What is…
Pentecost

i.e., 50th (fiftieth)

also known as: Feast of Weeks, Feast of Harvest, Day of the Firstfruits

The name Pentecost is found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8).

The festival so named is first spoken of in Exodus 23:16 as “the Feast of Harvest,” and again in Exodus 34:22 as “the Day of the Firstfruits” (Numbers 28:26).

“Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread [The Passover] and at the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost] and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” —Deuteronomy 16:16

From the 16th of the month of Nisan (the 2nd day of the Passover), 7 complete weeks, i.e., 49 days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the 50th day.

The manner in which it was to be kept is described in Leviticus 23:15-19; Numbers 28:27-29.

Besides the sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, every one was to bring to the Lord his “tribute of a free-will offering” (Deuteronomy 16:9-11).

The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of “two leavened loaves” made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering.

The day of Pentecost is noted in the Christian Church as the day on which the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, and on which, under Peter's preaching, so many thousands were converted to followers of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem (Acts 2).

More information

Article Version: March 16, 2026