firstborn
Firstborn usually refers to the first son born in a family, often with special inheritance rights and covenant significance in Scripture. The term can also be used figuratively for rank, privilege, or preeminence.
At a Glance
Firstborn usually refers to the first son born in a family, often with special inheritance rights and covenant significance in Scripture. The term can also be used figuratively for rank, privilege, or preeminence.
Description
In Scripture, firstborn ordinarily means the child born first, especially the first male, and often carries legal, familial, and covenant significance such as inheritance rights, leadership responsibility, and consecration to the Lord. In Israel’s life this concept was shaped by both family custom and divine law. The Bible also uses firstborn figuratively to describe special status, privilege, or supremacy, even where literal birth order is not in view. This figurative use is important in biblical theology, including references to Israel as God’s “firstborn son” and to Christ as “firstborn” in ways that emphasize His dignity, priority, and supremacy over all, not that He is a created being. Because the term has both literal and figurative uses, each passage should be interpreted in context.