Deuteronomy 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.

Seven {H7651} weeks {H7620} shalt thou number {H5608} unto thee: begin {H2490} to number {H5608} the seven {H7651} weeks {H7620} from such time as thou beginnest {H2490} to put the sickle {H2770} to the corn {H7054}.

"You are to count seven weeks; you are to begin counting seven weeks from the time you first put your sickle to the standing grain.

You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain.

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.

Commentary

Deuteronomy 16:9 (KJV)

This verse provides the specific instruction for calculating the date of the Feast of Weeks, known in Hebrew as Shavuot and later called Pentecost (meaning "fifty") in Greek. It establishes the starting point for counting the seven weeks leading up to this important festival.

Context and Timing

Deuteronomy 16 is detailing the observance of Israel's three major annual pilgrimage feasts. Following the section on Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (verses 1-8), verse 9 instructs the people to count "seven weeks" beginning from the moment they first start the grain harvest, specifically when the sickle is put to the standing grain (referred to as "corn," which here means barley, the first grain harvested in the spring).

Significance of the Counting

The command to "number unto thee" these seven weeks (49 days) creates a direct link between the agricultural cycle and the religious calendar. The Feast of Weeks was celebrated on the 50th day, marking the completion of the barley harvest and the offering of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (see Leviticus 23:15-16). This period of counting, sometimes called the "counting of the Omer," emphasizes the progression from the liberation of Passover to the celebration of God's provision in the harvest and traditionally, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.

Application

This instruction highlights how Israel's worship was deeply integrated with their daily lives and agricultural work, reminding them that God was the source of their sustenance. It teaches the importance of marking time and celebrating God's faithfulness in providing for us. The New Testament significance is profound, as the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), fulfilling a spiritual harvest fifty days after Christ's resurrection.

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Cross-References

  • Exodus 34:22 (6 votes)

    And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

  • Exodus 23:16 (6 votes)

    And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

  • Acts 2:1 (5 votes)

    ¶ And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

  • 1 Corinthians 16:8 (2 votes)

    But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost.

  • Leviticus 23:15 (2 votes)

    ¶ And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:

  • Leviticus 23:16 (2 votes)

    Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

  • Deuteronomy 16:10 (2 votes)

    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: