Amós 9:9

The nation must go into exile (Amós 4:2 f., Amós 5:27 &c.); it must even be shaken to and fro among the nations, as in a sieve: but no sound grain of corn will fall to the ground and be lost. The dispersion of Israel in all directions is compared by the prophet to the movement of a sieve, in which the solid grains, though violently shaken about, are retained and preserved, while chaff and dust fall through the meshes to the ground.

The least grainis lit. a pebble, appar, fig. for a solid grain, though the word is not elsewhere so used. Preuschen (Z.A.T.W[201] 1895, p. 24) supposes the reference to be to the pebbles left behind in the sieve (kirbâl), as still used in Syria for cleansing the winnowed corn.

[201] .A.T.W.… Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft.