“And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 10:14 Mean?
"The wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee." The priests' portion of the peace offering includes specific cuts of meat — the breast and the shoulder — and the daughters are explicitly included in the eating. The priestly daughters receive the same sacrificial food as the priestly sons. The sacred meal is not male-exclusive.
The inclusion of daughters is noteworthy because many priestly functions were restricted to males. But the eating of the peace offering includes the whole family: sons AND daughters. The sacrificial provision extends to every member of the priestly household, regardless of gender.
The peace offering (shelamim — related to shalom) is the only offering where the worshipper, the priest, and God all share the meal. God receives the fat (burned on the altar). The priest receives the breast and shoulder. The worshipper keeps the rest. It's a three-party feast — the only sacrifice that's also a communal dinner.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the inclusion of daughters in the sacred meal teach about gender in worship?
- 2.How does the peace offering's shared-meal structure differ from other sacrifices?
- 3.What would worship that includes communal eating change about your community?
- 4.How does eating together express the 'peace' the offering produces?
Devotional
Sons and daughters. Both eat the sacred portion. The priestly family — not just the men but the women too — shares the meat from the peace offering. The daughters are explicitly named as recipients of the sacrificial food.
In a system where many sacred functions are male-exclusive, the peace offering meal includes the whole family. The daughters of priests eat the same consecrated food as the sons. The sacred provision doesn't discriminate by gender when it reaches the dinner table. Whatever restrictions exist in the Tabernacle, the family table is shared.
The peace offering is unique: it's the only sacrifice where everyone eats. God gets the fat (on the altar). The priest gets the breast and shoulder. The worshipper keeps the rest. The sacrifice becomes a shared meal — the ancient equivalent of a barbecue where God, the religious leader, and the congregation all eat from the same animal.
The communal eating is the peace offering's theology: shalom (peace, wholeness) is experienced through shared food. The relationship between God and humanity isn't just vertical (sacrifice going up). It's horizontal (meal going around). The peace that the offering produces is tasted at a table, not just declared from an altar.
What would your worship look like if it included a shared meal where everyone — sons and daughters, leaders and laity — ate together from what was offered to God?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The heave shoulder and wave breast shall they bring,.... Not the priests, but the owners to the priests, Lev 7:29,…
The argument is, that as such meals were appointed in honor of Yahweh Himself, they ought to be conducted with due…
Wave-breast and heave-shoulder - See Leviticus 7 (note), and Exo 29:27 (note).
Moses is here directing Aaron to go on with his service after this interruption. Afflictions should rather quicken us to…
For the -wave breast" and the -heave thigh" see Appendix IV, pp. 183 ff.
(6) Aaron's excuse for not eating the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture