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# sift

«sift» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **To shake flour or sand through a sieve to break up lumps…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (sift, sifts, sifted, sifting)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To shake flour or sand through a sieve to break up lumps or remove bits. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#m1)

2) To look through many things carefully to find what is useful: sift through the evidence. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#m2)

3) To sift can also mean to fall lightly and finely, like fine rain or dust. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: To shake and sort, as a picture of God testing or judging people and nations. Interpretation: Ecclesiastes says God sorts people to show them how weak they are. Amos reads it as the exile of Israel, where the good grain is kept safe. In the primary lessons: In cooking and science, sifting separates mixtures: sift sand to remove stones. In stories, detectives sift through clues. Phrases: sift flour, sift through.

### examples

- I said in my heart: 'It is because of the sons of men, that God may sift them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.' (Writings ECC.3.18, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x1)
- For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. (Prophets AMO.9.9, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x2)
- And His breath is as an overflowing stream, that divideth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples. (Prophets ISA.30.28, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x3)
- Sift the flour into the bowl. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x4)
- We sifted the sand to find shells. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x5)
- The detective sifted through the papers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x6)
- Sifting removes lumps. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x7)
- Sift the soil to take out the stones. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x8)
- She sifted through hundreds of photos. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x9)
- Dey wa'n't no rain, but de wet des sifted down; mighty raw day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/#x10)

### note

Regular verb: sifted. Tool: sieve (say «siv»), sifter. Science: sifting/sieving separates solids of different sizes.

### In the corpora

- [A wise king sifteth the wicked, and turneth the wheel over them.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PRO.584/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «sift» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/S/sift/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.