בְּכִירָה
be.khi.rah
firstborn
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "בְּכִירָה" (be.khi.rah, Strong's number H1067) is the term for "firstborn." In the semantic domain of Kinship & Family, it specifically refers to the first child born to a family, which often held significant status and inheritance rights in ancient Near Eastern societies. In its 6 occurrences in the Bible, the term "firstborn" is used to describe a person's position or privilege within their family, rather than their individual character or traits. This suggests that being a firstborn was closely tied to the roles, responsibilities, and potential privileges associated with the eldest sibling, such as inheritance or spiritual leadership. The significance of "firstborn" in the biblical context lies in its implications for family dynamics, social hierarchy, and inheritance practices. Its usage highlights the cultural values placed on primogeniture and the importance of birth order in shaping an individual's identity and role within their family.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences across the text
The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us in the way of all the earth.
Genesis 19:33They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He didn’t know when she lay down, nor when she arose.
Genesis 19:34It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight. You go in, and lie with him, that we may preserve our father’s family line.”
Genesis 19:37The firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day.
Genesis 29:26Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
1 Samuel 14:49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.