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Bible Dictionaries
First-fruits
Smith's Bible Dictionary
or First-fruits.
1. The law ordered, in general, that the first of all ripe fruits and of liquors, or, as it is twice expressed, the first of first-fruits, should be offered in God's house. Exodus 22:29; Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:27. It was an act of allegiance to God, as the giver of all. No exact quantity was commanded, but it was left to the spiritual and moral sense of each individual.
2. On the morrow , after the Passover Sabbath, that is, on the 16th of Nisan, a sheaf of new corn was to be brought to the priest and waved before the altar, in acknowledgment of the gift of fruitfulness. Leviticus 2:12; Leviticus 23:5-6; Leviticus 23:10; Leviticus 23:12.
3. At the expiration of seven weeks from this time, that is, at the Feast of Pentecost, an oblation was to be made from the new flour, which were to be waved in like manner with the Passover sheaf. Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:15; Leviticus 23:17; Numbers 28:26.
4. The Feast of Ingathering, that is, the Feast of Tabernacles, in the seventh month, was itself an acknowledgment of the fruits of the harvest. Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:39.
These [preceding] four sorts of offerings were national. Besides them, the two following offerings were of an individual kind.
5. A cake of the first dough that was baked was to be offered as a heave-offering. Numbers 15:19; Numbers 15:21.
6. The first-fruits of the land were to be brought, in a basket, to the Holy Place of God's choice, and there, presented to the priest, who was to set the basket down before the altar. Deuteronomy 26:2-11. The offerings were the perquisite of the priests. Numbers 18:11; Deuteronomy 18:4. Nehemiah, at the return from captivity, took pains to reorganize the offerings of first-fruits of both kinds, and to appoint places to receive them. Nehemiah 10:35; Nehemiah 10:37; Nehemiah 12:44. An offering of first-fruits is mentioned as an acceptable one to the prophet Elisha. 2 Kings 4:42.
These files are public domain.
Smith, William, Dr. Entry for 'First-fruits'. Smith's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/sbd/f/first-fruits.html. 1901.
