What is the Counting of the Omer?

Netivyah International

The Counting of the Omer is a 49-day period on the biblical calendar that bridges the gap between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost). It begins on the second night of Passover and ends when we reach the fiftieth day.

If you search the Scriptures, you will find that an omer is not a mystical term. It is simply an ancient unit of measurement. Specifically, it was a measure of barley. During the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, this first sheaf of harvested barley was brought to the priests as an offering.

Today, without a standing Temple, the Counting of the Omer is a season of daily numbering. It reminds us that the physical freedom we received at Passover was never meant to be an end in itself. God brought His people out of Egypt so He could bring them to Mount Sinai.

The Command in the Torah

The Torah directly commands the people of Israel to count these seven weeks. In Leviticus, God lays out the framework for this transitional season:

“You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:15-16)

The book of Deuteronomy repeats this instruction, anchoring it firmly to the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel:

“You shall count seven weeks. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time the sickle is first put to the standing 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.” (Deuteronomy 16:9-10)

This commandment links two of the major pilgrimage festivals. Passover marks the beginning of the barley harvest, while Shavuot marks the beginning of the wheat harvest. The Omer is the bridge between the two. We are moving from the first fruits of the field to the full abundance of the summer.

When the priest took the first sheaf of barley, he did not just lay it on the altar. He elevated it and waved it in all directions. This wave offering acknowledged that God is everywhere and that His sovereignty covers the entire earth. It was a physical way of saying that the harvest belongs to the Lord, no matter which direction the wind blows.

The Agricultural Reality of the First Century

To understand the Jewish context of Scripture, we have to look at the dirt. Israel is an agricultural land. In the first century, the weeks between Passover and Shavuot were the busiest and most anxious time of the year for a farmer.

The barley is ripening, but the wheat is still vulnerable. A farmer is entirely dependent on the weather. If the hot desert winds blow too hard, the crop is ruined. If a sudden late rain falls too heavily, the grain rots. Many farmers in the ancient world would sleep out in their fields, working around the clock to secure their harvest.

In the middle of this exhausting, high-stakes labor, God commanded them to stop and count the day. It was a daily, physical reminder to look up from the soil and remember the Creator. The harvest does not come simply because a farmer works hard. Both the land and the harvest are gifts. As the Lord reminds the people:

“I gave you a land on which you had not labored…” (Joshua 24:13).

Counting the Omer forces us to acknowledge that we receive everything from His open hand. It grounds us in gratitude when we are most tempted to rely on our own strength. When you count the days, you are declaring that God is the master of the harvest.

From Slaves to a Holy Nation

The Torah does not explicitly state the spiritual reason for the count. For that, we look to the traditions of the fathers. In Jewish tradition, the Counting of the Omer is seen as a time of spiritual preparation.

Passover celebrates the initial liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. But freedom from a tyrant is only the first step. Shavuot marks the summit of the process of redemption, the day the Jewish people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and received the Torah. That is the moment they became a nation with their own laws, standards, and covenant with God.

Joseph Shulam often points out that it took one night to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. The Counting of the Omer helps remind us of this process. Moving from a slave mentality to a liberated, responsible mindset takes time. The Children of Israel prepared themselves, counting the days until the Torah was given. They were learning how to be free.

Over the centuries, the Counting of the Omer also took on a more solemn tone in Jewish tradition. During the second century, a severe plague struck the students of Rabbi Akiva during these weeks. The Talmud records that thousands of his disciples died because they did not treat one another with respect. Because of this tragedy, the Omer is traditionally observed as a period of semi-mourning. Observant Jews do not hold weddings, cut their hair, or listen to live music during this time.

There is one exception to this mourning period. On the thirty-third day of the Omer, known as Lag BaOmer, the mourning is lifted. The plague is said to have stopped on this day. In Israel today, Lag BaOmer is celebrated with massive bonfires, singing, and joy. It is a sudden burst of light in the middle of a quiet season.

Today, Jewish families around the world maintain the tradition of counting. Every evening after sundown, they recite a short blessing and state the specific day of the count. If you want to learn the exact blessing and daily practice, you can read our guide on How To Count the Omer 2026. It is a discipline of anticipation.

Yeshua and the Days of the Omer

For a disciple of Yeshua (Jesus), this season holds an incredible extra dimension. The events of the New Testament perfectly align with God’s Biblical Calendar.

Yeshua was crucified at Passover. He rose from the dead on the very day the priest was waving the first sheaf of barley in the Temple. This is why the apostle Paul calls Him the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. His resurrection is the guarantee of the greater harvest to come.

After His resurrection, Yeshua walked with His disciples for forty days. During every one of those days, the disciples were actively counting the Omer. They were watching the grain ripen in the fields around Jerusalem while walking alongside the resurrected Messiah. They were living out the count in real time.

Think about the conversations Yeshua must have had with His disciples during those forty days. He was opening their minds to understand the Scriptures. Every evening, they would recite the blessing for the Omer, counting another day closer to Shavuot. They knew they were heading toward the anniversary of Mount Sinai, but they did not yet know what God was about to do. They were learning to trust the timing of God.

Before Yeshua ascended, He told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. They waited in the upper room, continuing to count the remaining ten days. When day fifty arrived, they gathered to celebrate the festival. You can learn more about this specific holiday in our teachings on Shavuot. On that exact day, the Holy Spirit fell upon them with the sound of a rushing wind and tongues of fire.

This was not a coincidence. The fire and wind of Acts 2 directly mirror the thunder and fire of Mount Sinai in Exodus 19. On the first Shavuot, God gave His Torah written on tablets of stone. On this Shavuot, God gave His Holy Spirit, writing His law on human hearts.

Thanks to Yeshua's sacrifice, the Counting of the Omer is a wonderful opportunity to focus on our gratitude. We count down in anticipation. We remember that God freed us from the slavery of sin so that we could be filled with His Spirit.

Marking the Omer at Home

You do not need to be a farmer in the Galilee to count the Omer. It is a very simple practice to keep at home with your family.

Many families keep a physical chart or a jar with forty-nine beans, moving one bean each evening to mark the passing of a day. The counting is traditionally done at night, as the biblical day begins at sundown. You simply say out loud what day it is. For example, "Today is eight days, which is one week and one day of the Omer."

After stating the day, take a few moments to read a verse of Scripture. Psalm 67 is the traditional reading for the Omer. In Hebrew, this Psalm has exactly seven verses and forty-nine words, perfectly matching the structure of the counting season.

Use this time to talk with your family about God's provision. Ask each person to name one specific way God has provided for them that week. It is a small daily anchor that keeps our eyes fixed on the Creator rather than our own labor. You can also use this time to read through The Basics of the Mo’adim to understand how all the biblical feasts connect.

You might also choose to read one chapter of the book of Acts each week, or study the Sermon on the Mount. The goal is not to add a heavy religious burden to your evening. The goal is to build a habit of daily awareness. We are so easily distracted by our jobs, our worries, and our screens. Counting the Omer is a built-in pause button. It forces us to stop, look at the calendar, and remember that we are part of a much larger story.

As you count the days this year, sit with this question: What area of your life still carries the mindset of a slave, and how is God using this season to prepare you for the freedom of His Spirit?

Questions people ask

What is counting the Omer in the Bible?

In Leviticus 23, God commands Israel to count seven full weeks from the time the first sheaf (omer) of barley is harvested during Passover. On the fiftieth day, they are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, bringing a new grain offering to the Lord.

When do we start counting the Omer?

The counting begins on the second night of Passover. It continues for 49 consecutive days, ending the day before Shavuot (Pentecost).

What does counting the Omer mean?

Historically, it marked the transition from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest, reminding Israel that God provides the rain and the grain. Spiritually, it represents the journey from physical liberation in Egypt to receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.

What does counting the Omer mean for believers in Yeshua?

For disciples of Yeshua, the Omer spans the time from His resurrection at Passover to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. It is a season of daily anticipation, remembering that God freed us from sin so we could be filled with His Spirit.