The First Born: Laws Respecting, Restored After the Captivity
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The concept of the firstborn holds significant theological and cultural importance within the biblical narrative. The firstborn son traditionally held a place of honor and responsibility in ancient Israelite society, often receiving a double portion of the inheritance and serving as the family's spiritual leader. This status is deeply rooted in the laws given by God to the Israelites and is intricately tied to the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Biblical Foundation

The laws concerning the firstborn are primarily found in the Pentateuch. In Exodus 13:2, God commands, "Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast." This consecration signifies that the firstborn is set apart for God's purposes, reflecting the deliverance of Israel's firstborn during the Passover in Egypt.

The firstborn of animals were to be sacrificed, while the firstborn sons were to be redeemed. Numbers 18:15-16 states, "The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD, belongs to you. But you must surely redeem the firstborn of man and the firstborn of unclean animals. You are to pay the redemption price for a month-old male, five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs."

Restoration After the Captivity

Following the Babylonian exile, the Jewish community faced the challenge of re-establishing their religious and social structures. The restoration of the laws concerning the firstborn was part of this broader effort to renew their covenantal identity and adherence to the Mosaic Law.

Ezra and Nehemiah played pivotal roles in this restoration process. Ezra, a scribe well-versed in the Law of Moses, was instrumental in teaching and implementing the law among the returned exiles. Nehemiah, as governor, supported these efforts by reinforcing the community's commitment to the covenant, including the observance of the firstborn laws.

In Nehemiah 10:35-36, the people of Israel made a binding agreement to bring the firstfruits and the firstborn to the house of God: "We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the LORD each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree. As it is written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there."

Theological Significance

The restoration of the firstborn laws after the captivity underscores the importance of obedience to God's commandments as a means of maintaining a holy and distinct community. The firstborn laws served as a continual reminder of God's deliverance and His claim over all aspects of life, reinforcing the Israelites' identity as His chosen people.

Moreover, the concept of the firstborn finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament, where Jesus Christ is referred to as the "firstborn over all creation" (Colossians 1:15) and the "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18). This typology highlights the preeminence of Christ and His role in the redemption of humanity, drawing a parallel between the consecration of the firstborn in the Old Testament and the redemptive work of Christ in the New Testament.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Nehemiah 10:36
Also 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, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests that minister in the house of our God:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... Book I Chapter XXI."The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far ... about the Aleuades,
maintains that he was born in the ... in the time of Darius the First for two ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire ...
... age, and, the darkness having been dispelled, we have given light to the laws by
a ... Each man, because born of condemned stock, is first of all born from Adam ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period ii the church from.htm

Introductory Essays
... see in the first place in Christ the first-born and in ... which it can never attain
by any laws or works ... an historical fact to designate them "First Principles of ...
/.../luther/first principles of the reformation/introductory essays.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... for telling you, little children, that everyone who is born of God ... that at Athens
out of all the laws of [4776 ... and the monks in their cells, at first used the ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Peter Stood Up.
... a devil; a man that is a glutton, born of fornication ... Again, both by divine and human
laws, no one can ... able to disturb Pope Symmachus during the first half of ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter iii peter stood up.htm

Hebrew Captives; Or, Mordecai and Esther.
... Most of the existing race had been born in Babylonia, and ... the free exercise of their
religion and laws, and the ... crept through his frame, and the first omen of ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/hebrew captives or mordecai and.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... Yea, let me add further, What laws have been made ... an image," he is also called "the
first-born" of every ... His being a creature, respecting his manhood, and his ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm

On the Return of Flavian the Bishop, and the Reconciliation of the ...
... but also little children and women; free born, and of ... thing for a person to set the
first example of ... one old man, being actuated by a reverence for God's laws! ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xxi on the return.htm

The Women of the Gospel Narrative the Study of the Early Christian ...
... as in the case of marriage; the laws relating to ... Mary of Magdala His risen Spirit
was born into the ... given the supreme honor of receiving the first greeting of ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/i the women of the.htm

Penitence, as Explained in the Sophistical Jargon of the Schoolmen ...
... the souls of believers by their laws, whether justly ... the former is chastised as a
free-born son, standing ... First, whenever the infliction is designed to avenge ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 4 penitence as explained.htm

Resources
What was the first / original church? Is the original / first church the true church? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Paul say the gospel brings salvation to the Jew first and then the Gentile? | GotQuestions.org

Who was the first Jew? | GotQuestions.org

First: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

First

First and Second Books Of Chronicles

First and Second Books Of Kings

First Epistle Of Peter

First Epistle To The Corinthians

First Epistle To The Thessalonians

First Fruits: As a Heave offering

First Fruits: Belonged to the Priests

First Fruits: Figurative

First Fruits: First Ripe of Fruits, Grain, Oil, Wine, and First of Fleece, Required As an offering

First Fruits: Freewill offerings of, Given to the Prophets

First Fruits: Offerings of, Must be Free from Blemish

First Fruits: Presented at the Tabernacle

First Fruits: To be offered As a Thank-Offering Upon Entrance Into the Land of Promise

First Fruits: Wave offering of

First Heaven

First Lady of the Church

First Love

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Antiquity of offering

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Could not be a Free-Will offering

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Flesh of, the Priest's Portion

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Law of Redemption For

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Not Shorn

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Not Taken from the Dam for Seven Days

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Not to Labour

The First Born of Clean Beasts: Offered in Sacrifice

The First Born of Clean Beasts: To be Redeemed

The First Born of Israel: Price of Redemption For

The First Born of Israel: Price of, Given to the Priests

The First Born of Israel: To be Redeemed

The First Born of Israel: Tribe of Levi Taken For

The First Born of Man and Beast Dedicated to God

The First Born of the Donkey to be Redeemed With Lamb or Its Neck Broken

The First Born: Dedicated to Commemorate the Sparing of the First Born of

The First Born: Laws Respecting, Observed at Christ's Birth

The First Born: Laws Respecting, Restored After the Captivity

The First Born: Objects of Special Love

The First Born: Precious and Valuable

The First Born: Privileges of a Double Portion of Inheritance

The First Born: Privileges of Authority Over the Younger Children

The First Born: Privileges of Could be Forfeited by Misconduct

The First Born: Privileges of Could be Sold

The First Born: Privileges of in Case of Death the Next Brother to Raise up Seed To

The First Born: Privileges of not to be Alienated by Parents Through Caprice

The First Born: Privileges of Precedence in the Family

The First Born: Privileges of Special Blessing by the Father

The First Born: Privileges of The Father's Title and Power

The First Born: Superseded: Aaron

The First Born: Superseded: Adonijah

The First Born: Superseded: Cain

The First Born: Superseded: David's Brothers

The First Born: Superseded: Esau

The First Born: Superseded: Ishmael

The First Born: Superseded: Japheth

The First Born: Superseded: Manasseh

The First Born: Superseded: Reuben

The First Born: The Beginning of Strength and Excellency of Power

The First Born: The Dignity of Christ

The First Born: The Dignity of the Church

The First Fruits: Allotted to the Priests

The First Fruits: Church of Christ

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of all Agricultural Produce

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Barley Harvest

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Fruit of New Trees in Fourth Year

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Honey

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Wheat Harvest

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Wine and Oil

The First Fruits: Different Kinds of Wool

The First Fruits: First Converts in Any Place

The First Fruits: God Honored by the offering of

The First Fruits: Holy to the Lord

The First Fruits: Law of, Restored After the Captivity

The First Fruits: Offering of, Consecrated the Whole

The First Fruits: Resurrection of Christ

The First Fruits: The Jewish Church

The First Fruits: To be Brought to God's House

The First Fruits: To be offered in a Basket

The First Fruits: To be offered with Thanksgiving

The First Fruits: To be offered without Delay

The First Fruits: To be the Very Best of Their Kind

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The First Born: Laws Respecting, Observed at Christ's Birth
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