1060. bekor
Lexical Summary
bekor: Firstborn

Original Word: בְּכוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bkowr
Pronunciation: beh-kor
Phonetic Spelling: (bek-ore')
KJV: eldest (son), firstborn(-ling)
NASB: firstborn, oldest, firstlings, most
Word Origin: [from H1069 (בָּכַר - firstborn)]

1. firstborn
2. (hence) chief

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
eldest son, firstborn

From bakar; firstborn; hence, chief -- eldest (son), firstborn(-ling).

see HEBREW bakar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from bakar
Definition
first-born
NASB Translation
firstborn (118), firstlings (1), most (1), oldest (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בְּכוֺר122 noun masculine first-bornGenesis 35:23 78t.; בְּכֹר Genesis 25:13 14t.; suffix בְּכֹּרִי Genesis 49:3 14t.; בְּכוֺרוֺ Genesis 38:6 3t.; plural construct בְּכוֺרֵי Nehemiah 10:37 2t.; בְּכוֺרֵיהֶם Psalm 136:10; plural feminine בְּכֹרוֺת Genesis 4:4; Nehemiah 10:37; בְּכֹרֹת Deuteronomy 12:6,17; Deuteronomy 14:23; —

1 men and women:

a. individuals Genesis 25:13 69t.

b. collective Numbers 3:46,50; Numbers 8:16; Numbers 18:15.

c. plural Nehemiah 10:37; Psalm 135:8; Psalm 136:10.

d. כל בכור Exodus 11:5; Exodus 12:12,29; Exodus 13:2,13,15 (twice in verse); Exodus 22:28; Exodus 34:2; Numbers 3:12 (3 t. in verse); Numbers 3:13,40,42,43,45; Numbers 8:17 (twice in verse); Numbers 8:18; Numbers 33:4; Psalm 78:51; Psalm 105:36.

2 animals:

a. individuals Leviticus 27:26; Numbers 18:17; Deuteronomy 15:19 (twice in verse); Deuteronomy 33:17.

b. collective בכור בהמה Exodus 11:5; Exodus 12:29; Exodus 13:15; Numbers 3:41; Numbers 18:15; כל הבכור Deuteronomy 15:19.

c. plural בכרות Genesis 4:4; Deuteronomy 12:6,17; Deuteronomy 14:23; Nehemiah 10:37.

3 figurative, noun of relation בכור מות first-born of death Job 18:13 (deadly disease); בְּכוֺרֵי דַלִּים first-born of the poor (the poorest) Isaiah 14:30; Israel is the first-born of Yahweh among the nations Exodus 4:22 compare Jeremiah 31:9; and the seed of David among dynasties Psalm 89:28.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Range of Meaning

בְּכוֹר designates the firstborn male—human or animal—who opens the womb. It conveys priority of birth, dignity, and legal pre-eminence. Although ordinarily a biological term, the word steadily broadens to include notions of privilege, devotion to the LORD, and symbolic pre-eminence.

Cultural and Legal Background in Patriarchal Times

Among the patriarchs the firstborn enjoyed headship of the clan and a double share of inheritance (Genesis 25:31-34; Genesis 43:33; Deuteronomy 21:17). The blessing of the firstborn carried prophetic weight, as seen when Isaac trembled after unknowingly blessing Jacob (Genesis 27:33). Reuben forfeited this right through transgression (Genesis 49:3-4; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2), underscoring that moral fitness could override mere chronology.

Inheritance Rights and Blessing

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 legislates against parental favoritism, safeguarding the firstborn’s double portion even when he is the son of an “unloved” wife. The birthright could be sold (Genesis 25:33) or transferred by divine choice, as when Jacob elevated Ephraim over Manasseh (Genesis 48:17-20). Such narratives illuminate God’s sovereign freedom while preserving the general principle: “the right of the firstborn belongs to him” (Deuteronomy 21:17).

Consecration to the LORD

After the Exodus the LORD claimed every firstborn in Israel: “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male… it belongs to Me” (Exodus 13:2). Redemption of human firstborn by five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16) kept families intact while affirming that God owns the first fruits of life. The Levites were taken in substitution (Numbers 3:12-13), binding priestly service to the theology of the firstborn.

Firstborn Livestock and Sacrificial Law

Firstborn male animals were sacrificed or redeemed without defect (Exodus 13:12-13; Deuteronomy 15:19-23). Their blood upon the altar dramatized substitutionary atonement. The unredeemed donkey’s neck was to be broken, a vivid reminder that complacency toward God’s claim invited loss.

The Firstborn in Judgment and Deliverance

The tenth plague struck “every firstborn male in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:29). By contrast, Israel’s firstborn were spared through the Passover lamb’s blood (Exodus 12:13). This dual scene—judgment on Egypt, redemption for Israel—anchors the biblical pattern of salvation through substitution.

Corporate Title for Israel

“Israel is My firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22) presents the nation as heir to covenant privilege and responsibility. Hosea later echoes the idea by portraying the Exodus as God calling His son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1), a passage the New Testament applies typologically to Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:15).

Reversals of Firstborn Privilege

Scripture repeatedly records God bypassing the literal firstborn—Abel over Cain, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his brothers, David over his siblings. These reversals teach that divine election, not human order, secures true pre-eminence (Romans 9:11-13).

Prophetic and Messianic Dimensions

Psalm 89:27 exalts the Davidic king: “I will also appoint him to be My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth”. Zechariah 12:10 pictures national repentance “as one mourns for an only child… bitterly as one grieves for a firstborn son”, foreshadowing the pierced Messiah. Though בְּכוֹר is an Old Testament term, it prepares for New Testament titles—“firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15) and “firstborn from the dead” (Revelation 1:5)—binding Christ to the principle of supreme rank and redemption.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

1. Stewardship: Yielding the “first” of income or produce mirrors consecrating the firstborn, embodying trust in God’s provision (Proverbs 3:9).
2. Worship: Remembering the costliness of redemption (Numbers 3:13) calls believers to sacrificial devotion.
3. Discipleship: God’s continual right to the first and best challenges complacency and partial obedience.
4. Mission: The corporate identity of the church as “church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23) summons believers to priestly service on behalf of the nations.

Key Old Testament References

Genesis 27:19; 43:33

Exodus 4:22-23; 11:5; 12:29; 13:2, 12-15

Numbers 3:12-13, 40-51; 8:17-18; 18:15-17

Deuteronomy 15:19-23; 21:17

2 Chronicles 21:3

Psalm 89:27

Jeremiah 31:9

Zechariah 12:10

Forms and Transliterations
בְּֽכוֹר־ בְּכ֑וֹר בְּכ֔וֹר בְּכ֖וֹר בְּכ֛וֹר בְּכ֜וֹר בְּכ֞וֹר בְּכ֣וֹר בְּכ֤וֹר בְּכ֥וֹר בְּכ֨וֹר בְּכֹ֖ר בְּכֹ֣ר בְּכֹ֣רִי בְּכֹ֤ר בְּכֹ֥ר בְּכֹ֥רִי בְּכֹר֑וֹ בְּכֹר֔וֹ בְּכֹר֖וֹ בְּכֹר֜וֹ בְּכֹר֤וֹת בְּכֹרֶ֔ךָ בְּכֹרֶֽךָ׃ בְּכֽוֹר־ בְּכוֹר֑וֹ בְּכוֹר֒ בְּכוֹר֔וֹ בְּכוֹר֙ בְּכוֹר֮ בְּכוֹרִי֙ בְּכוֹרֵ֣י בְּכוֹרֵ֨י בְכ֔וֹר בְכ֥וֹר בְכ֨וֹר בְכֹֽרְךָ֖ בְכֹרִ֖י בְכוֹרוֹ֙ בִּבְכֹ֣ר בִּבְכֹר֣וֹ בִּבְכוֹרֵיהֶ֑ם בבכוריהם בבכר בבכרו בכור בכור־ בכורו בכורי בכר בכרו בכרות בכרי בכרך בכרך׃ הַבְּכ֖וֹר הַבְּכ֗וֹר הַבְּכ֜וֹר הַבְּכ֡וֹר הַבְּכ֣וֹר ׀ הַבְּכֹ֔ר הַבְּכֹ֥ר הַבְּכֹ֨ר הַבְּכֹֽר׃ הַבְּכֹר֙ הַבְּכֽוֹר׃ הַבְּכוֹר֒ הַבְּכוֹר֙ הבכור הבכור׃ הבכר הבכר׃ לְבַכֵּר֙ לבכר מִבְּכ֖וֹר מִבְּכ֤וֹר מִבְּכֹ֤ר מִבְּכֹ֥ר מבכור מבכר bə·ḵō·re·ḵā ḇə·ḵō·rə·ḵā bə·ḵō·rî ḇə·ḵō·rî bə·ḵō·rō·wṯ bə·ḵō·rōw bə·ḵō·w·rê bə·ḵō·w·rî bə·ḵō·w·rōw ḇə·ḵō·w·rōw bə·ḵō·wr ḇə·ḵō·wr bə·ḵō·wr- bə·ḵōr beChor bechoRecha bechoRei beChori bechoRo bechoRot bəḵōr bəḵōreḵā ḇəḵōrəḵā bəḵōrî ḇəḵōrî bəḵōrōw bəḵōrōwṯ bəḵōwr ḇəḵōwr bəḵōwr- bəḵōwrê bəḵōwrî bəḵōwrōw ḇəḵōwrōw biḇ·ḵō·rōw biḇ·ḵō·w·rê·hem biḇ·ḵōr biḇḵōr biḇḵōrōw biḇḵōwrêhem bivChor bivchoreiHem bivchoRo hab·bə·ḵō·wr hab·bə·ḵōr habbeChor habbəḵōr habbəḵōwr lə·ḇak·kêr ləḇakkêr levakKer mib·bə·ḵō·wr mib·bə·ḵōr mibbeChor mibbəḵōr mibbəḵōwr veChor vechoreCha vechoRi vechoRo
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 10:15
HEB: אֶת־ צִידֹ֥ן בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־ חֵֽת׃
NAS: of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth
KJV: begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
INT: became of Sidon his firstborn and Heth

Genesis 22:21
HEB: אֶת־ ע֥וּץ בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־ בּ֣וּז
NAS: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother
KJV: Huz his firstborn, and Buz
INT: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother

Genesis 25:13
HEB: בִּשְׁמֹתָ֖ם לְתוֹלְדֹתָ֑ם בְּכֹ֤ר יִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ נְבָיֹ֔ת
NAS: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael,
KJV: according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael,
INT: their names the order the firstborn of Ishmael Nebaioth

Genesis 27:19
HEB: אָנֹכִי֙ עֵשָׂ֣ו בְּכֹרֶ֔ךָ עָשִׂ֕יתִי כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר
NAS: I am Esau your firstborn; I have done
KJV: I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done
INT: I am Esau your firstborn have done you

Genesis 27:32
HEB: אֲנִ֛י בִּנְךָ֥ בְכֹֽרְךָ֖ עֵשָֽׂו׃
NAS: I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.
KJV: I [am] thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
INT: I am your son your firstborn Esau

Genesis 35:23
HEB: בְּנֵ֣י לֵאָ֔ה בְּכ֥וֹר יַעֲקֹ֖ב רְאוּבֵ֑ן
NAS: Jacob's firstborn, then Simeon
KJV: Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon,
INT: the sons of Leah firstborn Jacob's Reuben

Genesis 36:15
HEB: בְּנֵ֤י אֱלִיפַז֙ בְּכ֣וֹר עֵשָׂ֔ו אַלּ֤וּף
NAS: of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau,
KJV: of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau;
INT: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau are chief

Genesis 38:6
HEB: אִשָּׁ֖ה לְעֵ֣ר בְּכוֹר֑וֹ וּשְׁמָ֖הּ תָּמָֽר׃
NAS: for Er his firstborn, and her name
KJV: for Er his firstborn, whose name
INT: A wife Er his firstborn name Tamar

Genesis 38:7
HEB: וַיְהִ֗י עֵ֚ר בְּכ֣וֹר יְהוּדָ֔ה רַ֖ע
NAS: Judah's firstborn, was evil
KJV: Judah's firstborn, was wicked
INT: become Er firstborn Judah's was evil

Genesis 41:51
HEB: אֶת־ שֵׁ֥ם הַבְּכ֖וֹר מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה כִּֽי־
NAS: named the firstborn Manasseh,
KJV: the name of the firstborn Manasseh:
INT: Joseph the name the firstborn Manasseh for

Genesis 43:33
HEB: וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ לְפָנָ֔יו הַבְּכֹר֙ כִּבְכֹ֣רָת֔וֹ וְהַצָּעִ֖יר
NAS: before him, the firstborn according to his birthright
KJV: before him, the firstborn according to his birthright,
INT: were seated before the firstborn to his birthright and the youngest

Genesis 46:8
HEB: יַעֲקֹ֣ב וּבָנָ֑יו בְּכֹ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב רְאוּבֵֽן׃
NAS: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
KJV: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
INT: Jacob and his sons firstborn Jacob's Reuben

Genesis 48:14
HEB: כִּ֥י מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה הַבְּכֽוֹר׃
NAS: although Manasseh was the firstborn.
KJV: for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.
INT: although Manasseh was the firstborn

Genesis 48:18
HEB: כִּי־ זֶ֣ה הַבְּכֹ֔ר שִׂ֥ים יְמִינְךָ֖
NAS: for this one is the firstborn. Place
KJV: Not so, my father: for this [is] the firstborn; put
INT: for this is the firstborn Place your right

Genesis 49:3
HEB: רְאוּבֵן֙ בְּכֹ֣רִי אַ֔תָּה כֹּחִ֖י
NAS: Reuben, you are my firstborn; My might
KJV: Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might,
INT: Reuben are my firstborn you my might

Exodus 4:22
HEB: יְהוָ֔ה בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
NAS: Israel is My son, My firstborn.
KJV: [is] my son, [even] my firstborn:
INT: the LORD is my son my firstborn Israel

Exodus 4:23
HEB: אֶת־ בִּנְךָ֖ בְּכֹרֶֽךָ׃
NAS: your son, your firstborn.'
KJV: thy son, [even] thy firstborn.
INT: will kill your son firstborn

Exodus 6:14
HEB: בְּנֵ֨י רְאוּבֵ֜ן בְּכֹ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל חֲנ֤וֹךְ
NAS: Israel's firstborn: Hanoch
KJV: of Reuben the firstborn of Israel;
INT: the sons of Reuben firstborn Israel's Hanoch

Exodus 11:5
HEB: וּמֵ֣ת כָּל־ בְּכוֹר֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒
NAS: and all the firstborn in the land
KJV: And all the firstborn in the land
INT: shall die and all the firstborn the land of Egypt

Exodus 11:5
HEB: בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכ֤וֹר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב
NAS: shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh
KJV: shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
INT: the land of Egypt the firstborn of the Pharaoh sits

Exodus 11:5
HEB: כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשִּׁפְחָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר
NAS: even to the firstborn of the slave girl
KJV: upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant
INT: his throne even to the firstborn of the slave who

Exodus 11:5
HEB: הָרֵחָ֑יִם וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה׃
NAS: all the firstborn of the cattle
KJV: the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
INT: the millstones all the firstborn of the cattle

Exodus 12:12
HEB: וְהִכֵּיתִ֤י כָל־ בְּכוֹר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם
NAS: all the firstborn in the land
KJV: and will smite all the firstborn in the land
INT: and will strike all the firstborn the land of Egypt

Exodus 12:29
HEB: הִכָּ֣ה כָל־ בְּכוֹר֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒
NAS: all the firstborn in the land
KJV: smote all the firstborn in the land
INT: struck all the firstborn the land of Egypt

Exodus 12:29
HEB: בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב
NAS: of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
KJV: of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
INT: the land of Egypt the firstborn of Pharaoh sat

119 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1060
119 Occurrences


bə·ḵōr — 58 Occ.
bə·ḵō·re·ḵā — 2 Occ.
bə·ḵō·w·rê — 3 Occ.
bə·ḵō·rî — 3 Occ.
bə·ḵō·rōw — 10 Occ.
bə·ḵō·rō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
biḇ·ḵōr — 1 Occ.
biḇ·ḵō·w·rê·hem — 1 Occ.
biḇ·ḵō·rōw — 1 Occ.
hab·bə·ḵō·wr — 28 Occ.
lə·ḇak·kêr — 1 Occ.
mib·bə·ḵō·wr — 4 Occ.
ḇə·ḵō·wr — 3 Occ.
ḇə·ḵō·rə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
ḇə·ḵō·rî — 1 Occ.
ḇə·ḵō·w·rōw — 1 Occ.

1059
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