Grow With Me
Grow With Me

בְּכוֹר

bechor · firstborn

Hebrew word · Strong’s number H1060 · appears 118 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

bechor (בְּכוֹר) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “firstborn”.

The first son, who had a special place in the family and in the inheritance; also the first young of an animal.

How to say it

be·chor

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

  1. The son who came into the world before his brothers, with a special place in the family.
  2. An animal's first offspring.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Firstborn: the first son; also the first young of an animal. It comes from בָּכַר, “to bear early”.

Historical and cultural background

Deuteronomy 21:17 orders giving the firstborn, even if he is the son of “the hated one”, “a double portion of all that is found {to be} his”, for “to him {belongs} the right of the firstborn”. According to Numbers 3:40-41, the Levites are taken “in place of every firstborn” of Israel.

How we translate it

“Firstborn” 118 times. It is distinguished from בִּכּוּרִים, “firstfruits”.

Related words

Comes from

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

  • Genesis 10:15

    And Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth,

  • Genesis 22:21

    Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,

  • Genesis 25:13

    These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

  • Genesis 27:19

    Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, so that you may bless me.”

  • Genesis 27:32

    Isaac his father said to him, “Who are you?” He said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

  • Genesis 35:23

    The sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

  • Genesis 36:15

    These are the chieftains of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: the chieftain Teman, the chieftain Omar, the chieftain Zepho, the chieftain Kenaz,

  • Genesis 38:6

    Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

  • Genesis 38:7

    But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of YHWH, and YHWH put him to death.

  • Genesis 41:51

    Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For Elohim has made me forget all my toil and all the house of my father.”

  • Genesis 43:33

    They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in amazement at one another.

  • Genesis 46:8

    These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Jacob’s firstborn, Reuben.

  • Genesis 48:14

    But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

  • Genesis 48:18

    Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

  • Genesis 49:3

    Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the first fruit of my vigor, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.

  • Exodus 4:22

    Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says YHWH: Israel is my son, my firstborn,

  • Exodus 4:23

    and I said to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” But you refused to let him go; look, I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.’”

  • Exodus 6:14

    These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Enoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

  • Exodus 11:5

    and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave woman who is behind the millstones, and every firstborn of the livestock.

  • Exodus 12:12

    I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. I am YHWH.

  • Exodus 12:29

    At midnight YHWH struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and every firstborn of the livestock.

  • Exodus 13:2

    “Consecrate to me every firstborn; the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, of people and of animals, is mine.”

  • Exodus 13:13

    Every first offspring of a donkey you shall ransom with a lamb; and if you do not ransom it, you shall break its neck. And every human firstborn among your sons you shall ransom.

  • Exodus 13:15

    When Pharaoh hardened himself against letting us go, YHWH killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of people and the firstborn of animals. That is why I sacrifice to YHWH every first offspring of the womb that is male, but every firstborn of my sons I ransom.’

  • Exodus 22:29

    You shall not delay offering the first of your harvest and of your press. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.

  • Exodus 34:20

    And the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you do 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.

  • Leviticus 27:26

    But a firstborn, which as a firstborn belongs to YHWH, among the beasts, no man shall consecrate it; whether ox or lamb, it is YHWH’s.

  • Numbers 1:20

    The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, everyone who went out to the army:

  • Numbers 3:2

    And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: the firstborn Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

  • Numbers 3:12

    “And I, look, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel in place of every firstborn, the first to open the womb among the sons of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine.

  • Numbers 3:13

    For every firstborn is mine; on the day I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to myself every firstborn in Israel, both of human beings and of animals; they shall be mine. I am YHWH.”

  • Numbers 3:40

    And YHWH said to Moses, “Count every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.

  • Numbers 3:41

    And you shall take the Levites for me —I am YHWH— in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of every firstborn among the livestock of the sons of Israel.”

  • Numbers 3:42

    So Moses counted, as YHWH had commanded him, every firstborn among the sons of Israel.

  • Numbers 3:43

    And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those of them counted, were twenty-two thousand two hundred seventy-three.

  • Numbers 3:45

    “Take the Levites in place of every firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock; and the Levites shall be mine. I am YHWH.

  • Numbers 3:46

    And as the ransom for the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess of the Levites,

  • Numbers 3:50

    From the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the silver, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels by the shekel of the sanctuary.

  • Numbers 8:16

    For they are given, wholly given to me from among the sons of Israel; in place of all that first open the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel, I have taken them for myself.

  • Numbers 8:17

    For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, both among human beings and among animals; on the day I struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them to myself.

And 78 more times.