to wave
nuph denotes waving offerings or persons before the LORD, and also waving a hand or wielding an implement in other actions.
Its predominant use describes a priestly or appointed act of moving offerings, portions, or Levites before the LORD. Elsewhere it describes hand gestures directed over, against, or toward someone or something, and it can occur with tools or a staff in clauses about wielding them.
Senses in use
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Presenting offerings or persons before the LORD · dominant
Hiphil forms repeatedly occur where a priest or Aaron moves sacrificial portions, a sheaf, or people before the LORD. In Exodus 29:24 the APB renders the action of items placed on Aaron's and his sons' palms as "wave them as a wave offering before the LORD"; in Numbers 8:11 it similarly renders Aaron's action toward the Levites.
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Making a directed gesture with the hand · common
The verb occurs with a hand as the object or instrument of an action directed over or against a place or person. In 2 Kings 5:11 the APB renders Naaman's expected action as "wave his hand over the place," while Isaiah 13:2 pairs the imperative with a raised banner and voice; Job 31:21 uses it in Job's conditional statement about his hand against the orphan.
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Wielding an implement · occasional
With iron, a tool, or a staff in the clause, the action concerns handling or moving an implement. Deuteronomy 27:5 prohibits the action upon altar stones, Exodus 20:25 connects it with a tool upon the altar, and Isaiah 10:15 contrasts an axe and saw with the person who acts upon them.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the offering clauses, the APB commonly uses "wave" and "wave offering," and it uses "wield" where tools or iron are in view. The translation does not visibly isolate the term's contribution in Isaiah 30:28 or Zechariah 2:13, so those verses do not support a more specific English rendering.