Pentecost, which means “fifty,” is celebrated fifty days after Passover. It is the only one of the three pilgrimage feasts which did not commemorate a specific event in Israel’s history. Eventually it came to be associated with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
Pentecost, which is the Greek word for “fiftieth,” is called in Hebrew Ḥag Shavu‘ot, that is, “the Feast of Weeks” (Exod. 34:22; Lev. 23:15–22). Its name derived from the fact that it was celebrated seven weeks after the Passover, on the fiftieth day (Lev. 23:15–16; Deut. 16:9–10). It is also called the “Feast of Harvest” (Exod. 23:16) and the “Day of Firstfruits” (Num. 28:26).
Pentecost was a one-day festival in which all males were to appear at the sanctuary and a Sabbath in which all servile labor was suspended. The central feature of the day was the offering of two loaves of bread for the people from the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (Lev. 23:17). As the omer ceremony signified the onset of the harvest season, the presentation of the two loaves indicated its close. It was a day of thanksgiving, in which freewill offerings were made (Deut. 16:10), of rejoicing before the Lord, and of special consideration shown to the Levite, sojourner, orphan, and widow (Deut. 16:10–12). The festival day signified the dedication of the harvest to God as the provider of all blessings.
The Old Testament does not specifically give any historical significance for the day, Pentecost being the only one of the three great agricultural feasts that do not commemorate some event in Jewish history. Later tradition, on the basis of Exodus 19:1, taught that the giving of the Law at Sinai was fifty days after the Exodus and Passover, and as a result, Shavu‘ot has also become known as the Torah festival. The book of Ruth, which describes the harvest season, is read at Pentecost. The significance of the day for the New Testament is set forth in Acts 2 when Pentecost marked the beginning of the church.