“Reuben, you are my firstborn;
My might, the beginning of my strength and vigor,
Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power [that should have been your birthright].

“But unstable and reckless and boiling over like water [in sinful lust], you shall not excel or have the preeminence [of the firstborn],
Because you went up to your father’s bed [with Bilhah];
You defiled it—he went up to my couch.

for how shall it be known now that both I and thy people have found favour in thy sight, but in that thou goest with us: that both I and thy people have a preeminence before all the people that are upon the face of the earth."

The righthand of the LORD hath the preeminence; the righthand of the LORD hath gotten the victory.

He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them strength, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence],
Praise for all His godly ones;
For the people of Israel, a people near to Him.
Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

If the iron became dull and he polished not the face, and he will strengthen the forces: and wisdom will make preeminence to prosper.

Violence has grown into a rod of wickedness; none of them (Israel) will remain, none of their people, none of their wealth, nor anything eminent among them.

Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them;

Fear not therefore; ye have the preeminence over many sparrows.

And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this realm and its glory [its power, its renown]; because it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.

But also the hairs of your head were all numbered. Therefore fear not: ye have the preeminence over many little sparrows.

Consider the ravens: for they sow not neither do they reap; to them there is not store-house nor store; and God nourishes them: how much more have ye preeminence of the fowls?

And at once an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory [and instead permitted himself to be worshiped], and he was eaten by worms and died [five days later].

What, then, is the preeminence of the Jew? Or what, the profit of his circumcision?

For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?

A man ought not have his head covered [during worship], since he is the image and [reflected] glory of God; but the woman is [the expression of] man’s glory.

Because of the surpassing greatness and extraordinary nature of the revelations [which I received from God], for this reason, to keep me from thinking of myself as important, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, to torment and harass me—to keep me from exalting myself!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn One [i.e., who takes preeminence] over all that is created.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.