Heave offering: Heb. terumah,
(Exodus 29:27) means simply an offering, a present,
including all the offerings made by the Israelites as a present. This
Hebrew word is frequently employed. Some of the rabbis attach to the
word the meaning of elevation, and refer it to the heave offering,
which consisted in presenting the offering by a motion up and down,
distinguished from the wave offering, which consisted in a repeated
movement in a horizontal direction, a "wave offering to the Lord as
ruler of earth, a heave offering to the Lord as ruler of heaven." The
right shoulder, which fell to the priests in presenting thank
offerings, was called the heave shoulder
(Leviticus 7:34; Numbers 6:20) The first
fruits offered in harvest-time
(Numbers 15:20,21) were heave offerings.
