pentecost3

The word number has a Qal stem #8799. The major way the KJV
translates the word, #05608 is: scribe 50, tell 40, declare 24,
number 23. But the Qal stem is: 1a1) to count (things), 1a2) to
number, take account of, reckon.

With the Qal verb stem, the word can mean to take account of,
reckon. In other words, the scribes would count off seven weekly
Sabbaths and then determine when Pentecost would be, by
finishing the count beginning with the morrow after the seventh
Sabbath. It could be the day following the seventh Sabbath, or it
could be up to six days after the seventh Sabbath. There would
always be seven Sabbaths, but the accounting would determine
how many days after the seventh Sabbath there would be. This
would have been done in advance by the scribes, but the way of
accounting was to count off seven Sabbaths and then <tell> or
<reckon> when the 50th day from the wave sheaf was to fall
beginning with the morrow after that seventh Sabbath. Then the
priests could tell the people that after the seventh Sabbath there
would be one, two, three, etc. days until Pentecost. That way, the
people would have only had to keep count of the Sabbaths and the
days after the seventh Sabbath to Pentecost. That may not seem
so important to us, because we have a calendar in every room of
the house and everywhere at work, but it would have been very
important to the Israelites. They could have made 7 notches on a
wooden stick for the seven Sabbaths, one for each Sabbath as it
came, and then they could know after the seventh notch which
day Pentecost would fall on. Otherwise, they would have had to
make 49 notches, which could more easily result in a mistake,
besides the extra effort.

Six different times the KJV uses the phrase “feast of weeks” in
reference to Pentecost. Whether weeks or Sabbaths is correct
has been the focus of the past. With the above information, we
can reconcile these differences by understanding that both
Sabbaths and weeks are correct. Instead of pitting Sabbaths
against weeks, they compliment each other. Some places the
Bible refers to <weeks> from Passover to Pentecost and in
Leviticus 23 the Bible refers to <Sabbaths> between Passover
and Pentecost – according to the KJV translation.

Ex 34:22 And thou shalt observe the <feast of weeks>, of the firstfruits of
wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

Nu 28:26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat
(meal) offering unto the LORD, <after your weeks be out>, ye shall have
an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

De 16:9 <Seven weeks> shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the
<seven weeks> from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the
corn.

De 16:10 And thou shalt keep the <feast of weeks> unto the LORD thy
God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt
give unto the LORD thy God, according as the LORD thy God hath
blessed thee:

De 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the
LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of
unleavened bread, and in the <feast of weeks>, and in the feast of
tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:

2Ch 8:13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the
commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on
the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened
bread, and in the <feast of weeks>, and in the feast of tabernacles.

Fenton:
Lev. 23:16, "Then after the seventh Sabbath, you shall count (calculate)
fifty days..."

After the seventh Sabbath, you shall calculate (determine,
reckon, scribe, tell, or number) when the fiftieth day will be in
that week.

In other words, the determination of when Pentecost occurred
was from the 7th Sabbath! Not that it would always be the day
following the Sabbath, but to determine which day after the 7th
Sabbath Pentecost would occur.

The scribes would have marked off the seven Sabbaths following
Passover and determined for the people how many days following
the seventh Sabbath that would be. This would have been a ritual
for them. For us there is greater significance; these days
represent the rest of our lives!

Notice how the bible uses this word #05608 in Genesis 15:5. Tell
the stars if you are able to number them. In other words,
calculate or count the stars if you can. The word has to do with
calculating, not just the last day of a count. If Le 23:16 is
referring to the last day of the count, it would have used the term
<fiftieth> <day> (singular) but it says, "number fifty days."

Ge 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward
heaven, and tell <05608> (8798) the stars, if thou be able to number
them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

The KJV translation causes us to assume, because of our
erroneous tradition, that Pentecost is on the day following the
seventh Sabbath. However, as the Fenton translation shows, it is
the final determination of the count to Pentecost that takes place
beginning with the day following the seventh Sabbath.

Fenton:
Lev. 23:16, "Then after the seventh Sabbath, you shall count (calculate)
fifty days..."

This would all be determined soon after Passover as the <count>
to Pentecost was celebrated as well as the last day of the count.
It is as though a bride is counting the days off until her wedding
day. It does not mean that the scribes would have waited until
the 7th Sabbath before they determined when to celebrate
Pentecost; rather, we have here the description of a method of
counting.

However, even the KJV translation says the same thing if we put
the emphasis on the word <number>, rather than on the phrase
<unto the morrow>.

KJV:
Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow (morning) after the seventh Sabbath
shall ye number (calculate) fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat
offering unto the LORD.

Moses did not record the count to begin at sunset of the seventh
Sabbath; rather, the scribes calculated the count – or recount as
this word can mean – to Pentecost from the morning after the
seventh Sabbath. This does not preclude a previous calculation,
as that would be necessary in order to be prepared for a
Pentecost that could begin the day following the seventh Sabbath,
but determines the <method> the scribes used to determine the
arrival of Pentecost.

Below is Green's Literal Translation. Notice that the emphasis is
on numbering or finishing the calculation of the fifty days
beginning with the day after the seventh Sabbath.

Lev 23:16 the next day after the seventh Sabbath, you shall number
(calculate) fifty days; and you shall bring near a new food offering to
Jehovah;

Furthermore, the word “morrow” contains a “min” prefix in the
Hebrew that means from, in Leviticus 23:16. Therefore, the
verse should read, “Even from the morrow after the seventh
Sabbath, shall you calculate fifty days…” By changing the
preposition “from” to “unto” – the translators give us the
impression that the count is at an end. However, the Hebrew
“min” gives us the impression that the count is continuing. The
count can go one, two, four, or six days beyond the seventh
Sabbath as the calendars show at the end of this writing.

Leviticus 23:16 Even unto (from) the morrow after the seventh Sabbath
shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the
LORD.

By looking at this scripture in this way, we can reconcile the
controversy that has gone on for hundreds of years about
whether the word <Sabbaths> signifies Sabbaths or weeks, in
these two verses.

The 15th of Nisan can fall on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and
Thursday. We have included in the back of this article a calendar
for each of these possibilities to show how many days beyond the
7th Sabbath there would be in any given year. Please check them
out. We based these calendars on the Hebrew Calendar
therefore they will not correspond to days on the Gregorian
calendar. Moreover, in the year when the Sabbath is the
Passover Feast – 15th Nisan – keep in mind that the count for
Pentecost begins the next day after the feast day and therefore
the 1st Sabbath would always follow day one of the count.
Therefore, you would never count the Sabbath that the Passover
Feast fell on, as the 1st Sabbath to Pentecost.

God gave the pattern of salvation to the Jews, for preservation.
Their blindness as regards the first coming of the Messiah was no
surprise to God. In fact, Paul shows that this was necessary so
that salvation could come to the Gentiles.

Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh
for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber,
eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this
day.
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their
back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.

Nevertheless, the Jews did not fool themselves about those things
given them under the Old Covenant! If the Sadducees had been
correct, why did their belief die out and the belief of the
Pharisees continue to this very day? Furthermore, when we
comprehend that the Sadducees were secularly orientated, we
can perceive why they came to their misunderstand.

We have presented this possible reconciliation of the count to
Pentecost only as speculation. If it could be shown that there are
linguistic impossibilities with this conjecture we still must
remember that the words Sabbaths and Sabbath of Leviticus 23:
15-16 could be translated weeks.

Why count 50 days to Pentecost, when you know that it is going to
come out on the 6th of Sivan?

If you knew that you were going to be married on the 6th of Sivan,
would that encourage you to count the days until your wedding?
This would be especially true of a bride and we are to be the bride
of Christ.

The 50 days from Passover to Pentecost represent the entirety of
our life after our calling. Passover represents our ransom out of
the world before baptism. The next step is our baptism and then
our betrothal. The rest of our life is one of preparing for our
marriage to God. The lesson in the count from Passover to
Pentecost is that we should note each day in our life of
overcoming, to see if we have made progress or gone backward.

The word Sabbath means rest. We are to rest from <our> labors
and trust God for our salvation. The number seven denotes
completeness. There are exactly seven Sabbaths during this
period from Passover to Pentecost. Therefore, each Sabbath
brings us closer to the perfection we are to have when we are
married to God!

On the 4th Sabbath, we can look back and see that we have come
over half way to our marriage date and that we have 3 more
Sabbaths to go. Once the seven Sabbaths of rest are over, we
know that we are on the threshold of coming to the end of our
trials and overcoming and that we are ready to enter into the rest
of eternal salvation. However, Pentecost means for us a marriage
to God! Our Pentecost will come at the marriage supper of the
Lamb. The 49 days represent our entire life after our calling up to
the marriage on the 50th day.

Ps 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days,
what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

The reason to count was not just to know when the day would
arrive, but also to know what today is in relationship to the past
and the future. In the time from the beginning to the end, how are
we doing in our preparation as the future bride of God? There
was a greater reason for counting than just to find out the date of
Pentecost.

If God had said that Pentecost was on such and such a day, the
need to count would have been lost. He never gave that
information, so the first time, which was the type for all time to
come they had to count to find out that it was on Sivan 6th. How
many years did they have to count before they realized that it
would always be on Sivan 6th? We do not know, but probably by
the second year someone said, "That was the same day of the
month we kept Pentecost last year." Then someone calculated
forward and realized that it would always be that way. But the
fact that <they> had to arrive at that knowledge for the first time
made an impression that God wanted these days to be counted,
and for some other reason than just finding the date of Pentecost.

When one calculates the count day by day, Pentecost is always on
his mind. However, when one does not calculate the count day by
day, Pentecost is out of the mind most of these 50 days. If we are
talking about our marriage with God, how important is it to think
about each day and how we measure up to what God expects of
us? We want to be the best bride we can be. Therefore, if it is
out of our minds most of the time, how can we progress to the
point that we are wise rather than foolish virgins?

It is interesting to note that those people who make the loudest
noise about the counting aspect of Pentecost – to find the date for
Pentecost – never count these days! The days drift by without
any meaning for them. This is true because they believe that the
count is just for finding out which day to celebrate Pentecost!
There is nothing biblical to back up this idea.

Should we let the 50 days between Passover and Pentecost just
drift by. If we used these days as stepping-stones to our marriage
with God, we would set aside some time for meditation each day
on some aspect of God's character and what he wants us to be as
His bride.

“How am I doing in my life as far as love is concerned?” Each day
could bring a study into God's word about some aspect of His
character. It is obvious that as He is perfect He will want a
perfect bride. By meditating each of the 50 days and thinking
about how we stack up in relationship to Him, we could make
progress. Furthermore, He will help us to be ready when He
comes to take His bride, by giving us more of His holy spirit, if we
show that we want to be like Him

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Of course, there are 49 days between Passover and Pentecost.
This has another significance. There were 49 years and then a
jubilee. This jubilee meant the freedom from physical debt, which
is a type of our freedom from the debt of sin. Therefore, the 49
days from Passover to Pentecost represents the time left until our
freedom and our jubilee.

Why count the days to Pentecost? Because we only have so many
days to get ready to be the bride of God and we need to make the
most of every day!

The children of Israel in the <third> month and the <same> (third)
day came into the wilderness of Sinai. If it was the <third> month
and the day was the same as the month, it would be the <third>
day.

Ex 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out
of the land of Egypt, the same day (i.e. the third day) came they into the
wilderness of Sinai.

Three days later would have been the sixth day of the third month.
Verse 11 does not say that the Lord would come down on the third
day of the month. From this perspective, it was already the third
day when the Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. Verse
11 is speaking about the third day of preparation after they had
arrived, which would be the sixth day of the month.

Ex 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify
them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will
come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

It is the third day, numerically. The number of the day when they
arrived was the same as the number of the month. It was the third
day, of the third month.

One can substantiate this easily. The Hebrew Calendar alternates
between 29 days and 30 days each month. The count begins with
the 16th of the first month. If we presuppose (please note that our
supposition is safe here for if we begin with 29 days for the first
month, the following month will be 30 days and the count will be
exactly the same because more than two months is involved) that
the first month had 30 days, that would give us 15 days in the first
month. The next month would give us 29 days. Now we have 44
days. As Pentecost is 50 days after Passover, this leaves 6 days in
the 3rd month. Therefore, it was the third day of the third month
when they arrived at Sinai and Pentecost arrived 3 days later on
Sivan 6th.

Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of
Sinai.

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