Leviticus 23:11

 Leviticus 23:11 

And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

a. ASV: And he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: Then he hath waved the sheaf before Jehovah for your acceptance; on the morrow of the sabbath doth the priest wave it.  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, that you may be accepted; on the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it [before the Lord].  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

e. NLT: On the day after the Sabbath, the priest will lift it up before the LORD so it may be accepted on your behalf.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

1. “And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you…”

a. [And he shall] wave [Strong: 5130  nûwph, noof; a primitive root; to quiver (i.e. vibrate up and down, or rock to and fro); used in a great variety of applications (including sprinkling, beckoning, rubbing, bastinadoing, sawing, waving, etc.):—lift up, move, offer, perfume, send, shake, sift, strike, wave.]

b. [Strong: 853 'eth ayth apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).]

c. [the] sheaf [Strong: 6016 ʻômer, o'-mer; from H6014; properly, a heap, i.e. a sheaf; also an omer, as a dry measure:—omer, sheaf.]

d. before [Strong: 6440 pânîym, paw-neem'; plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה pâneh; from H6437); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.):— accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, × as (long as), at, battle, because (of), beseech, countenance, edge, employ, endure, enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, × him(-self), honourable, impudent, in, it, look(-eth) (-s), × me, meet, × more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), × on, open, out of, over against, the partial, person, please, presence, prospect, was purposed, by reason of, regard, right forth, serve, × shewbread, sight, state, straight, street, × thee, × them(-selves), through ( -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), upon, upside ( down), with(-in, -stand), × ye, × you.]

e. [the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yᵉhôvâh, yeh-ho-vaw'; from H1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jeho-vah, Jewish national name of God:—Jehovah, the Lord.]

f. [to be] accepted [Strong: 7522 râtsôwn, raw-tsone'; or רָצֹן râtsôn; from H7521; delight (especially as shown):—(be) acceptable(-ance, -ed), delight, desire, favour, (good) pleasure, (own, self, voluntary) will, as...(what) would.]

2. “...on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.”

a. [on the] morrow after [Strong: 4283 mochŏrâth, mokh-or-awth'; or מׇחֳרָתָם mochŏrâthâm; (1 Samuel 30:17), feminine from the same as H4279; the morrow or (adverbially) tomorrow:—morrow, next day.]

b. [the] sabbath [Strong: 7676 shabbâth, shab-bawth'; intensive from H7673; intermission, i.e (specifically) the Sabbath:—(+ every) sabbath.]

c. [the] priest [Strong: 3548 kôhên, ko-hane'; active participle of H3547; literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman):—chief ruler, × own, priest, prince, principal officer.]

d. [shall] wave it [Strong: 5130  nûwph, noof; a primitive root; to quiver (i.e. vibrate up and down, or rock to and fro); used in a great variety of applications (including sprinkling, beckoning, rubbing, bastinadoing, sawing, waving, etc.):—lift up, move, offer, perfume, send, shake, sift, strike, wave.]

1). The Feasts of the Lord, Kevin Howard, Marvin Rosenthal.:  Firstfruits was an early spring feast, the third in the Jewish festive cycle. On the Hebrew calendar, it occurred on the 16th day of nisan, the first biblical month (March or April), only two days after the beginning of the Passover Season. Scripture did not specify the actual calendar date of Firstfruits, but merely prescribed its time of observance to be “on the day after the Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:11). This led to various interpretations and considerable debate as to which sabbath was in view. The Sadducees, and later the Karaite Jews, understood it to refer to the first weekly sabbath (Saturday) which occurred during the week of Passover season. However, the word sabbath also designated any holy day on which work was prohibited, no matter on which day of the week it occurred (Leviticus 23:24, 32, 39). The majority opinion, held by the Pharisees, was that the sabbath in question was Nisan 15, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That day was to be “a holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:7) on which no work was performed. This same description was given to the weekly sabbath (Leviticus 23:3) and to holy-day sabbaths held on other days of the week (Leviticus 23:24, 25; 28,32, 36, 39). Ancient Jewish interpretation agreed with this interpretation. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, wrote: “But on the second day of unleavened bread, which is the sixteenth day of the month, they first partake of the fruits of the earth, for before that day they do not touch them. (Antiquities of the jews 3.10.5). 

2). The Feasts of the Lord, Kevin Howard, Marvin Rosenthal.: The regulations for Firstfruits were outlined by the LORD in Leviticus 23:9-14. A sheaf (Hebrew omer, meaning “measure”) was to be brought to the priest at the Temple who would wave it before the LORD for acceptance. There were to also to be accompanying sacrifices: an unblemished male lamb of the first year, a drink offering of wine, and a meal offering of the barley flour mixed with olive oil. The people were forbidden  to use any part of the harvest in any way until after the firstfruits were offered to the LORD. The ritual for the Firstfruits ceremony was detailed in Deuteronomy 26:1-11.

a). Deuteronomy 26:1-11 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

26:2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there.

26:3 And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the Lord thy God, that I am come unto the country which the Lord sware unto our fathers for to give us.

26:4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God.

26:5 And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

26:6 And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

26:7 And when we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

26:8 And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

26:9 And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

26:10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God:

26:11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.