Leviticus 23:9-14

The Feast of Firstfruits

9 And the LORD said to Moses,

10 “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest.

11 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.

12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD,

13 along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour ^[a] mixed with oil—a food offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine. ^[b]

14 You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

Leviticus 23:9-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 23

In this chapter an account is given of the several holy days, times, and seasons, appointed by God, under the general names of feasts and holy convocations; and first of the sabbath, Le 23:1-4; then of the passover and feast of unleavened bread, Le 23:5-8; to which is annexed the sheaf of the firstfruits, Le 23:9-14; after that of the feast of weeks or pentecost, Le 23:15-22; and of the feast of trumpets, Le 23:23-25; and of the day of atonement, Le 23:26-32; and of the feast of tabernacles, Le 23:33-44.

Footnotes

• [a] Two-tenths of an ephah is approximately 4 dry quarts or 4.4 liters (probably about 5.1 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of flour); also in verse 17.
• [b] A quarter hin is approximately 0.97 quarts or 0.92 liters of wine.