Leviticus 23:20

The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The text delivers a festival statute directing the priest to act after the peace offerings are prepared.

The words — תְּנוּפָה (tenufah) means a wave-offering, and הֵנִיף (henif) means he will wave, describing the priest’s ritual motion.

The thread — Similar priestly wave-offering procedures appear in Exodus 29:24, while the designation of portions for the priest is echoed in Deuteronomy 18:4 and Leviticus 7:29.

Why it lands — The text requires the priest to receive the bread and two lambs as holy property, establishing a concrete provision for his service.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְהֵנִ֣יףve./he.Nifand/ he will wave הַכֹּהֵ֣ן׀ha./ko.Henthe/ priest אֹתָ֡ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them עַל֩'alwith לֶ֨חֶםLe.chem[the] bread of הַבִּכּוּרִ֤יםha./bi.ku.Rimthe/ first-fruits תְּנוּפָה֙te.nu.Faha wave-offering לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh עַל־'al-with שְׁנֵ֖יshe.Neitwo כְּבָשִׂ֑יםke.va.Simmale lambs קֹ֛דֶשׁKo.desha holy thing יִהְי֥וּyih.Yuthey will be לַיהוָ֖הla./Yah.wehto/ Yahweh לַכֹּהֵֽן׃la./ko.Henfor the/ priest

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 18:4 You are to give them the firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool sheared from your flock.
Exodus 29:24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.
Leviticus 7:29 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as his sacrifice to the LORD.
Leviticus 8:29 He also took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.
Leviticus 10:14 And you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel.
Leviticus 23:17 Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.
Numbers 18:8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest from you?
Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility