📖 Biblical Definition
Omer (עֹמֶר) carries two distinct senses in Scripture. First, it is a sheaf of grain — the omer of firstfruits waved before YHWH on the day after the Sabbath following Passover: "Then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD" (Leviticus 23:10-11). Christ is the firstfruits of resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20) on the very day the omer was waved. Second, the omer is a small dry-measure unit (one-tenth of an ephah) — the daily portion of manna gathered in the wilderness: "Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man" (Exodus 16:16). The forty-nine days from omer-of-firstfruits to Pentecost are called "counting the omer."
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Sheaf of firstfruits; also small dry measure (1/10 ephah).
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Two distinct senses share the same Hebrew word: (1) a sheaf of grain, especially the omer-of-firstfruits waved before YHWH on the day after the Sabbath of Passover (Lev 23:10-11) — the offering Christ fulfills as "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Cor 15:20); (2) a small dry-measure unit equal to one-tenth of an ephah, used for the daily ration of manna in the wilderness (Exod 16:16). The 49 days between the firstfruits omer and Pentecost are still called Sefirat HaOmer (counting the omer).
📖 Key Scripture
Leviticus 23:10-11 — "When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf (omer) of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you."
Exodus 16:16 — "Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man."
1 Corinthians 15:20 — "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
The connection between Levitical firstfruits-omer and Christ's resurrection on the same day gets lost in translations that simply say "sheaf."
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Christ rose on the day of the firstfruits-omer wave-offering. Paul calls Him "firstfruits of them that slept" because the timing was deliberate. The Levitical calendar prophesies the gospel calendar.
Recover the omer-pattern: Christ as omer-of-firstfruits, the 49 days of counting the omer leading to Pentecost as Spirit's outpouring (Acts 2). The whole spring feasts cycle preaches the resurrection sequence.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew omer.
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['Hebrew', 'H6016', 'omer', 'sheaf, omer (1/10 ephah)']
Usage
"Christ is the firstfruits-omer wave offering."
"Counting the omer leads to Pentecost."
"Manna by the omer per person, daily."