The First Wave-sheaf Offering

Each spring, during the Days of Unleavened Bread, we begin the count to Pentecost. In most years this is a smooth and familiar process, but occasionally the calendar presents a sequence that leads to sincere questions. This year, some wonder whether we began the count too early. The question is whether we are to reckon the count from the weekly Sabbath that falls during the Feast (starting with the next day) or from the Sunday that falls during the Feast. This year the Sabbath came at the end of the Feast, and some think we should count from the day after that, the Sunday outside the Feast. But Scripture shows that we are to count from the Sunday within the Feast—which this year was the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Let’s examine the matter.

Thankfully, Scripture gives us a clear precedent in the only recorded example of what must be the wave-sheaf or omer occurring on the First Day of Unleavened Bread—the account found in Joshua 5.

Instructions in Leviticus

In Leviticus 23, after going through the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, God commands the Israelites: “When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf [or omer, denoting a bundle or measure, in this case of barley] before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it” (verses 10-11). The context of this command is important. The offering was not to be performed in the wilderness. Israel had no fields to reap—only manna from heaven. This is not merely assumed; it is clearly stated in the command itself. The offering was to take place only once they entered the land and began to reap its harvest.

God further emphasized this point in verse 14, saying, “You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God.” The restriction is clear. No part of the new harvest from the Promised Land could be eaten until the wave-sheaf was presented before God. This instruction did not apply to grain gathered in Egypt or stored in the wilderness, or even from victories east of the Jordan. The grain used for the wave offering was to be from the land God had promised—Canaan—and no one was to touch it until the offering had been made.

This context brings new meaning to the events recorded in Joshua 5. After crossing the Jordan, Israel prepared to keep the Passover for the first time in the land. The account reads: “Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land” (verses 10-12). This passage gives us an exact three-day sequence. On the 14th day of the month, Israel kept the Passover. The next day, which was the 15th (the First Day of Unleavened Bread), they ate of the produce of the land. And on the 16th, the manna ceased.

Use of parched grain

Some have argued that the parched grain they ate on the 15th was stored grain—left behind by Canaanites or gathered from earlier battles east of the Jordan. This view is often reinforced by the King James Version, which renders the phrase “produce of the land” as “old corn of the land.” However, this is a mistranslation. The Hebrew word used in Joshua 5:11-12, abur, simply means “produce” or “yield.” It carries no implication of age. Most modern Bible translations render this accurately as “produce of the land” or “produce of Canaan,” which makes perfect sense in both linguistic and historical context. No battles had yet taken place west of the Jordan, so Israel had no access to Canaanite storehouses. What they ate was fresh grain—gathered from the ripening barley fields of Canaan and roasted as parched grain.

This parched grain preparation was typical in early spring, when the barley heads had ripened but the full harvest was not yet reaped. Leviticus 23:14 prohibited eating this grain until the first of the harvest was presented in the wave offering. Therefore, when Joshua 5:11 tells us that they ate it on the day after the Passover, thus on the First Day of Unleavened Bread, we understand that the wave-sheaf or omer must have been offered that morning.

The Passover meal at the beginning of the 14th included unleavened bread and bitter herbs, as commanded in Exodus 12:8. This does not conflict with the wave-sheaf requirement. The Passover could have utilized grain carried over from the wilderness or perhaps even cakes made from manna, which Exodus 16:23 confirms could be baked. But the consumption of the land’s produce, clearly emphasized as something new in Joshua 5:11, occurred only after the offering had been made. Why would it be stated that they were eating old grain now if they had already been eating old grain at the Passover? This was now new grain—requiring the wave offering.

Then, on the following day, the manna ceased. After 40 years of miraculous provision, it ended—without warning, and without commentary. It did not return. This was no random event. It was God’s confirmation. The offering had been made. His instruction had been followed. And now His people would be fed by the fruit of the land He had given them. The fact that Scripture records no correction or judgment in this instance further suggests that the offering was conducted properly and in line with God’s instruction.