Pentecost on Sivan 6: Why Is it the Most Biblically Accurate Date

EACH YEAR, members of the Churches of God prepare to observe Pentecost—a feast day that marks the giving of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the Church. Yet among sincere believers, debate continues: should Pentecost always fall on a Sunday, Monday, or is it more biblically faithful to keep it on Sivan 6, aligning with the preserved Jewish reckoning? And why the Church of God Sharing Village (COGSV) differs in its count from most Sunday-keeping COGs?

This year 2025, Sunday-keeping Pentecost holds two opposing camps: those who take on the idea that the "count" should begin on the immediate 'weekly' Sabbath, April 12, as the 1st day of Passover (DUB) falls on a Sunday (making the count a day ahead of DUB), thereby keeping it on June 1 (Sunday); And those who wait for the next regular Sabbath (which is outside the Days of Unleavened Bread), thus keeping it on June 8 (also a Sunday).

Here's our view which are based on in depth Scripture study, Jewish history, and scholarly analysis. Sivan 6 emerges as the most accurate, straightforward (it eliminates confusing period) reckoning of Pentecost.

The following are the key points:

1. The Original Pentecost: A Date Etched in 'Thunder and Lightning'

Let’s go back to the foundational moment: the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:1 tells us the Israelites arrived at Sinai “in the third month”—Sivan. Jewish tradition has preserved that the Ten Commandments were given on Sivan 6, and this has been consistently commemorated as Shavuot, or Pentecost, ever since.

This original Pentecost, has consistently held that this happened on Sivan 6, exactly fifty days after the wave sheaf offering (Leviticus 23:10-11).

Philo of Alexandria, a 1st-century Jewish philosopher, confirms this date. In Special Laws (2.176–177), he writes that the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) is celebrated “on the fiftieth day, counting from the second day of Unleavened Bread,” placing it on Sivan 6.

Flavius Josephus, writing in Antiquities of the Jews (3.10.6), likewise explains that Pentecost occurs “on the fiftieth day, inclusive, from the second day of Unleavened Bread.” This shows that Jews in the Second Temple period, including those in Jesus’ day, were keeping Sivan 6.

This context helps explain Acts 2:5–11. "Devout Jews" from every nation were gathered in Jerusalem—not because they had all counted differently and landed on the 'same' Sunday, but because Pentecost was universally understood to occur on Sivan 6, (coinciding with the most common Pharisaic view).

Some may ask, what about the "Sunday" view of Sadducee/Karaite, or Samaritan, which were also an accepted practice during that time? In such debatable matter, the crucial question to ask: Who serves as the teacher or "interpreter of the law"?

Jesus' own reply, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, THAT OBSERVE AND DO..." (Matthew 23:2-3). Moses seat is the scriptural "judgment seat" when debates arise.

2. Counting 50: Which 'Sabbath'? The Core of the Confusion

Leviticus 23:15–16 instructs us to count 50 days “from the day after the Sabbath” from the wave sheaf offering. But the critical question is: "Which Sabbath?" Those who argue for a Sunday Pentecost interpret “Sabbath” as the weekly Sabbath. But the Hebrew allows for another interpretation: the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is a High Sabbath, regardless of the day of the week it falls on.

Deuteronomy 16, is Moses' own clear application as he uses the Hebrew word 'shavua' for 'weeks', (not 'shabbat') hence the word feast of 'Shavuot':

“You shall count seven weeks (Heb. 'shavua') for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you." (Deut. 16:9-10)

Again, a 'shavua' week is any cycle of seven days irrespective of the day it falls on. Jewish tradition—backed by early sources—interprets this as the first day of Unleavened Bread, a High Sabbath (see John 19:31). Starting the count from the second day of Unleavened Bread leads directly to Sivan 6.

When you begin the count from the day after the High Day, you consistently land on Sivan 6. This method aligns with the way ancient Israel—and later the Pharisees—understood and observed the feast.

This is the position of the Pharisees, and later, the majority Jewish practice. The Talmud (Menachot 65b) and Midrashic literature confirm this interpretation, which shaped Jewish liturgy and practice for centuries.

3. Bacchiocchi’s Scholarly Confirmation

In his book God’s Festivals in Scripture and History: The Spring Festivals, Seventh-day Adventist scholar Samuele Bacchiocchi also supports a Sivan 6 Pentecost. He writes:

“The evidence from Jewish sources indicates that Pentecost was celebrated on the fiftieth day from the 16th of Nisan, making it fall consistently on the 6th of Sivan. This interpretation, promoted by the Pharisees, eventually became normative.” (Bacchiocchi, God’s Festivals, p. 214)

Bacchiocchi further explains that this Pharisaic approach offers greater scriptural and historical consistency, harmonizing the biblical feasts with a coherent calendar pattern.

4. A Return to Unity, Accuracy, and Consistency

Every other annual Holy Day has a fixed date, except for Pentecost: Passover on Nisan 14, Trumpets on Tishri 1, Atonement on Tishri 10, etc. Why would Pentecost alone float, depending on variable Sunday calculations, which is based on a flawed "Sunday-resurrection" narrative?

Sivan 6 is not only supported by Jewish history and scholarship, but it also provides a unified, calendar-based structure that aligns with how God set His appointed times.

Conclusion: Pentecost Is on Sivan 6

From the giving of the Law to the outpouring of the Spirit, Pentecost on Sivan 6 has been preserved in Jewish memory, affirmed by respected historians and scholars, and echoed in early Church experience.

Let us align ourselves with that truth—not merely for tradition’s sake, but to honor God’s perfect timing with clarity and conviction!