Exodus 29:24Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The scholars identify two forms of offerings presented to God. The first, conveyed through the verb terumah, indicates an act of elevation. According to Rabbinic interpretation, this was performed by lifting a portion of the sacrifice, specifically the shoulder of the peace-offering (Lev. V⁴⁰; II, 32) multiple times upwards. The second form of offering, denoted by the verb tenufa, is rendered in our text as ‘shaking,’ but is also described in various Western translations with terms like ‘rocking,’ ‘swaying,’ and ‘twirling.’ This rite involved moving a part of the sacrifice, particularly the sternum, known as the breast of the shaking (Lev. V⁴⁰; II, 34). In a unique act of initiation, the shaking was executed using the shoulder of the offering (see below, note 11). In his translation, Silvestre de Sacy does not differentiate between these expressions and consistently translates them as ‘to raise the offering toward the Lord.’ The term tournoyer is attributed to Osterwald.