Misinterpretations often claim the Holy Spirit was completely absent before Pentecost, overlooking his activity in the Old Testament like empowering prophets and kings, or suggest believers prior to glorification lacked any spiritual experience, ignoring regeneration and conviction throughout salvation history; others erroneously apply it to deny the Spirit's role in Jesus' own ministry or misconstrue 'not yet given' as the Spirit's non-existence rather than the specific post-glorification bestowal on all believers.
John 7:39
King James Version (1769)
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
This verse parenthetically explains Jesus' earlier reference to rivers of living water as the Holy Spirit, whom believers in him would receive following his glorification through crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; it highlights that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given in this permanent, indwelling sense because Jesus' redemptive work and exaltation were prerequisites, pointing to the Pentecost outpouring as the fulfillment that empowers the church with spiritual vitality and witness.