 (some mss. have it in ver. 21, see below).

"of a mill," occurs in Luke 17:2 (see above).

"made of millstone," is used with lithos, "a stone;" and with the adjective megas, "great," in the best mss. in Revelation 18:21 (some have the word mulos; see A).