Omer carries two distinct but related meanings. First, it is the sheaf of grain — the handful of stalks cut and bundled at harvest. Second, it is a specific dry measure (approximately 2 liters or 2 quarts), equal to one-tenth of an ephah. The word appears in key harvest and worship contexts: the first omer of the barley harvest was waved before the LORD at Passover (Leviticus 23:10-11), and the miraculous manna in the wilderness was measured in omers.
The theology of omer is deeply embedded in Israel's liturgical calendar. The 'Counting of the Omer' — the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) — was a harvest counting that became a spiritual journey between redemption (Exodus) and covenant renewal (Sinai). The daily manna provision of one omer per person (Exodus 16) teaches total dependence on God's provision — 'give us this day our daily bread.' The waved omer of firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10) points to Christ as the 'firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep' (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).