Leviticus 23:20

 Leviticus 23:20

And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.

a. ASV: And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And the priest hath waved them, besides the bread of the first-fruits -- a wave-offering before Jehovah, besides the two lambs; they are holy to Jehovah for the priest; [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: The priest shall wave the two lambs, together with the bread of the firstfruits, for a wave offering before the Lord. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT:  “The priest will lift up the two lambs as a special offering to the LORD, together with the loaves representing the first of your crops. These offerings, which are holy to the LORD, belong to the priests.  [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.]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: The Kohen shall wave them upon the first-offering breads as a wave-service before HASHEM--upon the two sheep--they shall be holy, for HASHEM and for the Kohen.  [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

f. NOTE: Leviticus 23:15-22 describes the offering of the firstfruits after the harvest is complete. The firstfruits of the offering during the week of Unleavened bread is the firstfruits of raw grain, while the offering of the firstfruits 50 days later is the offering of two loaves made from the new grain.

 1. “And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord…”

a. [And 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.]

b. [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.]

c. them [Strong: ʼêth, ayth; apparent contracted from H226 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].

d. with [Strong: 5921 ʻal, al; properly, the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications:—above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.]

e. [the] bread [Strong: 3899 lechem, lekh'-em; from H3898; See also H1036 food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it):—(shew-) bread, × eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals.]

f. [of the] firstfruits [Strong: 1061 bikkûwr, bik-koor'; from H1069; the first-fruits of the crop:—first fruit (-ripe (figuratively)), hasty fruit.]

g. [for a] wave offering [Strong: 8573 tᵉnûwphâh, ten-oo-faw'; from H5130; a brandishing (in threat); by implication, tumult; specifically, the official undulation of sacrificial offerings:—offering, shaking, wave (offering).]

h. 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.]

i. [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.]

2. “...with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest.”

a. with [Strong: 5921 ʻal, al; properly, the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications:—above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.]

b. two [Strong: 8147 shᵉnayim, shen-ah'-yim; dual of H8145; feminine שְׁתַּיִם shᵉttayim; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:—both, couple, double, second, twain, twelfth, twelve, twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.]

c. lambs [Strong: 3532 kebes, keh-bes'; from an unused root meaning to dominate; a ram (just old enough to butt):—lamb, sheep.]

d. [they shall] be [Strong: 1961 hâyâh, haw-yaw; a primitive root (compare H1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):—beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.]

e. holy [Strong: 6944 qôdesh, ko'-desh; from H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity:—consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (× most) holy (× day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.]

f. [unto 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.]

g. [for 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.]

1). I got born again November 10th 1976. During many of those years I attended a church for a total 31 years and for about 22 of those years I had the responsibility of praying over the offering. Every time an offering was given during those years, I prayed over it and helped collect it and a majority of those times helped count it. Because of that responsibility I was led of the Lord frequently to do various studies of giving in the Bible. The giving of the tithes (all three of them), the offerings, the sacrifices, any example of giving I would study, some more exhaustive than others. During those years I cited many different passages that instruct on offering and giving to encourage believers in their giving, especially about giving their tithe. Around 1995 I received the revelation that the tithe and the firstfruits were different offerings. And I began to teach it as such. Over the years. I have seen and heard many times Proverbs 3:9, and I probably said it myself also, using Proverbs 3:9 interchangeably with giving the tithe. As a result, a good many Christians believe as I did at one time, that the tithe and the firstfruits are one in the same. Scripture though, gives a different perspective

2). Kenneth E. Hagin, in his book, The Midas Touch, A Balanced Approach to Biblical Prosperity, said this about the firstfruits. “Making a New Testament application of Old Testament technicalities violates every principle of Bible interpretation, especially when there isn’t a single New Testament usage of the word “firstfruits” in the context in which it is being preached by some ministers. The concept of firstfruits is not used in the New Testament in reference to financial giving. There is not even the vaguest hint of it by any New Testament writer in reference to money or the support of ministers.”