Bechor
Encyclopedia
The firstborn or firstborn son (Hebrew bechor בְּכוֹר) is an important concept of the Hebrew Bible
and Rabbinic Judaism
. The role of firstborn son carries significance in the redemption of the first born son, in the allocation of a double portion of the inheritance, and in the prophetic application of "firstborn" to the nation of Israel.
The firstborn is also a concept of exegesis in the other Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Islam, based on heritage from Jewish sources.
semitic languages. Classical Hebrew contains various verbs from the B-K-R stem with this association. The plural noun bikkurim (vegetable firstfruits) also derives from this root.. The masculine noun bekhor, firstborn, is used of sons, as "Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn" (Genesis 10:15), whereas the feminine noun, and female equivalent, is bekirah (בְּכִירָה), first born daughter, such as Leah
(Genesis 29:26). Derived from bechor is the qualitative noun bekhorah "birthright" (בְּכוֹרָה), related to primogeniture
, such as that which Esau
sold to Jacob
. In the plural this qualitative noun "birthright" can also mean "firstlings", as when Abel brought out the "firstborn" (bekhorot feminine plural בְּכֹרֹות) of his flock to sacrifice (Genesis 4:4).
to be widely known in modern times involved Isaac
's son Jacob
being born second and Isaac's son, Esau being born first and entitled to the "birthright
", but eventually selling it to Isaac's second son, Jacob, for a small amount of food A similar transfer is shown by the writer of 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 where, although the tribe of Judah
prevailed above their brethren, nevertheless the "birthright", the double portion of two tribal allotments, was Joseph's.
Under the Law of Moses the firstborn may be either the firstborn of his father, who is entitled to receive a double portion of his father's inheritance (compared to the other siblings), (Deuteronomy
21:17) or the firstborn of his mother.
Deuteronomy 21:6 gives inheritance rules preventing the husband with more than one wife leaving property to the son of the favoured wife.
and birthright
. The death of Pharaoh and the Egyptian's firstborn at the first Passover
is direct recompense for God's identification of Israel as his own firstborn.
is instructed to say to Pharaoh
"Thus saith the , Israel is my son, even my firstborn." This is prophetically attached to Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in Jeremiah
31:9.
1Q/4Q "Instruction," and probably 4Q369 the "Prayer of Enosh" as well as in Ben Sira
.
among the Second Temple
Diaspora
. In the Septuagint Israel, then Ephraim, are God's prototokos (πρωτότοκος) "firstborn." The use of "firstborn" is taken further along figurative lines. In the pseudepigraphical Testament of Abraham
disease is personified as the prototokos "firstborn" of Thanatos
, the personification of Death. In Joseph and Asenath the converted Egyptian princess Asenath
prepares to marry Joseph as the prototokos "firstborn" of her new god, the God of Israel. Philo of Alexandria comments on the inheritance rites of the firstborn in Deuteronomy, greatly emphasizing and embellishing the superiority of Mosaic Law over Egyptian models.
, if the father and mother are both Israelites, the firstborn is required to be redeemed from a Kohen
.
The firstborn of one's mother is referred to in the Bible (Exodus 13:2) as one who "opens the womb" of his mother. Therefore, the firstborn of the father exclusively, although considered as a firstborn regarding his father's inheritance, is not considered as a firstborn regarding the requirement to be redeemed, as the mother's womb has already been opened by his half-sibling, the firstborn of his mother. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch
rules that only a first born of the mother is required to be redeemed.
There is a matter of dispute among the poskim
(early Rabbinic authorities) regarding whether a first born son who is a Jewish convert (whose biological mother is not considered to be his mother) or from a caesarean section
has the laws of a Bechor.
in the temple in Jerusalem
as priests to the Jewish people but they lost this role after the sin of the golden calf
when this priviledge was transferred to the male descendants of Aaron
. However, according to some, this role will be given back to the firstborn in a Third Temple when Messiah
comes. Until this time, they say, a firstborn son still has certain other roles. Besides receiving double the father's inheritance and requiring a pidyon haben
, a firstborn son is supposed to fast on the Eve of Passover
(see: Fast of the Firstborn
) and in the absence of a Levite
, a Bechor washes the hands of the Kohen prior to blessing the Israelites (see: Priestly Blessing
).
.
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
and Rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism or Rabbinism has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Talmud...
. The role of firstborn son carries significance in the redemption of the first born son, in the allocation of a double portion of the inheritance, and in the prophetic application of "firstborn" to the nation of Israel.
The firstborn is also a concept of exegesis in the other Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Islam, based on heritage from Jewish sources.
Etymology and usage
The semitic root B-K-R means "early" or "first" in Ancient Near EastAncient Near East
The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt, ancient Iran The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia...
semitic languages. Classical Hebrew contains various verbs from the B-K-R stem with this association. The plural noun bikkurim (vegetable firstfruits) also derives from this root.. The masculine noun bekhor, firstborn, is used of sons, as "Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn" (Genesis 10:15), whereas the feminine noun, and female equivalent, is bekirah (בְּכִירָה), first born daughter, such as Leah
Leah
Leah , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is the first of the two concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with at least one daughter, Dinah. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom...
(Genesis 29:26). Derived from bechor is the qualitative noun bekhorah "birthright" (בְּכוֹרָה), related to primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
, such as that which Esau
Esau
Esau , in the Hebrew Bible, is the oldest son of Isaac. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and by the minor prophets, Obadiah and Malachi. The New Testament later references him in the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews....
sold to Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
. In the plural this qualitative noun "birthright" can also mean "firstlings", as when Abel brought out the "firstborn" (bekhorot feminine plural בְּכֹרֹות) of his flock to sacrifice (Genesis 4:4).
Hebrew Bible
The earliest account of primogeniturePrimogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
to be widely known in modern times involved Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
's son Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
being born second and Isaac's son, Esau being born first and entitled to the "birthright
Birthright
Birthright is a term that refers to something that is acquired or inherited at birth. It may further refer to:- Ancient and modern Law :* primogeniture, rights of the firstborn* birthright citizenship- Literature :...
", but eventually selling it to Isaac's second son, Jacob, for a small amount of food A similar transfer is shown by the writer of 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 where, although the tribe of Judah
Tribe of Judah
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
prevailed above their brethren, nevertheless the "birthright", the double portion of two tribal allotments, was Joseph's.
Under the Law of Moses the firstborn may be either the firstborn of his father, who is entitled to receive a double portion of his father's inheritance (compared to the other siblings), (Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
21:17) or the firstborn of his mother.
Deuteronomy 21:6 gives inheritance rules preventing the husband with more than one wife leaving property to the son of the favoured wife.
Death of the firstborn of Egypt
The Egyptians also attached significance to primogeniturePrimogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
and birthright
Birthright
Birthright is a term that refers to something that is acquired or inherited at birth. It may further refer to:- Ancient and modern Law :* primogeniture, rights of the firstborn* birthright citizenship- Literature :...
. The death of Pharaoh and the Egyptian's firstborn at the first Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
is direct recompense for God's identification of Israel as his own firstborn.
Israel as God's firstborn
In Exodus MosesMoses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
is instructed to say to Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
"Thus saith the , Israel is my son, even my firstborn." This is prophetically attached to Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
31:9.
Animal firstborn or "firstlings"
Aside from the sacrifice of the "firstlings" by Abel, the Law of Moses also proscribes special distinction of animal firstborn.The Second Temple and Dead Sea scrolls
The understanding of Israel as the national firstborn of God is found in the Dead Sea scrollsDead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
1Q/4Q "Instruction," and probably 4Q369 the "Prayer of Enosh" as well as in Ben Sira
Ben Sira
Jesus ben Sirach , commonly known simply as ben Sirach or Sirach and also rendered "Jesus son of Sirach" or "Jesus Siracides", was the author of the deuterocanonical Wisdom of Sirach and possibly the rabbinical Alphabet of Sirach...
.
Hellenistic and Diaspora Judaism
The concept of the firstborn was heavily present in Hellenistic JudaismHellenistic Judaism
Hellenistic Judaism was a movement which existed in the Jewish diaspora that sought to establish a Hebraic-Jewish religious tradition within the culture and language of Hellenism...
among the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
. In the Septuagint Israel, then Ephraim, are God's prototokos (πρωτότοκος) "firstborn." The use of "firstborn" is taken further along figurative lines. In the pseudepigraphical Testament of Abraham
Testament of Abraham
The Testament of Abraham a pseudepigraphic text of the Old Testament. Probably composed in the 1st or 2nd century CE, it is of Jewish origin and is usually considered to be part of the apocalyptic literature. It is not regarded as scripture by Jews or any Christian group...
disease is personified as the prototokos "firstborn" of Thanatos
Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...
, the personification of Death. In Joseph and Asenath the converted Egyptian princess Asenath
Asenath
Asenath or Asenith is a figure in the Book of Genesis , an Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph son of Jacob to be his wife...
prepares to marry Joseph as the prototokos "firstborn" of her new god, the God of Israel. Philo of Alexandria comments on the inheritance rites of the firstborn in Deuteronomy, greatly emphasizing and embellishing the superiority of Mosaic Law over Egyptian models.
Rabbinical interpretation
According to the rite of redemption of the SonPidyon HaBen
The Pidyon HaBen, or Redemption of the first born son, is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is redeemed by use of silver coins from his birth-state of sanctity....
, if the father and mother are both Israelites, the firstborn is required to be redeemed from a Kohen
Kohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
.
The firstborn of one's mother is referred to in the Bible (Exodus 13:2) as one who "opens the womb" of his mother. Therefore, the firstborn of the father exclusively, although considered as a firstborn regarding his father's inheritance, is not considered as a firstborn regarding the requirement to be redeemed, as the mother's womb has already been opened by his half-sibling, the firstborn of his mother. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
rules that only a first born of the mother is required to be redeemed.
There is a matter of dispute among the poskim
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
(early Rabbinic authorities) regarding whether a first born son who is a Jewish convert (whose biological mother is not considered to be his mother) or from a caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
has the laws of a Bechor.
The firstborn's service to the Jewish people
Originally, the firstborn of every Jewish family was intended to serve as a priestKohen
A Kohen is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohens are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron....
in the temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
as priests to the Jewish people but they lost this role after the sin of the golden calf
Golden calf
According to the Hebrew Bible, the golden calf was an idol made by Aaron to satisfy the Israelites during Moses' absence, when he went up to Mount Sinai...
when this priviledge was transferred to the male descendants of Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
. However, according to some, this role will be given back to the firstborn in a Third Temple when Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
comes. Until this time, they say, a firstborn son still has certain other roles. Besides receiving double the father's inheritance and requiring a pidyon haben
Pidyon HaBen
The Pidyon HaBen, or Redemption of the first born son, is a mitzvah in Judaism whereby a Jewish firstborn son is redeemed by use of silver coins from his birth-state of sanctity....
, a firstborn son is supposed to fast on the Eve of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
(see: Fast of the Firstborn
Fast of the firstborn
Fast of the Firstborn ; is a unique fast day in Judaism which usually falls on the day before Passover...
) and in the absence of a Levite
Levite
In Jewish tradition, a Levite is a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi. When Joshua led the Israelites into the land of Canaan, the Levites were the only Israelite tribe that received cities but were not allowed to be landowners "because the Lord the God of Israel himself is their inheritance"...
, a Bechor washes the hands of the Kohen prior to blessing the Israelites (see: Priestly Blessing
Priestly Blessing
The Priestly Blessing, , also known in Hebrew as Nesiat Kapayim, , or Dukhanen , is a Jewish prayer recited by Kohanim during certain Jewish services...
).
Animal firstborns
In the Hebrew Bible the feminine plural noun bechorot is used to describe "firstlings" of a flock. In rabbinical Hebrew the masculine noun bechor is also used of the first born animal to open the womb of its mother. The animal "firstborn beast" (Hebrew bechor behema בכור בהמה) is listed as one of the twenty-four priestly giftsThe twenty-four Kohanic gifts
The twenty four priestly gifts, are a description in the Gemara tradition of offerings given to the Jewish priests. The adjective "kohanic" means "of a kohen", relating to a Jewish priest....
.
Other Abrahamic religions
The importance of the literal firstborn son is not as greatly developed in Christianity and Islam as in Ancient Israel or rabbinical Judaism.- Christianity applies the concept of firstborn to Jesus of Nazareth as "firstborn from the dead", and adopts the Septuagint terminology prototokoi (plural) to describe the church as "firstborns."
- Although the statement is not explicit in the Quran, Islamic commentators traditionally regard IshmaelIshmaelIshmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...
as the firstborn and sacrifice of Abraham. Islamic law contains no preference for the firstborn son.