Thematic Bible: The First-born


Thematic Bible



Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, principal in dignity, and the principal in power. Unstable as water, thou shalt not be principal because thou didst go up to thy father's bed; then thou became defiled, going up to my couch.

Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and he was not counted as the firstborn. Verse ConceptsConcubinesBirthrightsFirstborn Sons

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; thy father's sons shall bow down before thee. Verse ConceptsBowingCommendationSalutationsOvercoming EnemiesShowing Forth His Praiseserenity

They shall come with weeping, but with mercies I will cause them to return; I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, in which they shall not stumble; for I shall be a father to Israel, and Ephraim shall be my firstborn. Verse ConceptsGod, Fatherhood OfAdoption, nature ofFirstbornIntimacyPeople Of God, In OtSpring Of WaterWeepingAnswered PromisesSpiritual AdoptionFirstborn SonsStraight PathsNot StumblingBrookssupplication

Peradventure is Ephraim a precious son unto me? Peradventure is he unto me a delightful child? With all this since I spoke of him, I have remembered him constantly. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him; in tenderness I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD. Verse ConceptsGod, Joy OfGod, Compassion OfGod, Suffering OfIntimacyRejection Of God, Results OfBowelsSpiritual AdoptionIsrael As Sons Of GodGod Remembering His PeopleGod Will Show Mercy

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his venison; but Rebekah loved Jacob. Verse ConceptsFathers, Examples OfPrejudiceTastePartialityThose Who LovedMan's FavouriteDeergames

Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of all the firstborn that open the womb among the sons of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine; Verse ConceptsCovenant, God's with Israel's priestsVicarious Substitution

And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward and take the number of their names. And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the animals of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the animals of the sons of Israel. And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the sons of Israel. read more.
And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the sons of Israel. Verse ConceptsSubstitution


Also I will make him my firstborn, high above the kings of the earth. Verse ConceptsFirstbornBrothersChrist The Firstborn


and it came to pass when Pharaoh was hardening himself to not let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt from the human firstborn to the firstborn of the beast; therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD every male that opens the womb, and I ransom every firstborn of my sons. Verse ConceptsStubbornness, Consequences OfDeath Of The FirstbornGod KillingMale AnimalsBoth Men And Animals KilledHindering God's WorkGod Killed The PeoplesRegulating Sacrifices

because all the firstborn are mine; from the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both of men and of animals; they shall be mine: I am the LORD. Verse ConceptsClaimsDeath Of The FirstbornI Am The LordPeople Belong To God

For all the firstborn of the sons of Israel are mine, both of man and of animals; from the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. Verse ConceptsDeath Of The Firstborn

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, principal in dignity, and the principal in power. Verse ConceptsFirstborn SonsStrong IndividualsPowerful IndividualsFamily StrengthPowerExcellencemanhoodstrenghdignity

but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. Verse ConceptsHeirsDouble Portions

it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of 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. Verse ConceptsBabies In The WombFavouritismJacob, The PatriarchSubjectionTwo GroupsFreshness Of YouthWombServing PeopleStrong NationsOvercoming Adversity

Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it to me. Verse ConceptsCowsDay 8Seven DaysYoung AnimalAnimal MothersLess Than A Year OldSeven Days For Legal Purposes

When a bullock or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering on fire unto the LORD. Verse ConceptsSeven DaysYoung AnimalAnimal MothersLess Than A Year OldSeven Days For Legal PurposesRegulating Sacrifices

Let the peoples serve thee and nations bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curses thee, and blessed be he that blesses thee. Verse ConceptsJacob, Life And Character OfServing PeopleSalutationsBlessing Through God's PeopleCursing Israel

And he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for those of our lineage have a sacrifice in the city, and my brother, he has commanded me to be there, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he has not come unto the king's table. Verse ConceptsBrothersethics, personalTown

And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Verse ConceptsOaths, HumanYielding To Temptation

And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. Verse ConceptsBirthrights

And he said, Thy brother came with deceit and has taken away thy blessing. Verse ConceptsInjustice, Examples OfPeople BlessingThose Who Deceived

and make me savoury food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless thee before I die. Verse ConceptsTasteRequesting FoodSavourinessBefore DeathLoving Other ThingsPeople Blessing

But the firstborn of an ass thou shalt ransom with a lamb, and if thou ransom him not, then shalt thou cut off his head. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt ransom, and none shall appear before me empty. Verse ConceptsDonkeysLambsRansomRedemption, In Everyday LifeDislocatingEmpty HandedRules About Killing Animals

Every thing that opens the womb in all flesh, which they shall offer unto the LORD, whether it is of men or animals, shall be thine; nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely ransom, and the firstborn of unclean animals shalt thou ransom. Verse ConceptsFirstbornAnimals, religious role ofWomb

And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel had set their faces on me that I should reign, but the kingdom is turned about and is become my brother's, for by the LORD it was his.

And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag, the Shunammite, for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother and he also has Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the son of Zeruiah. Verse ConceptsBrothersThe Kingdom Of Others

And every firstborn of an ass thou shalt ransom with a lamb; and if thou wilt not ransom it, then thou shalt cut off its head; and in the same manner thou shalt ransom all the human firstborn among thy sons. Verse ConceptsRedemption, In Everyday LifeDislocatingRules About Killing Animalsredeemed

But the firstborn of an ass thou shalt ransom with a lamb, and if thou ransom him not, then shalt thou cut off his head. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt ransom, and none shall appear before me empty. Verse ConceptsDonkeysLambsRansomRedemption, In Everyday LifeDislocatingEmpty HandedRules About Killing Animals


Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my rebellion, the fruit of my bowels for the sin of my soul? Verse ConceptsFirstbornBodyRamsA Thousand AnimalsSacrificing The Firstborn

Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits and of thy liquors; the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Verse ConceptsFirstbornChild sacrificeTypes Of ChristProcrastinationFirst fruitsTithes And Offering


When a man has two wives, one beloved and the other hated, and they have born him sons, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son is of the one that was hated, then it shall be, when he makes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not give the right of the firstborn unto the son of the beloved in preference over the son of the hated, who is indeed the firstborn;

Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and he was not counted as the firstborn. For Judah prevailed above his brethren and was their prince, but the birthright was Joseph's:)

When brethren dwell together and one of them dies and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside unto a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in unto her and take her to him to wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. And it shall be that the firstborn which she bears shall be raised up in the name of his brother who is dead that his name be not blotted out of Israel.

All the firstborn males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstborn of thy bullock nor shear the firstborn of thy sheep. Verse ConceptsFirstbornBullsSheep Shearing

All the firstborn males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstborn of thy bullock nor shear the firstborn of thy sheep. Verse ConceptsFirstbornBullsSheep Shearing

And their father had given them great gifts of silver and of gold and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Verse ConceptsFirstbornGoldInheritance, MaterialBirthrights

but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. Verse ConceptsHeirsDouble Portions

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab and said, Peradventure is the LORD's anointed before him? And the LORD replied unto Samuel, Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for it is not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one. read more.
Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one. Again, Jesse made his seven sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD has not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are all thy young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send for him, for we will not sit down to the table until he comes here. And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and of a beautiful countenance and handsome. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac (laughter); and I will confirm my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I shall bless him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; he shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

And he blessed Joseph and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel who frees me from all evil, bless these young men, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Then Joseph seeing that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. read more.
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused and said, I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of Gentiles. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

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 unto him. Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands with understanding; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

But the firstborn of the animals, which because it is firstborn belongs to the LORD, no one shall sanctify it; whether it is ox or sheep, it is the LORD's. Verse ConceptsClaimsAll Things Belong To God

And thou shalt give the money, of the ransoms of the odd number of them, unto Aaron and to his sons. And Moses took the ransom money of those that were over and above the ones that were redeemed by the Levites and received of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, in money, a thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. read more.
And Moses gave the money of the ransoms unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

And for the ransoms of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, who are more than the Levites, thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them (the shekel is of twenty gerahs).

Likewise, the firstborn of our sons and of our beasts, as it is written in the law and that we would bring the firstlings of our cows and of our sheep to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God. Verse ConceptsFirstbornClaims

Unto Shem also, the father of all the sons of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, even to him were sons born. Verse ConceptsAncestors

And Abel, he also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD looked upon Abel and his present, but he did not look upon Cain and his present. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

And the flesh shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder shall be thine. Verse ConceptsBodies Of AnimalsAnimal Sacrifices, Wave OfferingSwingingThighs Of AnimalsFood For Priests DefinedOther Right Parts


And from a month old shalt thou effect their ransom, a ransom according to thine estimation, for the price of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. Verse ConceptsCoinageLess Than A Year OldValuation Of PeopleRight Measuresredeemed

But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, thou shalt not ransom; they are sanctified; thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar and shalt burn their fat for an offering on fire, for an acceptable savour unto the LORD. Verse ConceptsFatnessAromasSmellsSprinklingFat Of The SacrificesRefreshing God

Every thing that opens the womb in all flesh, which they shall offer unto the LORD, whether it is of men or animals, shall be thine; nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely ransom, and the firstborn of unclean animals shalt thou ransom. Verse ConceptsFirstbornAnimals, religious role ofWomb

The LORD said unto Moses, See, I have constituted thee as god unto Pharaoh; and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I shall command thee; and Aaron, thy brother, shall speak unto Pharaoh that he send the sons of Israel out of his land.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)