First Fruits and Firstborn
First fruits and firstborn, is it important and why? What does the bible say about first fruits and the first born animals and humans?
What does the Torah say?
[Gen 4:1-5 ASV] 1 And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with [the help of] Jehovah. 2 And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
[Gen 8:15-22 ASV] 15 And God spoke unto Noah, saying, 16 Go forth from the ark, thou, and your wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with you. 17 Bring forth with you every living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18 And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: 19 every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moves upon the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah built
an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. 21 And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor; and Jehovah said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
[Gen 25:21-34 ASV] 21 And Isaac entreated Jehovah for his wife, because she was barren: and Jehovah was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, wherefore do I live? And she went to inquire of Jehovah. 23 And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels: And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came forth his brother, and his hand had hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when
she bare them. 27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a skilfull hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: and Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint: 30 and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red [pottage]; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me first thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am about to die: and what profit shall the birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me first; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.
[Gen 27:15-19, 23, 27-29 ESV] 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 18 So he went in to his father and said, "My father." And he said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?" 19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me." ... 23 And
he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. ... 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said, "See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed! 28 May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"
[Gen 27:30-40 ESV] 30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, "Let my father arise and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me." 32 His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau." 33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, "Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed." 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" 35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing." 36 Esau said, "Is he not rightly named
Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing." Then he said, "Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. 39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: "Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. 40 By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck."
[Gen 41:51-52 ESV] 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's
house." 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
Word Study
Firstborn
Hebrew word
בְּכוֹר
Transliteration
b'chor
Outline of biblical Usage:
firstborn, firstling
Strong's:
H1060
Hebrew Root Word
בָּכַר
Transliteration
bāḵar
Outline of biblical Usage:
to be born first, to give the right of the firstborn, to be born a firstling
Strong's:
H1069
[Gen 43:29-34 ESV] 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!" 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, "Serve the food." 32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by
themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. 34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.
[Gen 48:11-20 ESV] 11 And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also." 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let
my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." 17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, "Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head." 19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'" Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
[Gen 49:1-4 ESV] 1 Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. 2 "Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father. 3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent
in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it--he went up to my couch!
[Exo 4:21-23 ESV] 21 And the YHWH said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then
you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the YHWH, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.'"
[Exo 11:4-7 ESV] 4 So Moses said, "Thus says the YHWH: 'About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the YHWH makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.'
Word Study
Birthright
Hebrew Word
בְּכוֹרָה
Transliteration
bᵊḵôrâ
Outline of biblical Usage:
birthright, primogeniture, right of the first-born
Strong's:
H1062
Hebrew Root Word
בְּכוֹר
Transliteration
b'chor
Outline of biblical Usage:
firstborn, firstling
Strong's:
H1060
[Exo 12:1-14 ESV] 1 The YHWH said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the YHWH's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the YHWH. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the YHWH; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
[Exo 13:1-16 ESV] 1 YHWH said to Moses, 2 "Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine." 3 Then Moses said to the people, "Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand YHWH brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 And when YHWH brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to YHWH . 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, 'It is because of what YHWH did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of YHWH may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand YHWH has
brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year. 11 "When YHWH brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to YHWH all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be YHWH's. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'By a strong hand YHWH brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, YHWH killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the YHWH all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand YHWH brought us out of Egypt."
[Exo 22:29-30 ESV] 29 "You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you
shall give to me. 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
[Exo 23:16, 19 ESV] 16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.
... 19 "The best of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of YHWH your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
[Exo 34:18-20, 22, 26 ESV] 18 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if
you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed. ...22 You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. ...26 The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the YHWH your God.
Word Study
First-fruits
Hebrew Word
בִּכּוּר
Transliteration
bik-koor
Outline of biblical Usage:
first-fruits, the first of the crops and fruit that ripened, the bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost, the day of the first-fruits
Strong's:
H1061
Hebrew Root Word
בָּכַר
Transliteration
bāḵar
Outline of biblical Usage:
to be born first, to give the right of the firstborn, to be born a firstling
Strong's:
H1069
[Lev 2:11-16 ESV] 11 "No grain offering that you bring to YHWH shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to YHWH. 12 As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to YHWH, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your
offerings you shall offer salt. 14 "If you offer a grain offering of first fruits to YHWH, you shall offer for the grain offering of your first fruits fresh ears, roasted with fire, crushed new grain. 15 And you shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a food offering to YHWH.
[Lev 23:9-14 ESV] 9 And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before YHWH, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without
blemish as a burnt offering to YHWH. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to YHWH with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. 14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
[Lev 27:24-28 ESV] 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession. 25 Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel. 26 "But a firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to YHWH, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is YHWH's. 27 And
if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation. 28 "But no devoted thing that a man devotes to YHWH, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to YHWH.
[Num 3:12-13 ESV] 12 "Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On
the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am YHWH."
[Num 3:12-13, 40-51 ESV] 12 "Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD." ... 40 And YHWH said to Moses, "List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me--I am YHWH--instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel." 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as YHWH commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
44 And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, 45 "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am YHWH. 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over." 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of YHWH, as YHWH commanded Moses.
Word Study
Wave offering
Hebrew Word
תְּנוּפָה
Transliteration
ten-oo-faw
Outline of biblical Usage:
winging, waving, wave offering, offering
Strong's:
H8573
Hebrew Root Word
נוּף
Transliteration
noof
Outline of biblical Usage:
to move to and fro, wave, besprinkle
Strong's:
H5130
Word Study
Beginning
Hebrew Word
רֵאשִׁית
Transliteration
ray-sheeth
Outline of biblical Usage:
first, beginning, best, chief
Strong's:
H7225
Hebrew Root Word
רֹאשׁ
Transliteration
roshe
Outline of biblical Usage:
head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
Strong's:
H7218
[Num 33:3-4 ESV] 3 They set out from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month. On the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4 while the
Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom YHWH had struck down among them. On their gods also YHWH executed judgments.
[Deu 12:1-7, 17-18 ESV] 1 "These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that YHWH, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You shall not worship YHWH your God in that way. 5 But you shall seek the place that YHWH your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, 6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and
the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 And there you shall eat before YHWH your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which YHWH your God has blessed you...17 You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, 18 but you shall eat them before YHWH your God in the place that YHWH your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before YHWH your God in all that you undertake.
[Deu 14:22-23 ESV] 22 "You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 23 And before YHWH your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of
your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear YHWH your God always.
[Deu 15:19-22 ESV] 19 "All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to YHWH your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You shall eat it, you and your household, before YHWH your God year by year at the place
that YHWH will choose. 21 But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to YHWH your God. 22 You shall eat it within your towns. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer.
[Deu 18:1-5 ESV] 1 "The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat YHWH's food offerings as their inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; YHWH is their inheritance, as he promised them. 3 And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from those offering a sacrifice, whether an ox or a
sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach. 4 The first fruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. 5 For YHWH your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the name of YHWH, him and his sons for all time.
Word Study
Produce
Hebrew Counterpart
עָבוּר
Transliteration
aw-boor
Outline of biblical Usage:
produce, yield
Strong's:
H5669
Hebrew Root Word
עָבַר
Transliteration
aw-bar
Outline of biblical Usage:
to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress
Strong's:
H5674
[Deu 21:15-17 ESV] 15 "If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, 16 then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the
loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, 17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the first fruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
[Deu 25:5-6 ESV] 5 "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and
perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the firstborn son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
[Deu 26:1-11 ESV] 1 "When you come into the land that YHWH your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that YHWH your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that YHWH your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare today to YHWH your God that I have come into the land that YHWH swore to our fathers to give us.' 4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of YHWH your God. 5 "And you shall make response before YHWH your God, 'A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty,
and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to YHWH, the God of our fathers, and YHWH heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O YHWH, have given me.' And you shall set it down before YHEH your God and worship before YHWH your God. 11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that YHWH your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.
[Deu 33:1, 13-17 ESV] 1 This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. ... 13 And of Joseph he said, "Blessed by YHWH be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven above, and of the deep that crouches beneath, 14 with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, 15 with the finest produce of the ancient mountains and the abundance of the everlasting hills, 16 with the best gifts of
the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph, on the pate of him who is prince among his brothers. 17 A firstborn bull--he has majesty, and his horns are the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall gore the peoples, all of them, to the ends of the earth; they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."
[Jos 5:10-12 ESV] 10 While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the
manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
[Jos 6:26 ESV] 26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, "Cursed before YHWH be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. "At
the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."
[1Ki 16:33-34 ESV] 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at
the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of YHWH, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
[2Ki 3:26-27 ESV] 26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not. 27 Then he took his firstborn son who was to
reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
[2Ki 4:42-44 ESV] 42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, "Give to the men, that they may eat." 43 But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" So he repeated, "Give
them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says YHWH, 'They shall eat and have some left.'" 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of YHWH.
[1Ch 5:1-2 ESV] 1 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the
firstborn; 2 though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
What do the prophets say?
[Jer 31:7-9 ESV] 7 For thus says YHWH: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O YHWH, save your people, the remnant of Israel.' 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the
earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is
in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9 With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
[Isa 14:29-30 ESV] 29 Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. 30 And the firstborn of the poor will graze,
and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay.
[Isa 28:3-6 ESV] 3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden underfoot; 4 and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fruits before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand.
5 In that day YHWH of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people, 6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
[Neh 10:34-39 ESV] 34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of YHWH our God, as it is written in the Law. 35 We obligate ourselves to bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of YHWH; 36 also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; 37 and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the
priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse. 39 For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God."
[Neh 13:29-31 ESV] 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites. 30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties
of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.
[Eze 44:23-30 ESV] 23 They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24 In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. 25 They shall not defile themselves by going near to a dead person. However, for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister they may defile themselves. 26 After he has become clean, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes into the Holy Place, into the inner court, to
minister in the Holy Place, he shall offer his sin offering, declares the Lord YHWH. 28 "This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. 29 They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 And the first of all the first fruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
[Zec 12:10 ESV] 10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as
one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
[Mic 6:6-8 ESV] 6 "With what shall I come before YHWH, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will YHWH be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the
fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
[Mic 7:1-2 ESV] 1 Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first fruit that my soul desires. 2 The godly has perished from the
earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.
What does the wisdom literature say?
[Psa 78:51-54 ESV] 51 He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52 Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 He led them in safety, so that
they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won.
[Psa 89:25-27 ESV] 25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. 26 He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my
salvation.' 27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
[Psa 105:33-36 ESV] 33 He struck down their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country. 34 He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number, 35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land and
ate up the fruit of their ground. 36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their strength.
[Psa 135:8-9 ESV] 8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast;
9 who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants;
[Psa 136:2, 10-12 ESV] 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. ... 10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; 11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever; 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;
Word Study
First Fruit
Greek reference
ἀπαρχή
Transliteration
ap-ar-khay
Outline of biblical Usage:
to offer firstlings or first fruits
Strong's:
G536
What does the new Testament say?
[Rom 8:14-23 ESV] 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with the anointed, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
[Rom 8:28-30 ESV] 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
[Rom 11:13-16 ESV] 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their
rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
[Rom 16:5-6 ESV] 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first fruit to the anointed in Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
[1Co 15:12-23 ESV] 12 Now if the anointed is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even the anointed has been raised. 14 And if the anointed has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised the anointed, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even the anointed has been raised. 17 And if the anointed has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in the anointed have perished. 19 If in the anointed we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact the anointed has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in the anointed shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: the anointed the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to the anointed.
[Col 1:15-18 ESV] 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in
him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
[1Co 16:12-16 ESV] 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers--you know that the household of Stephanas were the first fruits in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints-- 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.
[Jas 1:16-18 ESV] 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own
will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
[Heb 1:5-6 ESV] 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be
to me a son"? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
[Heb 11:24-28 ESV] 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of the anointed greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was
looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
[Heb 12:18-23 ESV] 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned." 21 Indeed, so
terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear." 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
[Rev 1:4-6 ESV] 4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
[Rev 14:1-5 ESV] 1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.
No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
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