participants in the festival customarily went up to Jerusalem the day previous to its commencement and there prepared everything necessary for its observance. In the evening the blasts of the trumpets announced the approach of the festival day. (Num. 10:10) The altar of burnt sacrifice was cleansed, the gates of the temple were opened immediately after midnight for the priests and for the people who would bring the sacrifices for burnt offerings and for thanksgiving offerings to the court to be examined by the priests. Dr. Alfred Edersheim, in The Temple, comments (p. 228): “Before the morning sacrifice all burnt- and peace-offerings which the people proposed to bring at the feast had to be examined by the officiating priesthood. Great as their number was, it must have been a busy time, till the announcement that the morning glow extended to Hebron put an end to all such preparations, by giving the signal for the regular morning sacrifice.”

After the regular daily morning sacrifice was offered, the festive sacrifices described in Numbers 28:26-30 were brought. Afterward came the offering peculiar to Pentecost day—the wave loaves with their accompanying sacrifices. (Lev. 23:18-20) After the loaves were waved, one of them was taken by the high priest and the second was divided among all the officiating priests.

SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FESTIVAL

It was on the day of Pentecost that the holy spirit was poured out by Jesus Christ on the group of about 120 disciples in the upper room at Jerusalem in the year 33 C.E. (Acts 1:13-15) Jesus had been resurrected on Nisan 16, the day of the offering of the barley sheaf by the high priest. He was, in a figurative sense, without leaven, which represents sin. (Heb. 7:26) At Pentecost, he, as the great High Priest, could present to his Father Jehovah additional spiritual sons, the footstep followers of his taken from sinful mankind and who accepted his sacrifice. The approval of God and the presentation of his sacrifice were manifested by the pouring out of God’s spirit upon them. This forms a parallel to the offering of two loaves containing leaven. At Pentecost it was first the Jews who became Christ’s spiritual brothers. Later on, Cornelius and his family would initiate the entry of a second group making up the rest of the spiritual congregation, namely, the Gentiles.—Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-48.

The Jews traditionally hold that Pentecost corresponded to the time of the giving of the Law at Sinai, when Israel became a distinguished people. It was early in the third month (Sivan) that the Israelites gathered at Sinai and received the Law. (Ex. 19:1) Just as Moses as mediator was used to introduce Israel into the Law covenant, so Jesus Christ as Mediator of the Christian congregation now brought spiritual Israel into the new covenant. The apostle Paul draws a comparison from these two events, saying that Christians are gathered to a far greater assemblage at “a Mount Zion and a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem,” under new covenant arrangements.—Heb. 12:18-24; compare Revelation 14:1-5.

Jesus had announced the new covenant to his disciples on the evening of his last Passover and, just before his ascension, had instructed them to wait at Jerusalem for the promised holy spirit. Now, as the apostle Peter explained, “because he was exalted to the right hand of God and received the promised holy spirit from the Father, he has poured out this which you see and hear.” (Luke 22:20; Acts 2:33) The presence of God’s spirit was manifested in miraculous speaking in different tongues by some 120 disciples. By this means the multitudes of Jews and proselytes from all parts of the Roman Empire could hear with intelligibility the “magnificent things of God.” (Acts 2:7-11) First at this time, by means of Peter, baptism in the name of the Father, Son and holy spirit was preached, as Jesus commanded at Matthew 28:19. (Acts 2:21, 36, 38, 39) Having gone into the heavens with the value of his sacrifice, Jesus was able to bring his followers into the new covenant.—Heb. 9:15-26.

These followers, then, with the 3,000 added that day (Acts 2:41) and others later, were not the very first firstfruits to God, for this was Jesus Christ himself, presented on Nisan 16 of 33 C.E. (1 Cor. 15:23), when the barley sheaves were waved. Rather, they were like the firstfruits of the wheat, a second crop, “certain first fruits” to God. (Jas. 1:18) They now became God’s new nation, God’s “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession.”—1 Pet. 2:9.

PENUEL

(Pe·nuʹel) [face of God].

1. “Father of Gedor” in the tribe of Judah. (1 Chron. 4:1, 4) Since Gedor appears as the name of a town in Judah, Penuel may have been its founder or the ancestor of its inhabitants.

2. A family head in the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Jerusalem; son of Shashak.—1 Chron. 8:1, 25, 28.

3. The place near the ford of the Jabbok River where Jacob wrestled with the angel; hence he called the place Peniel (Penuel) because there he ‘had seen God face to face.’ (Gen. 32:22-31) In the time of the Judges, Gideon asked the men of Penuel for food in order that his forces might continue after the kings of Midian, but the Penuelites refused, for which reason Gideon later destroyed their tower and killed all their men. (Judg. 8:4-9, 17) Nothing more is mentioned of Penuel until King Jeroboam I “built” it again, or at least fortified it.—1 Ki. 12:25.

Penuel is generally identified with Tulul edh-Dhahab, about four miles (6.4 kilometers) E of Succoth on the Jabbok River some nine miles (14.5 kilometers) or so NE of its confluence with the Jordan. Indications are that it was heavily fortified and strategically positioned so as to control the entrance of the Jabbok gorge leading westward down to the Jordan. Similarly spelled names are found in Assyrian and Egyptian records relating to Palestine.

PEOR

(Peʹor) [an opening, a cleft].

In the account of King Balak’s efforts to get the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, the third vantage point to which Balaam was conducted is said to be the “top of Peor, which looks toward Jeshimon.” (Num. 23:28) From here Balaam could see the tents of Israel spread about on the Plains of Moab below.—Num. 22:1; 24:2.

Some consider Peor to be the abbreviated form of the name Beth-peor. (Deut. 4:46) However, this latter place is evidently a town, included as such in the territorial assignment of Reuben. (Josh. 13:15, 16, 20) Others, therefore, consider Peor to be a summit or peak and suggest that the town of Beth-peor may have been so named because of being situated on the slopes of such summit. Both Peor and Beth-peor appear to be connected with the pagan worship of “the Baal of Peor” (Num. 25:1-3, 18; 31:16; Josh. 22:17), and it is possible that the height of Peor was a center of such immoral worship.—See BAAL No. 4.

Balaam was first taken to Bamoth-baal, then to the “top of Pisgah,” and finally to the “top of Peor.” (Num. 22:41; 23:14, 28) The direction of movement is from S to N and seems to indicate that Peor was N of Pisgah and Mount Nebo. Based on the testimony of Eusebius and Jerome, of the third and fourth centuries C.E., the summit of Peor is suggested to have been one of the peaks bordering the Wadi Hesban.—See BETH-PEOR.

PERAZIM, MOUNT

(Pe·raʹzim) [breakings through].

A mount seemingly referred to elsewhere as Baal-perazim.—Isa. 28:21; see BAAL-PERAZIM.

PERES

(Peʹres).

Daniel used this Aramaic word when interpreting the handwriting on the wall, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PARSIN.” (Dan. 5:25, 28) Dr. Judah Slotki (Soncino commentary on Daniel) and Prof. J. Barr (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962) point out that the handwriting means “a mina, a shekel, and divisions of a shekel [or ‘and half shekels’].” Since “Peres” is the singular number of “Parsin,” it would mean “a half shekel.”

In the prophet’s interpretation of “Peres” he employed two other Aramaic words spelled with the same three consonants but vocalized differently. “PERES [P^eresʹ], your kingdom has been divided [p^eri·sathʹ] and given to the Medes and Persians [Pa·rasʹ].” Thus the inspired explanation included a double play on the word “Peres” and the root meaning “to divide.” The subsequent events of that night proved the accuracy of the interpretation.

PERESH

(Peʹresh).

A son of Machir and Maacah in the tribe of Manasseh.—1 Chron. 7:14, 16.

PEREZ

(Peʹrez) [rupture].

One of the twin sons of Judah by his daughter-in-law Tamar. At birth, Perez’ brother Zerah started to emerge first, but withdrew and Perez came out first, producing a perineal rupture of Tamar. (Gen. 38:24-30) Perez retained priority over his brother and is always listed ahead of him, and his house became the more famous of the two. (Ruth 4:12) Perez and his own two sons, Hezron and Hamul, are listed among those of Jacob’s lineage coming into Egypt, where all three became heads of individual families in Judah. (Gen. 46:8, 12) Aside from this no personal information about him is recorded.

The references to Perez are primarily genealogical, the bulk of Judah’s genealogies being traced through Perez. (1 Chron. 2:4, 5, 9-55; 4:1-20) The families of Perez and his two sons comprised a generous portion of the tribe of Judah at the time of the second wilderness registration. (Num. 26:20-22) Some of Perez’ descendants were in the first division of David’s monthly militia. (1 Chron. 27:3) Many sons of Perez returned from the Babylonian exile, and 468 of them resided in Jerusalem. (1 Chron. 9:3, 4; Neh. 11:4, 6) A direct genealogical line from Perez went through Boaz to David and finally to Jesus the Messiah.—Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Chron. 2:4-15; Matt. 1:3; Luke 3:33.

PEREZ-UZZAH

(Peʹrez-uzʹzah) [rupture against Uzzah].

The name given to the threshing floor of Nacon (or, Chidon) after Jehovah struck down Uzzah for handling the Ark irreverently when an attempt was made to move it from Kiriath-jearim to the city of David. (2 Sam. 6:4-10; 1 Chron. 13:6-11) The exact location of Perez-uzzah is unknown.

PERFECTION

The thought of perfection is expressed through Hebrew terms drawn from such words as ka·lalʹ (to complete or perfect [compare Exodus 28:31]), sha·lamʹ (to be complete, sound, finished [compare 1 Kings 8:61; 2 Chronicles 8:16]), and ta·mamʹ (to be complete, fully developed, intact, faultless (compare Isaiah 18:5; Ezekiel 15:5; 2 Samuel 22:26]). In the Christian Greek Scriptures the words teʹlei·os (adjective), te·lei·oʹtes (noun), and te·lei·oʹo (verb) are used similarly, conveying such ideas as bringing to completeness or full measure (Luke 8:14; 2 Cor. 12:9; Jas. 1:4), being full-grown, adult or mature (1 Cor. 14:20; Heb. 5:14), having attained the appropriate or appointed end, purpose or goal.—John 19:28; Phil. 3:12.

The basic sense of these words therefore corresponds with that of the English word “perfect,” which comes from the Latin prefix per (meaning “throughout,” “thoroughly,” or “completely”) and the verb facere (meaning “to do or make”). So “perfect” basically refers to that which is “made, or done, thoroughly,” something “finished” or “completed.” Beyond this, it usually carries one or more of the following concepts: freedom from fault or defect, meeting supreme standards of excellence, satisfying all requirements, lacking no essential detail.

IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT VIEWPOINT

For correct Bible understanding one must not make the common error of thinking that everything called “perfect” is so in an absolute sense, that is, to an infinite degree, without limitation. Perfection in this absolute sense distinguishes only the Creator, Jehovah God. Because of this Jesus could say of his Father: “Nobody is good, except one, God.” (Mark 10:18) Jehovah is incomparable in his excellence, worthy of all praise, supreme in his superb qualities and powers, so that “his name alone is unreachably high.” (Ps. 148:1-13; Job 36:3, 4, 26; 37:16, 23, 24; Ps. 145:2-10, 21) Moses extolled God’s perfection, saying: “For I shall declare the name of Jehovah. Do you attribute greatness to our God! The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deut. 32:3, 4) All God’s ways, words and law are perfect, refined, free from flaw or defect. (Ps. 18:30; 19:7; Jas. 1:17, 25) There is never any just cause for objection, criticism or faultfinding regarding Him or his activity; rather, praise is always due Him.—Job 36:22-24.

Other perfection relative

Perfection of any other person or thing, then, is relative, not absolute. (Compare Psalm 119:96.) That is, a thing is “perfect” according to, or in relation to, the purpose or end for which it is appointed by its designer or producer, or the use to which it is to be put by its receiver or user. The very meaning of perfection, both in the original languages as well as in English, requires that there be someone who decides when “completion” has been reached, what the standards of excellence are, what requirements are to be satisfied, and what details are essential. Ultimately, God the Creator is the final Arbiter of perfection, the Standard-setter, in accord with his own righteous purposes and interests.—Rom. 12:2; see JEHOVAH (A God of moral standards).

As an illustration, the planet Earth was one of God’s creations, and, at the end of six creative ‘days’ of work toward it, God pronounced the results “very good.” (Gen. 1:31) It met his supreme standards of excellence, hence was perfect. Yet he thereafter assigned man to “subdue it,” evidently in the sense of cultivating the earth and making the whole planet, and not just Eden, a garden of God.—Gen. 1:28; 2:8.

The tent or tabernacle built in the wilderness at God’s command and according to his specifications served as a type or small-scale prophetic model of a “greater and more perfect tent,” Jehovah’s heavenly residence into which Christ Jesus entered as High Priest. (Heb. 9:11-14, 23, 24) The earthly tent was perfect in that it satisfied God’s requirements, served its appointed end. Yet when God’s purpose concerning it was accomplished it ceased to be used and passed out of existence. The perfection of that which it represented was of a far higher type, being heavenly, eternal.

The city of Jerusalem with its hill of Zion was called the “perfection of prettiness.” (Lam. 2:15; Ps. 50:2) This does not mean that every minute aspect of the city’s physical appearance was supremely attractive but, rather, relates to its use by God, the city’s beauty resulting from the splendor that he conferred upon it, making it the capital of his anointed kings and the site of his temple. (Ezek. 16:14) The wealthy commercial city of Tyre is portrayed as a ship whose builders, those working in behalf of the city’s material interests, had ‘perfected its prettiness,’ filling it with luxury products of many lands.—Ezek. 27:3-25.

Thus, in each case the context must be considered to determine in what sense or relation perfection is meant.