Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, went into Arabia following his “conversion” on the road to Damascus and spent 3 years receiving revelation from Jesus. (Gal. 1:12) Paul, we know from his own testimony, knew the “Scriptures,” the Old Testament, backwards and forwards. But, like his brethren, the Jews, he never understood that they were speaking of Jesus, the Savior. After receiving revelation he was able to read with “new glasses.” And, he taught from that revelation. We read that he “taught Jesus and Him crucified” from the Scriptures. He was able to give true understanding to what had been just “rules, regulations and rituals.”
He saw clearly the shadows in the sacrifices, holydays, new moons, and sabbath days. (Col. 2:16-17) The Jews knew of these things but never knew they were all foreshadowing Jesus Christ. Paul explained in 2 Cor. 3 how there had been a veil upon the heart. Paul explained what he had received from Jesus when he went into the synagogue in the cities he went to. He spoke of the passover, the days of unleavened bread, the wave sheaf offering, the feast of weeks, etc. We, as Christians, are able to see Jesus in these things because of Paul’s “new glasses” and because the veil is being removed, but many times we don’t see as much as is there because, unlike the Jews he spoke to, we aren’t that familiar with those things that were shadows.
In this study I want to specifically look at the wave sheaf offering, what it was and what Paul was able to understand and relate what it was all about. Although we don’t follow and try to celebrate those things from the Mosaic law there is much to be gained in our understanding by reading and grasping what was pictured.
Let us first read the instructions as given in the book of Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 9-14. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 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. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”
So, we see that a sheaf of the grain was to be brought to the priest to be waved and accepted prior to their being able to eat of the new crop. It was to be brought on the “morrow after the Sabbath.” Along with the sheaf of grain there was to be a lamb offered as a burnt offering, a “meat” or better rendering, a meal offering and a drink offering.
To help us to begin our study we need understand the instruction given to the Israelites regarding the determination of the new year. Deuteronomy 16:1 is key to this. “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” Observe is most often taken by many to mean to celebrate. Observe here means, not to celebrate but, to look at, observe. Observe what? The KJV here says “the month.” The Hebrew word is chodesh, Strong’s number 02320. It is defined “the new moon; by implication a month; month (ly), new moon.” The instruction was to observe, watch, look at the new moon. Let us continue. “The new moon of Abib...” I always understood “Abib” to be the name of the first month of the year, and it came to be applied that way but note what it really is. Strong’s defines abiyb, #024, “from an unused root (meaning to be tender): green, that is a young ear of grain; hence the name of the month Abib or Nisan:–Abib, ear, green ears of corn.”
Okay, what does all of this mean? Anciently the determination of the new month was always done by observation, by the sighting of the new crescent moon. At the end of the 12th month the barley was looked at to determine if the heads were “abib,” that is in a state that would be ripe enough to harvest within about two weeks. If so, the new month commencing with the sighting of the crescent would be the first month of the year. If not, a 13th month or a “leap month” was added. (Just a note, the Jewish Rabbis later began determining a calendar by calculations rather than by observation.)
But, why the concern about whether the barley would be ripe enough to harvest in a couple of weeks? If not, there could not be a wave sheaf offering, plain and simple. When it was determined that the barley was “abib” the first month was declared. On the 14th the passover lamb was sacrificed and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th of the month.
Returning to the instructions in Leviticus 23 we read that a sheaf of the grain was to be brought to the priest to be waved on “the morrow after the Sabbath.” This part of the instruction has been an area of misunderstanding over the years. The Rabbis of Judaism have declared this “Sabbath” to be the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. They have declared the 16th to be the day of the wave sheaf offering and the beginning of the 50 days until Pentecost. This then puts Pentecost always on the 6th of Sivan, a fixed date but variable day of the week. Interestingly God DID NOT give a date for the Feast of Weeks but it was to be determined by counting.
Let us read a bit more of the instructions found here in Leviticus 23. Verse 15 says, “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete:” The primary definition of the word shabbath, is “Sabbath.” Brown, Driver and Briggs shows that it is primarily used for “Sabbath, Day of Atonement, sabbath year” and it can be used as “week.” This use of “week” is what the Rabbis have attempted to use in their teaching. However, there is a bit of a problem with this. Notice verse 16, “Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.” How, I ask, do you determine what the morrow is after the seventh week? So much simpler to understand it as it was given, the wave sheaf to be brought and the count to be begun on the day after the Sabbath, the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. No matter what day of the week the Feast commences, the day following the weekly Sabbath day that falls during the Feast was the day for the wave sheaf offering and the beginning of the count to the feast of weeks, which we refer to as Pentecost
Now, back to the wave sheaf offering itself. The instruction was to bring a “sheaf” of grain. The word translated “sheaf” is Strong’s #06016, omer. The definition is, “a) a dry measure of 1/10 ephah (about 2 litres) b) sheaf”. Many places this word is used it is translated “omer” and many others it is rendered “sheaf.” The determination for the most part depends on the context. Many commentaries will tell us that this offering was not just a sheaf that was waved but was a measure of the grain that was waved or lifted up. This is based on the Rabbinical law. The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary states, “...it was reaped after sunset on the previous evening by persons deputed to go with sickles and obtain samples from different fields. These, being laid together in a sheaf or loose bundle, were brought to the court of the temple, where the grain was winnowed, parched, and bruised in a mortar. Then, after some incense had been sprinkled on it, the priest waved the sheaf aloft before the Lord towards the four different points of the compass, took a part of it and threw it into the fire of the altar - all the rest being reserved to himself.” Several commentaries state that the Jewish historian, Josephus gives this basic account. However, there are some problems with what the Jewish writers indicate was being done and what the Scripture states. I believe the comments made by the Keil and Delitzsch Commentary of the Old Testament sums it up pretty well. “The priest was to wave the sheaf before Jehovah, i.e., to present it symbolically to Jehovah by the ceremony of waving, without burning any of it upon the altar. The rabbinical rule, viz., to dry a portion of the ears by the fire, and then, after rubbing them out, to burn them on the altar, was an ordinance of the later scribes, who knew not the law, and was based upon Lev. 2:14. For the law in Lev. 2:14 refers to the offerings of first-fruits made by private persons, which are treated of in Num. 18:12-13, and Deu. 26:2. The sheaf of first-fruits, on the other hand, which was to be offered before Jehovah as a wave-offering in the name of the congregation, corresponded to the two wave-loaves which were leavened and then baked, and were to be presented to the Lord as first-fruits (Lev. 23:17). As no portion of these wave-loaves was burned upon the altar, because nothing leavened was to be placed upon it (Lev. 2:11), but they were assigned entirely to the priests, we have only to assume that the same application was intended by the law in the case of the sheaf of first-fruits, since the text only prescribes the waving, and does not contain a word about roasting, rubbing, or burning the grains upon the altar.”
I would tend to agree with the comments by K & D above, since, as they state, “the text only prescribes the waving, and does not contain a word about roasting, rubbing, or burning the grains upon the altar.” God stated that He did not want them adding or subtracting from His instructions.
We know from our reading thus far that this wave sheaf offering was important to the people of that time because it was the event that had to take place before they could begin their barley harvest. It was also very important because without it one would be unable to determine the exact day to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. (Deut. 16:9) But, does it have any importance to us, New Covenant believers? Yes, it certainly does! When we grasp and understand that it was on that day, the day of the wave sheaf offering, that the resurrected Jesus ascended to the Father to be accepted for us just as the wave sheaf was to be accepted for the people. That day we call Sunday, the morrow after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, would have been the day of the wave sheaf. We can begin to understand that the ancient offering remained important, in fact it was essential, to our redemption. Yeshua was our Wave Sheaf Offering!
Let us look at a few verses. John 20:16-17 states that Jesus told Mary, who had thought Him to be the gardener, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:” At later times we find that individuals did touch him, “Doubting” Thomas for example. Jesus had to be “waved” as the firstfruits, to be “accepted” for us, just as the wave sheaf was to be waved “to be accepted for you,” (Lev. 23:11). Paul, with revelation from Jesus, states plainly, twice, in 1 Corinthians 15 that Yeshua was the “firstfruits.” Notice, verses 20 and 23. Verse 20, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and, become the firstfruits of them that slept.” Verse 23, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.”
Why, being that the wave sheaf is so important do we not find it mentioned anywhere else other than Leviticus 23 or do not find many references to it or examples of it being done? Actually, there are references to be found but many have been mostly hidden from us by inadequate translation.
Although veiled to most of us, Joshua chapter 5 appears to reference the wave sheaf offering. Remember, we read that the harvest was not to begin until the sheaf or omer was waved, or lifted up.
Adam Clarke comments on Joshua 5:11 and says, “but they could neither eat bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, till the first-fruits of the harvest had been waved at the tabernacle; (see Lev. 23:9, etc.); and therefore in this case we may suppose that the Israelites had offered a sheaf of the barley-harvest, the only grain that was then ripe, before they ate of the unleavened cakes and parched corn.”
The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary of The Old Testament adds to what Adam Clarke has to say. Here is a bit from their fairly long comments. A short discussion is given concernng the “English version” having “old corn” (which the KJV has) but a better rendering is “fruit” or “produce.” Many translations do use “produce.” Then they say, “i.e., corn that had grown in the land of Canaan, as the manna entirely ceased from this day forwards. ‘The morrow after the passover’ is used in Num. 33:3 for the 15th Nisan, but here it must be understood as signifying the 16th, as the produce of the land, of which they ate not only on that day, but, according to Jos. 5:12, throughout that year, cannnot mean corn of the previous year, but the produce of this same year, i.e., the new corn, and they were not allowed to eat any of that till it had been sanctified to the Lord by the presentation of the wave sheaf on the second day of the passover (Lev.23:11).” It appears that the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread would have been on the weekly Sabbath and the following day would have been “the morrow after the Sabbath” upon which the wave sheaf would have been offered.
Interestingly there are at least eight verses that refer to the wave sheaf offering in the New Testament but due to some inadequate translations they have not been seen by most of us. Those eight passages contain an English phrase we are all familiar with, “first day of the week.” The Greek in seven of those is “ mia ton sabbaton.” The eighth is from the Greek “protos sabbaton.” We’ll look at this expression and the verses in which it is used.
“First day of the week” is found in the following verses: Matt. 28:1; Mark 16: 2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2. One thing you will notice when you turn to these verses is that the word “day” is in italics. Most of us are aware that a word in italics has been put there by the translators although there is no word for it in the Greek text. So, if we leave out the word “day” we have “first of the week.” But, sadly that is not a truly correct and honest translation.
The first Greek word in the phrase is “mia,” Strong’s number 3391. The definition is “one, only one.” 62 times in the New Testament “mia” is translated “one.” Only 8 times is it rendered “first” and 7 are the above verses with the exception of Mark 16:9. (We’ll look at that verse later.) The correct and honest translation would have been “one” not “first.”
The Greek word “ton” can be translated “of the.” When you see the word “sabbaton” you can probably correctly guess what it should be translated as. Correct, “sabbath.” And, in the New Testament “sabbaton” is translated “Sabbath Day” 37 times, “Sabbath” 22 times and “week” 9 times. 8 of the 9 times it is translated “week” is in the verses we are looking at. The 9th verse is in Luke 18:12 and several translations have translated it “Sabbath” instead of “week.” (Literal Translation of the Bible, Concordant Literal, and Modern KJV are a few.)
So, the correct rendering of “first day of the week” should be “one of the Sabbaths.” (“sabbaton” in all of these 8 verses is plural.) But, just what does this mean? Let me quote a few sources that correctly understand.
The next couple of paragraphs are from an article entitled "Is the phrase 'first day of the week' properly translated in the New Testament?" by Daniel Gregg which appears at www.torahtimes.org/Sabbaton_Week_Sabbaths.html.
“Outside of eight texts in the NT (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7, and 1Cor. 16:2), where we find μια των σαββατων translated as first day of the week, there is no example of σαββατων having the meaning of "week" in any Greek literature before ca. AD 100, and then only in "Church" Greek after that. ... This sense is entirely wanting in Secular Greek, the LXX, Josephus, Philo, or any other Greek literature of Jewish provenance before the destruction of the Second Temple except for these eight texts. That sense is also entirely lacking in classical and Koine Greek except for its alleged use in these eight texts...”
Dropping down at bit we continue to read, ‘There are several points that secure the above sense beyond reasonable doubt. First, according to Lev. 23:15 "seven Sabbaths" were actually counted following the Passover. If μια των σαββατωνis counting the first of these seven Sabbaths, then we expect it to be used just after the Passover, and nowhere else. And this is exactly what we find. Yeshua was crucified just before the annual Sabbath; then the resurrection day just happens to be the first sabbath after the Passover, and it is called μια των σαββατων.In the other two uses in the NT, the same synchronization with the Passover is observed. Acts 20:6 tells us about the Passover before introducing the key phrase μια των σαββατων. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, it is mentioned that Pentecost is coming not too much after μια των σαββατων (cf. 16:8). Hence all of our texts fit the chronology implied in Leviticus 23:11-16 exactly.” (When the author of this says “the resurrection day just happens to be the first sabbath after the Passover” he is expressing a belief held by many Messianics and others that Jesus was resurrected on Saturday afternoon, not on Sunday morning.)
The following is from notes by E. W. Bullinger in The Companion Bible. The first one is at John 20:1. “The first day of the week = on the first (day) of the Sabbaths (pl.). Gr. Te mia ton sabbaton.” Dropping down he continues, “Luke 24:1 has the same. Matthew reads, ‘towards dawn of the first (day) of the Sabbaths’, and Mark (16.2), ‘very early on the first (day) of the Sabbaths. The expression is not a Hebraism, and ‘Sabbaths’ should not be rendered ‘week’, as in A.V. and R. V. A reference to Lev. 23. 15-17 shows that this ‘first day’ is the first of the days for reckoning the seven Sabbaths to Pentecost. On this day, therefore, the Lord became the firstfruits (vv. 10, 11) of God’s resurrection harvest (1 Cor. 15.23).”
The second note is on Acts 20:7. “First, etc. - first day of the sabbaths, i.e. the first day for reckoning the seven sabbaths to Pentecost. It depended upon the harvest (Deut. 16. 9) and was always from the morrow after the weekly sabbath when the wave sheaf was presented (Lev. 23. 15). In John 20. 1 this was the fourth day after the Crucifixion, ‘the Lord’s Passover.’”
We are aware that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were writing their accounts of Jesus and His ministry to a mostly Jewish audience. Through out their accounts we read of the annual holy days that the Jews were observing, such as the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, etc. So, it would not be surprising that they would refer to the day of Jesus resurrection, not as “the first day of the week” or “Sunday morning” but as “the day of the waving of the wave sheaf.” Not that those descriptions would be wrong, but does not convey what they were expressing. They were clearly and accurately expressing the timing to be on the day that the wave sheaf would have been lifted up or waved by the Priest at the Temple.
I mentioned earlier that we would look at Mark 16:9. We have the same phrase in English as in the other 7 passages, “first day of the week.” Those other 7 had the Greek expression “mia ton sabbaton,” which we have discussed. Here in Mark 16:9 the Greek is “protos sabbaton,” literally, “first sabbaths.” This is an even greater stretch to translate as “first day of the week.” Very clearly this verse, as well as the other 7 is referring to the day of the wave sheaf offering.
Now let us look at the other two places where we have the rendering “first day of the week” used. Let us go first to Acts 20:7. Here we read, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” We know the approximate timing because the writer, Luke, had mentioned in the preceding verse “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread,...” Then down in verse 16 we are told that Paul was in a bit of a hurry in order “to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.”
In verse 6 we are told that the group sailed away from Phillippi. It would probably be clearer if the word “and” had been included, as “we sailed away from Phillippi and after the days of unleavened bread came unto them to Troas in five days (or after a journey of five days); where we abode seven days.” Luke continues his narration in verse 7, telling the events that took place as they were leaving Phillippi. He gives us the exact timing, on the day of the wave sheaf offering. We are told of the individual falling from the third loft, taken up dead and raised back to life. We are told Paul “talked a long time.” What did he talk about? We are not told, but I would think that he might have explained more fully the real meaning of the wave sheaf offering, which the Jewish Priest would be doing the following morning, and doing without the revelation knowledge of what it was all about. Of course, this was also the day of Jesus’ resurrection, which was very important in his teaching.
And, now let us look at the last passage that has this phrase “first day of the week,” 1 Cor. 16 :2. The Greek is, just as we pointed out earlier, “mia ton sabbaton.” Not only is this phrase mistranslated in the KJV but it is horribly done in numerous translations and paraphrase versions which try to support the erroneous teaching that one is to bring a monetary offering each Sunday morning. Let us read the verses here and come to understand. Let us begin with verse 1, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.” Paul is telling the called out ones at Corinth about a “collection for the saints” that he has already given some instructions about to some of the other congregations. What was this all about? He says that it is for the saints. What saints? From verse 3 we find that it was to be taken to Jerusalem, obviously then it was for the saints, the fellow believers, that dwelt in Jerusalem.
We will come back to this passage in a moment but first let us look at a couple of comments that Paul made later, in the second letter to the Corinthians and in his letter to the congregation at Rome.
In chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians he refers to their gift for the saints. You can read through both chapters but we will look at a few verses. In verse 1 of chapter 9 he begins with the comment, “For as touching the ministering to the saints,...” Verse 5 gives a bit more information, “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, that the same might be ready,...” The following two verses are ones we have quoted and heard quoted repeatedly, “for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Paul is still in context speaking about their contribution that they were setting aside for the saints in need. Now notice verses 12 and 13. “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them , and unto all men.”
As I’m sure you are aware, the second letter to the Corinthians was written a few months after the first letter. The first letter was, from all evidence, written in the Spring. Most scholars feel that it would have been 57 A.D. Some feel that it may have been about 55 A.D. But, from all I can find they are in agreement that it was in the Spring. The second book was written in the Fall of the same year. The letter to the congregation at Rome was written a few months later, 57-58 A.D. or maybe 56 A.D. depending on whose figures you look at. But, all are in pretty much agreement that Romans was written later than the letters to the Corinthians.
We find some additional information in Romans chapter 15. Let us read verses 25 through 28. “But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.”
We see several things from all of these verses. The various congregations, as well as the Corinthians had been putting by their bounty for those at Jerusalem who were in need. We also see that it wasn’t money that they had been putting by. Romans 15:28 says “fruit.” The Greek word is kapos, Strong’s #2580. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words says, “‘Fruit’ is used of the fruit of trees, fields, the earth, that which is produced by the inherent energy of a living organism.”
So, let us now look at 1 Corinthians 16. Verse 1 speaks of the “collection for the saints.” Verse 2 we find the phrase we have looked at throughout this study, mia ton sabbaton, one of the Sabbaths. Paul says to them “let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” What is he telling them? With the understanding that the phrase “one of the Sabbaths” is specifically referring to the day of the wave sheaf we find that Paul is telling them than once the new harvest season commences (remember that the instruction had been to not “put the sickle to the grain,” or to begin the harvest, until the wave sheaf was waved) they should start putting by a portion according to how they had been blessed. He doesn’t say to “take it to church” or collect money. He is telling them that a portion of their harvest should be laid aside in readiness so that they don’t have to get it together when he comes. In verse 3 he mentions that individuals that they select would be sent with what they had prepared. If this had been a sum of money he could have taken that by himself. Undoubtedly sacks of grain (the barley harvest began at the time of the wave sheaf offering) and or other produce would require a number of individuals to transport it all by animal and also by ship.
When we read of the Apostle Paul’s journeys and his normal M.O. we find that he went first to the Jews, preaching Christ and Him crucified. He taught from the Scriptures that the Jews knew but he taught with the understanding and revelation he had received from Jesus. He gave them understanding about Jesus being the perfect sacrifice, the sacrifice pictured by the lamb. He would have explained that the picture of the lamb that was selected on the tenth day of the first month was fulfilled by Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, that His sacrifice was foretold in the killing of the lamb and how in the Exodus 12 Passover the blood that provided them protection from the death angel was a shadow of Jesus’ shed blood. He knew and understood that the Israelites passing through the Red Sea was a picture of baptism, of our burial and resurrection with Jesus. (1 Cor. 10:2). He would have understood (which can be demonstrated) that the crossing and coming up out of the Red Sea would have been the very day that would later be the timing of the wave sheaf offering and of the resurrection of Jesus.
Understanding the wave sheaf offering is not necessary for our salvation but it does help us more fully understand the gospel message which Paul preached. And, that offering was looking forward to the next Holy Day, the Feast of Weeks, or sometimes called the Feast of Firstfruits, now commonly called Pentecost. He was the first “sheaf” of the larger harvest of which we are a part of.
Garry D. Pifer
revised 8/3/19
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