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And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.
Leviticus 9:21 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB and the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before Yahweh, as Moses commanded.
  • BSB but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.
  • NKJV but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.
  • NASB But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.
  • NLT Aaron then lifted up the breasts and right thighs as a special offering to the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Aaron waves the breasts and right thigh as a wave offering before Yahweh, as Moses commanded. The priests receive their portion as a gift presented to God.

Overview

The 'wave offering' ceremonially presented these portions to the LORD, who then granted them to the priests for their sustenance (cf. 7:31-34). This shows God providing for his ministers through the offerings of the people. The principle that 'those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel' (1 Corinthians 9:14) echoes this pattern.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Lev 7:30–34His own hands shall bring the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the LORD.
  • Lev 7:26Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
  • Exod 29:24And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.
  • Isa 49:3And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
  • Lev 7:24And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.
  • Luke 2:13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
  • 1 Pet 4:11If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
  • Exod 29:26–28And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Leviticus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Leviticus 9:21YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LeviticusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.

How Leviticus 9:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.