Deuteronomy 16:9-12

(2) PENTECOST (Deuteronomy 16:9-12)

9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the standing grain shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. 10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Jehovah thy God with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee: 11 and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 16:9-12

280.

Please read Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:15-21; Numbers 28:26-31 and Deuteronomy 26:1-11 to be able to understand this feast, and more especially the counting of time.

281.

Why call this the feast of Pentecost?

282.

Why was the purpose of this feast?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 16:9-12

9 You shall count seven weeks: beginning to number the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.
10 Then you shall keep the feast of weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give to the Lord your God, as the Lord your God blesses you.
11 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and daughter, your manservant and maidservant, and the Levite who is within your towns, the stranger or temporary resident, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place in which the Lord your God chooses to make His name [and His presence] dwell.
12 And you shall (earnestly) remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be watchful and obey these statutes.

COMMENT 16:9-12

(More on this feast in Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:15-21; Numbers 28:26-31, and Deuteronomy 26:1-11.)

This feast has several names: also called Harvest and First-fruits. It marked the beginning of the harvest period, and is called Pentecost (fiftieth) because they were to number fifty days after the Passover for its observance (Leviticus 23:15-16; Acts 2:1) which was on the first day of the week. Because seven weeks of seven days were numbered before it was observed during their month Sisan or Sivan, which answers to our May-June.

The giving of the first fruits, of course, honored God. In the old economy God was to be thought of firsthow much more in the new!