Firstborn

This phrase is not always to be understood literally; it is sometimes taken for the prime, most excellent, most distinguished of things, Psa 89:27 1Ch 8:29 Heb 1:4-6 . Thus Jesus Christ is "the firstborn of every creature," Col 1:15, inasmuch as he was the "Only begotten" of the Father before any creature was produced. He is "the firstborn from the dead," Col 1:18, because he is the beginning, and the author of the resurrection of all who die in faith.\par After the destroying angel had slain the firstborn of the Egyptians, God ordained that all the Jewish firstborn, both of men and of beasts for service, should be consecrated to him; but the male children only were subject to this law. If a man had several wives, he was obliged to offer the firstborn son by each one of them to the Lord. The firstborn were offered at the temple, and redeemed for five shekels. The firstling of a clean beast was offered at the temple, not to be redeemed, but to be killed; an unclean beast, a horse, an ass, or a camel, was either redeemed or exchanged; an ass was redeemed by a lamb or five shekels; if not redeemed, it was killed, Exo 13:2,11, etc. The firstborn son among the Hebrews, as among all other nations, enjoyed particular privileges. See BIRTHRIGHT.\par

First-born. Under the law, in memory of the Exodus (when the first-born of the Egyptians were slain), the eldest son was regarded as devoted to God, and was, in every case, to be redeemed by an offering not exceeding five shekels, within one month from birth. If he died before the expiration of thirty days, the Jewish doctors held the father excused, but liable to the payment if he outlived that time. Exo 13:12-16; Lev 27:6.

The eldest son received a double portion of the father’s inheritance, Deu 21:17, but not of the mother’s. Under the monarchy, the eldest son usually, but no always, as appears in the case of Solomon, succeeded his father in the kingdom. 1Ki 1:30; 1Ki 2:22.

The male first-born of animals was also devoted to God. Exo 13:2; Exo 13:12-13; Exo 22:29; Exo 34:19-20. Unclean animals were to be redeemed with the addition of one-fifth of the value, or else put to death; or, if not redeemed, to be sold, and the price given to the priests. Lev 27:13; Lev 27:27-28.

(See BIRTHRIGHT.) Primogeniture gave princedom and priesthood in patriarchal times. So Esau and Jacob (Gen 25:23-33; Heb 12:16), Reuben (Gen 49:3; 1Ch 5:1). The oldest son in all Israelite families was regarded as sacred to God, because Israel’s firstborn were exempted from the stroke which destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt on the first Passover night. The firstborn represented the whole people; Jehovah said to Pharaoh, "Israel is My son, My firstborn, and I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve He; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold I will slay thy son, thy firstborn" (Exo 4:22-23). Israel, as Jehovah’s firstborn, was designed to be a" kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Exo 19:6).

It shall hereafter realize this high Calling in a degree that it has not yet realized it, standing as "the firstborn among many brethren" (like the antitypical Israel, Messiah, Rom 8:29; Heb 2:12), and priest among all nations, which in subordination to Jerusalem, the spiritual metropolis, shall be the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, then manifested (Isa 61:6; Isa 66:21; Rev 11:15; Zec 14:16; Jer 3:17). The tribe of Levi was substituted for all Israel’s firstborn to minister to the Lord (Num 3:12; Num 3:45; Num 3:50). There being 273 more of the firstborn in Israel than the males in Levi, the 273 were redeemed at five shekels apiece. Still, to mark the consecration of Israel to Jehovah, the redemption money was exacted for every firstborn (Num 18:15). But the firstlings of cattle were to be offered to the Lord.

An donkey was however redeemed with a lamb, or else killed (Exo 13:13). Christ is the First-begotten. As such, He has the rights of primogeniture; for, as Heb 1:6 is in the Greek, "when God shall bring in again the First. begotten into the world, the shall be deemed worthy of not less honor, for "He saith (Psa 97:7), Let all the angels of God worship Him." His being "brought into the world" (oikoumenee, "the inhabited world"), as the theater of His power, mainly applies to His second advent. In (Col 1:16, "the Firstborn of every creature"; implying priority and superlative dignity. Psa 89:27, "My Firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth," David’s antitype, the Messiah.

See Col 1:16 (proototokos pasees ktiseoos, as Joh 1:15; Joh 1:30; Joh 15:18, prootos mou, "long before Me"), "begotten long before every creature"; the reason why He is so designated follows, "for He is before all things." "First-begotten" marks at once His eternal priority and His condescending to brotherhood with us (Rom 8:29). "Only begotten" marks His relation to the Father by generation from everlasting. Since He is "long before every creature," He cannot be a creature Himself but the Creator. And as He is the first begotten, originating the natural creation, so He is "the firstborn (proototokos, ’first begotten,’ Rev 1:5) from ("out of", ek) the dead," and therefore "the Beginning" (Col 1:18) of "the church of the firstborn" (Heb 12:23), the originating Agent of the new creation.

He was "begotten" of the Father to a new life at His resurrection (the day when the Father fulfilled Psa 2:7 according to Act 13:33; Rom 1:4) which is His "regeneration"; so He is "the Prince-leader (archeegos) of life." "Regeneration," begun in the soul now, will extend to the body at the resurrection of the saints; and to nature, now groaning under the curse (Mat 19:28; Luk 20:36; 1Jn 3:2; Rom 8:11; Rom 8:19; Rom 8:23). As He is "the firstborn" in relation to the election church, so it is "the church of the firstborn," "a kind of first-fruits of His creatures" (Jas 1:18), in relation to the millennial church, and to the hereafter to be regenerated natural creation. As Christ is "the firstfruits," earnest and pledge of the coming resurrection, so believers are "a kind of first-fruits," a pledge and earnest of the ultimate regeneration of creation.

As He is first begotten by generation from everlasting, so believers by adoptions, "begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible," etc. (1Pe 1:3.) As Israel, on the ground of being God’s "firstborn," was a king-priestly nation, so believers (Rev 1:6). The figurative phrase, "the firstborn of death," means the deadliest disease that death (personified) ever gendered (Job 18:13). "The firstborn of the poor," the poorest.

Firstborn. Under the law, in a Hebrew family, the eldest son was regarded as devoted to God, and was in every case to be redeemed by an offering not exceeding five shekels, within one month from birth. If he died before the expiration of 30 days, the Jewish doctors held the father excused, but liable to the payment if he outlived that time. Exo 13:12-15; Exo 22:29; Num 8:17; Num 18:15-16; Lev 27:6. The eldest son received a double portion of the father’s inheritance, Deu 21:17, but not of the mother’s. Under the monarchy the eldest son usually, but not always, as appears in the case of Solomon, succeeded his father in the kingdom. 1Ki 1:30; 1Ki 2:22. The male first-born of animals was also devoted to God. Exo 13:2; Exo 13:12-13; Exo 22:29; Exo 34:19-20. Unclean animals were to be redeemed with the addition of one-fifth of the value, or else put to death; or, if not redeemed, to be sold, and the price given to the priests. Lev 27:13; Lev 27:27-28.

FIRSTBORN

One of the fundamental ideas with regard to Jehovah in early Israel was that of His being owner of the land, and consequently lord also of all that the land brought forth and of all that lived upon it (Lev 25:23, Psa 50:10-12). Closely connected with this idea was a further one to the effect that the land was held in tenure; Jehovah was the landowner, His people the tenants; but their tenancy depended solely on the will of Jehovah (Deu 30:20 etc.).^{* [Note: This OT conception is illustrated in the Gospels by the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, Mat 21:33 ff. and parallel passages; cf. also Mar 13:34.]} As lord of the land and giver of all that it produced, tribute was due to Him; this tribute took the form of the offering of first-fruits.^{† [Note: It will, of course, be understood that this was adapted to agricultural life from the earlier nomadic life with its flocks and herds (cf. Nowack, Heb. Arch. ii. p. 147 ff.).]} Not only, however, was the land Jehovah’s possession, but the people who lived upon it, and upon its produce, were likewise His; this would follow naturally by virtue of Jehovah’s overlordship. Therefore, just as Jehovah, being owner of the land, received the first-fruits of its produce as tribute due to Him, so, being also owner of the people, did He receive the firstborn as, in the same way, a tribute due to Him. This is not definitely stated in the Bible, but the notices of child-sacrifice lead us to infer that at some early period the rite of the sacrifice of the firstborn was performed, and the analogy of the offering up of the firstlings of the flock points to a similar usage with regard to man (Exo 13:2; Exo 22:29; Exo 34:20); moreover, the prevalence of the practice among ethnologically allied races^{‡ [Note: e.g. the Moabites, 2Ki 3:27; the early Arabs (Wellhausen, Reste2, pp. 115, 116); the Canaanites (PEFSt, 1903, passim); the Phœnicians (Rawlinson, Hist. of Phœnicia, ch. xi.); cf. the story of the attempted sacrifice of Isaac; see PSBA xxiv. p. 253 ff.]} makes it in a high degree probable that originally the descendants of Abram sacrificed their firstborn as a tribute to the Deity (see below, ‘Redemption of the firstborn’). As the firstborn are spoken of as being particularly the possession of Jehovah, one would expect to find them occupying the position of His special ministers; it is possible that this was the case originally (cf. Hannah’s vow, 1Sa 1:11),^{§ [Note: There is a Talmudic tradition (Zeb. 112b), according to which the firstborn acted as officiating priests in the wilderness until the erection of the tabernacle, when the office was given to the tribe of Levi (Jewish Encyc. v. 396).]} especially as in Num 3:12 it is said: ‘Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine’ (cf. Num 3:45); as a matter of fact, however, the earliest Code commands the redemption of the firstborn: ‘All the firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem’ (Exo 13:13, cf. Exo 13:15; Exo 34:20).

From the foregoing one can understand that the term ‘firstborn,’ πρωτότοκος (that which, as the most precious, belonged, in the first instance, to Jehovah), came to be one of particular honour (cf. Exo 4:22, Jer 31:9), and it is used as such in reference to Christ (Rom 8:29, Col 1:15; Col 1:18).

The only occurrence of the term in the Gospels is in Luk 2:7 καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν τὸν πρωτότοκον,^{* [Note: In Mat 1:25 τὸν πρωτότοκον is read by DC and the OL version only; it must therefore be rejected in this passage.]} and apart from its significance to the Jewish mind as outlined above, its importance lies in its bearing upon the question of the perpetual virginity of the mother of Christ. The term does not necessarily suggest the subsequent birth of other children; for, in the first place, as a title of honour it would naturally be mentioned in connexion with Christ by the Evangelist; and secondly, to Jews the significance of ‘firstborn’ lay in the special sanctity which attached to such;^{† [Note: Heb 1:6, where τὸν πρωτὸτοκον means ‘only-begotten.’]} this is clear from what has been said in the previous section; indeed, St. Luke directly implies as much when he quotes, in substance, from Exo 13:2; Exo 13:12 ‘Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’ (Luk 2:23).

Redemption of the firstborn.—In the passage Luk 2:22 ff. two distinct ceremonies are referred to: the presentation to the Lord, and the redemption; the former of these implies the actual dedication of the child to God (cf. 1Sa 1:28); from what has been said above, this ceremony must be regarded as the fulfilling in spirit of the primitive act of literally devoting (sacrificing) the firstborn son to the Deity. The distinction between the two ceremonies may be illustrated by the practice of modern orthodox Jews. The father of the child first presents his firstborn to the cohen, and makes a declaration ending with the words: ‘It is said, Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast; it is mine.’ This is a definite act of presentation to God, of renunciation on the part of the father,—the child is no longer his. This part of the ceremony corresponds to Luk 2:22-23; Luk 2:27-28. Then the father places fifteen shillings (five sclaim or shekels) before the cohen, who thereupon asks: ‘Which wouldst thou rather, give me thy firstborn son, the firstborn of his mother,^{‡ [Note: The law of the redemption of the firstborn ‘applies to the firstborn of the mother and not of the father. Hence the husband of several wives would have to redeem the firstborn of each one of them, while the husband of a woman who had had children by a previous marriage need not redeem her child although it was his firstborn’ (Jewish Encyc. v. 396). Moreover, the first male child of a woman need not be redeemed if a female child has been born before him.]} or redeem him for five selaim, which thou art bound to give according to the Law?’ The father replies: ‘I desire rather to redeem my son, and here thou hast the value of his redemption, which I am bound to give according to the Law.’^{§ [Note: The money is sometimes returned, but the Jewish authorities do not look upon this with favour.]} This ceremony corresponds to Luk 2:24.|^{| [Note: | See The Authorized Daily Prayer-Book6 (ed. S. Singer), pp. 308, 309.]} This redemption of the firstborn^{¶ [Note: According to Exo 13:13-15 the redemption of the firstborn was instituted as an abiding act of thanksgiving to Jehovah for having spared the firstborn males of the children of Israel in Egypt. Concerning the connexion between the offering of the firstborn and the Passover, see Nowack, op. cit. § 99.]} (פִּדִיוֹן הַבֵּן) took place thirty days after birth (Luk 2:22; cf. Lev 12:4, Num 18:16),*^{* [Note: * The same custom is kept up by modern orthodox Jews; if the day falls on a Sabbath or a Holy Day, the ceremony is performed on the following day.]} and the price of redemption was, according to Num 3:47; Num 18:16, five shekels; in Exo 13:13 the command to redeem the firstborn is given, though the price of redemption is not mentioned, while in Leviticus 12 there is no mention at all regarding the redemption of the firstborn, reference being made only to an atonement which has to be made for the purification of the mother; it may be owing to Leviticus 12 that in Luk 2:22 ‘their’ purification is spoken of, i.e. of the child as well as of the mother; at any rate v. 24 seems to point to an amalgamation of the offerings due from the mother for purification, and on behalf of the child for redemption;^{* [Note: Among modern orthodox Jews, priests and Levites are exempt from the law of redeeming their firstborn; this applies also to those whose wives are daughters of priests or Levites.]} in the modern service of prayer of thanksgiving for women after recovery from childbirth no provision is made for any offering.

Literature.—See the authorities referred to in the foot-notes.

W. O. E. Oesterley.

FIRSTBORN.—1. The dedication of the firstborn of men and beasts was probably a primitive nomadic custom, and therefore earlier than the offering of first-fruits, which could not arise until the Israelites had settled into agricultural life in Canaan. The origin of the belief that a peculiar value attached to the firstborn cannot be definitely traced; but it would be a natural inference that what was valuable to the parent would be valuable to his God. And thus the word ‘firstborn’ could be used figuratively of Israel as the firstborn of J″ [Note: Jahweh.] among the nations (Exo 4:22, cf. Jer 31:9), and the seed of David among dynasties (Psa 89:28). The law of the dedication of the firstborn is found in JE [Note: Jewish Encyclopedia.] (Exo 13:11-16; Exo 22:29 b, Exo 22:30; Exo 34:19 f.), D [Note: Deuteronomist.] (Deu 15:19-23), P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] (Exo 13:1 f., Num 3:11-13; Num 3:40-51; Num 18:15-18). It is not impossible that in very primitive times firstborn sons were sometimes actually sacrificed (cf. 2Ki 3:27, Mic 6:7), but the practice would soon grow up of ‘redeeming’ them by money or payments in kind.

2. The firstborn (bekhôr) enjoyed the birthright (bekhôrâh). He succeeded his father as head of the family, and took the largest share of the property; this was fixed in Deu 21:17 as a ‘double portion.’ [In 2Ch 21:3 the principle of the birthright is extended to the succession to the throne. But this is a late passage, and it is not certain that the firstborn was necessarily the heir apparent]. If a man died without children, the heir was the firstborn of his widow by his brother or next-of-kin (Deu 25:5-10). The right of the firstborn, however, was often disturbed, owing to the jealousies and quarrels arising from the polygamy practised in Israel. The law in Deu 21:15-17 is directed against the abuse. Reuben, although the son of Leah, the less favoured of Jacob’s two wives, was considered the firstborn, and lost the right only because of his sin (Gen 49:3 f., 1Ch 5:1). But Ishmael was allowed no share at all in the father’s property (Gen 21:10); and the superiority of Jacob over Esau (symbolizing the superiority of Israel over Edom) is described as having been foretold before their birth (Gen 25:23), and as brought about by Esau’s voluntary surrender of the birthright (Gen 25:29-34). And other instances occur of the younger being preferred to the elder, e.g. Ephraim (Gen 48:13-20), Solomon (1Ki 1:1-53), Shimri (1Ch 26:10).

3. The death of the firstborn was the last of the punishments sent upon Egypt for Pharaoh’s refusal to let the Israelites go. Moses gave him due warning (Exo 11:4-8), and on his continued refusal the stroke fell (Exo 12:29 f.). The event is referred to in Psa 78:51; Psa 105:36; Psa 135:8; Psa 136:10, Heb 11:28. It is probable (see Plagues of Egypt) that the stories of all the other plagues have been founded on historical occurrences, and that the Egyptians suffered from a series of ‘natural’ catastrophes. If this is true of the first nine, it is reasonable to assume it for the last, and we may suppose that a pestilence raged which created great havoc, but did not spread to the Israelite quarter. The growth of the tradition into its present form must be explained by the ‘ætiological’ interest of the Hebrew writer—the tendency to create idealized situations in a remote past for the purpose of explaining facts or institutions whose origin was forgotten. Thus the Feast of Booths was accounted for at a late date by the dwelling of the Israelites in booths after the Exodus (Lev 23:43), the Feast of Unleavened Cakes by the haste with which they departed from Egypt (Exo 12:34; Exo 13:7 f.), the Feast of the Passover by the passing over of the houses marked with blood at the destruction of the firstborn (Exo 12:12 f., Exo 12:23; Exo 12:27). And similarly the singling out of the firstborn for destruction was itself connected with the ancient practice of offering to God annually in spring the firstlings of beasts. Moses demanded release in order to offer the sacrifice (Exo 10:25 f.), and because Pharaoh refused to allow them to offer their firstlings, J″ [Note: Jahweh.] took from the Egyptians their firstborn. This explanation, though not explicitly given, is implied in the close connexion of the dedication of the firstborn with the Passover (Exo 13:11-13, Deu 15:19; Deu 16:1-8). In a redactional passage (Exo 4:22 f.) a different explanation is offered. The death of the firstborn would be a punishment for refusal to release Israel, who was J″ [Note: Jahweh.] ’s firstborn.

4. In the NT the term ‘firstborn’ (prôtotokos) is used of Christ (Rom 8:29, Col 1:15; Col 1:18, Heb 1:6, Rev 1:5), and of Christians who have died (Heb 12:23); see the commentaries.

A. H. M‘Neile.

If a woman’s first child is a male child born by natural childbirth, then the child must be redeemed from a kohein (priest) by a procedure called Pidyon Ha-Ben. In addition, firstborn males must observe a special fast the day before Pesach (Passover), commemorating the fact that they were saved from the plague of the first born.

In ancient Israelite society the firstborn son had special rights that were highly valued. He was the head of the family in the father’s absence, and upon his father’s death he received an inheritance double that of the other sons (Gen 49:3; Deu 21:17). The firstborn could, however, lose his birthright, either by selling it or through misconduct (Gen 25:31-34; 1Ch 5:1-2).

At the time of Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt, God preserved the lives of the Israelites’ firstborn, both people and animals. From that time on, the firstborn of all Israelite families, and the firstborn of their flocks and herds, became God’s special possession (Exo 13:2).

In the case of the firstborn of animals, the owner dedicated a clean animal to God by sacrifice. He dedicated an unclean animal by the sacrifice of a clean animal in its place (since an unclean animal could not be offered in sacrifice) (Exo 13:11-15; Num 18:17-18). In the case of people, the parents ceremonially presented their firstborn to God, and then bought the child back by a payment of money (Num 18:15-16; Luk 2:7; Luk 2:23). For the service of the tabernacle, the Levites replaced the firstborn as God’s special servants (Num 3:11-13; Num 3:45; cf. Exo 32:29).

Because of the high status of the firstborn, the title developed a figurative usage. In Old Testament times, God considered the nation Israel to be his firstborn, his special people among all the nations of the world (Exo 4:22; cf. Deu 7:6; Hos 11:1). In New Testament, times believers in Jesus Christ are God’s firstborn, his chosen and privileged ones (Heb 12:23).

The Bible speaks of Jesus Christ as the firstborn of his Father. This does not mean that he came into existence later than his Father, but that he is head of the Father’s new people. He has authority over them, yet he graciously looks upon them as his brothers and sisters (Rom 8:29; Heb 1:6; Heb 2:11-12). Jesus is also the firstborn of all creation. This means not that the Son of God was created, but that he existed before creation, has authority over it, and is its rightful heir (Col 1:15-17; Heb 1:2). Also, through his resurrection, he is the firstborn from the dead. He has authority over God’s new creation, the church, and guarantees its final victory (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5).

The first child born into a family.

The first son was very important in

ancient times and became the head of

the family at the father’s death. It can

also mean a person of special importance.

In reference to Christ, it means

that he is the first and most important of

Gods children, the first to share his glory.

The first of the mother’s offspring. It stands figuratively for that which is most excellent. The firstborn male of the family carried certain familial rites and privileges (Gen 27:1-29; Gen 48:13-14) and was given a double portion of the inheritance (Deu 21:17). The term is also applied to Christ as the pre-eminent one and the first one raised from the dead (Col 1:15; Col 1:18). It does not mean first created as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe. In fact, the firstborn rites were transferable. Compare Jer 31:9 with Gen 41:50-52.