The Greek verb aloaō (ἀλοάω) means "to thresh" grain — the agricultural process of separating grain from stalks by treading or beating. The word appears three times in the New Testament, all in Paul's epistles, where it is drawn from Deuteronomy 25:4's command: "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Paul uses this agricultural imagery to establish the principle of financial support for those in gospel ministry.
Paul's use of aloaō in 1 Corinthians 9:9–10 and 1 Timothy 5:18 is a masterclass in typological interpretation. The Mosaic law's concern for the threshing ox is read not merely as animal welfare legislation but as a principle embedded by God for human application: "Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake?" The one who threshes (aloaō) should share in the harvest — those who labor in gospel ministry deserve material support from those they serve. This principle undergirds the church's responsibility to support its pastors and teachers, rooting pastoral compensation not in pragmatics but in divine justice.