Hay

Hay — cut and gathered grass — appears in the UPDV both as a sign of the ordinary harvest cycle and as an image of insubstantial building material.

The Gathered Crop

Proverbs sets hay alongside the new growth and the herbs of the hill country in a picture of seasonal provision: "The hay is carried, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in" (Prov 27:25).

A Combustible Building Material

In Paul's description of work built on the gospel foundation, hay sits in a list of materials that contrast lasting and perishable building: "But if any man builds on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble" (1Co 3:12).