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

NUMBERS 28:26KJV
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Numbers 28:26 (KJV)

What does Numbers 28:26 mean?

Numbers 28:26 commands the Israelites to hold a special gathering and not do regular work on the day they bring a new grain offering to God, which is the festival of firstfruits after the weeks are completed. This verse sets apart the day as holy, marking it as a time for worship and rest rather than ordinary labor.

In context, Moses is relaying God’s instructions to the people of Israel about their worship calendar. The “day of the firstfruits” refers to the festival now known as Pentecost or Shavuot, which comes after counting seven weeks from Passover. The verse emphasizes both the offering of new produce and the requirement to treat the day as sacred, gathering together and refraining from usual work.

The Hebrew behind Numbers 28:26

  • "firstfruits" (בִּכּוּרִים, bikkurim): This word points to the earliest part of the harvest, offered to God as a sign of gratitude and trust. It highlights that this festival is about dedicating the first and best of the new crop.
  • "weeks" (שָׁבוּעַ, shavuot): This word connects the timing of the festival to the seven-week count after Passover, showing that this is not just any harvest celebration but one carefully set by the calendar.
  • "holy" (קָדוֹשׁ, qadosh) and "convocation" (מִקְרָא, miqra): These words together stress that this is a sacred assembly, not just a day off, but a day set apart for gathering and worship.
  • "servile" (עֲבֹדָה, avodah) and "work" (מְלָאכָה, melakhah): These words clarify that the work forbidden is ordinary labor, underlining the difference between this holy day and regular days.

Why Numbers 28:26 matters

  • Numbers 28:26 clarifies that the festival of firstfruits (Pentecost/Shavuot) is not just about bringing an offering, but also about community worship and rest.
  • The verse connects the agricultural cycle to the spiritual life of Israel, making the act of harvesting a moment of thanksgiving and dedication to God.
  • By specifying “no servile work,” the verse draws a boundary between sacred time and ordinary time, helping the community remember what is special about this day.

Where else these words appear

“firstfruits” Hebrew H1061 · used in 16 verses

  • Exodus 23:16 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.
  • Leviticus 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
  • Nehemiah 10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:

“weeks” Hebrew H7620 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
  • Deuteronomy 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:
  • Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

“convocation” Hebrew H4744 · used in 22 verses

  • Exodus 12:16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
  • Leviticus 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
  • Numbers 28:25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

“new” Hebrew H2319 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
  • 1 Kings 11:29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
  • Isaiah 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.