Topical Bible: Offerings: Wave: Belonged to the Priests

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the context of ancient Israelite worship, wave offerings were a specific type of sacrificial offering that held significant ritual importance. These offerings were part of the broader system of sacrifices and offerings outlined in the Mosaic Law, which were central to the religious life of the Israelites. The wave offering was unique in its presentation and purpose, and it was specifically designated for the priests.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of the wave offering is primarily found in the Pentateuch, particularly in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. The Hebrew term for wave offering, "tenufah," implies a motion of waving or lifting, which was a distinctive part of the ritual. The wave offering was typically a portion of a larger sacrifice, such as a peace offering or a grain offering.

In Leviticus 7:30-31 , the instructions for the wave offering are detailed: "With his own hands he is to bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He shall bring the fat with the breast, and the breast is to be waved as a wave offering before the LORD. The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons."

Purpose and Ritual

The wave offering served multiple purposes within the sacrificial system. It was an act of dedication and consecration, symbolizing the offering being presented to God and then returned for the use of the priests. The physical act of waving the offering before the Lord was a gesture of presenting it to God, acknowledging His sovereignty and provision.

The wave offering was also a means of providing for the Levitical priesthood. As the tribe of Levi did not receive a territorial inheritance like the other tribes of Israel, they were supported through the offerings and tithes of the people. The wave offering, specifically the breast of the sacrificial animal, was given to the priests as their rightful portion, as stated in Numbers 18:11 : "This also belongs to you: the contributions and wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given them to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean member of your household may eat them."

Types of Wave Offerings

Wave offerings were not limited to animal sacrifices. They also included grain offerings, as seen in Leviticus 23:10-11 , which describes the offering of the firstfruits: "Speak to the Israelites and say, 'When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.'"

This act of waving the firstfruits was a declaration of trust in God's provision and a recognition of His blessing upon the harvest.

Significance in Israelite Worship

The wave offering was an integral part of the sacrificial system, reflecting the relationship between God, the priests, and the people. It underscored the principle that all blessings come from God and that a portion of these blessings was to be dedicated back to Him and His service. The wave offering also highlighted the role of the priests as mediators between God and the people, entrusted with the sacred duty of maintaining the worship and rituals of the covenant community.

Nave's Topical Index

Exodus 29:26-28
And you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be your part.
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Leviticus 7:31,34
And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'.
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Leviticus 8:29
And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the LORD commanded Moses.
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Leviticus 9:21
And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.
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Leviticus 23:20
And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
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Numbers 18:11,18
And this is yours; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in your house shall eat of it.
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Library

The Cleansing of the Temple - the Sign,' which is not a Sign.
... were paid for as the two wave loaves and ... from the sale of meat- and drink-offerings
went to ... Temple officials, to whom these Bazaars belonged, only challenged ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter v the cleansing of.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... as interpreters of their wishes the priests and the ... served out to them every day
as funeral offerings. ... Many among them, however, belonged to old families, and ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

The Deputation from Jerusalem - the Three Sects of the Pharisees ...
... 11, 15, 16, as meaning that the wave-sheaf (or ... the Sadducees would have paid it from
free-will offerings. ... learn that the High-Priestly families belonged to the ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter ii the deputation from.htm

With the Entry of Angela's Great Picture "The Coming of Christ" ...
... or of the Church to which he belonged, but simply ... human beings, moved by one great
wave of sympathy ... These floral offerings meant much sacrifice on the part of ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxxviii with the entry of.htm

The Dialogue against the Luciferians.
... shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the ... was not separated from the Apostles,
but belonged to the ... Christian bishops of course, began to wave their palms ...
/.../the principal works of st jerome/the dialogue against the luciferians.htm

The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... which these bestowed upon him, and the offerings which they ... The priests were compelled
to take the most powerful ... with the elemental group, and belonged to Anu ...
/.../chapter iithe temples and the.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... bears a flat tray, full of offerings"bunches of ... had claimed them, and to his servants
they belonged. ... day whereon thy coming is sung,"wave, which spreadest ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

The First Theban Empire
... faces, marked the spot to which offerings were to be ... everything; no one knew what
ground belonged to the ... dedicated to Hathor, and served by volunteer priests. ...
/.../chapter iiithe first theban empire.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... of Judah, to whom the Edomite valleys belonged, did not ... them: neither will I regard
the peace offerings of your ... Urartu, buoyed up and borne on the wave of some ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... the Phoenicians: the foreign deities were not content with obtaining a high place
in the estimation of priests and people ... This monument, which belonged to the ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm