peter · first offspring

What it means

peter (פֶּטֶר) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “first offspring”.

"What opens the womb": the first child or the first young born to a mother.

How to say it

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 child or young born before the rest.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• first offspring ×5
• firstborn ×4
• Everything that first opens ×1
• first open ×1
• first to open ×1

Where it appears

• Exodus×8
• Numbers×3
• Ezekiel×1

• 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 13:12

  you shall dedicate to YHWH every first offspring of the womb, and every first offspring of the young of animals that you have; the males shall be YHWH’s.

• 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 34:19

  Everything that first opens the womb is mine, and all your livestock that is male, the firstborn of ox and lamb.

• 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.

• 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 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 18:15

  Every firstborn of the womb of all flesh, which they present to YHWH, whether of human beings or of livestock, shall be yours; but you shall surely redeem the firstborn of human beings, and the firstborn of unclean livestock you shall redeem.

• Ezekiel 20:26

  and I defiled them through their gifts, in their making pass every firstborn of the womb, so that I might devastate them, so that they might know that I am YHWH.’

And 2 more times.