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UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

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πρωτότοκος

Strong’s: G4416

Associated OET lemmas: πρωτότοκος · πρώτως

Form 1

Part of speech: adjc.

Inflections: πρωτότοκος; -ον

Constructions: πρωτότοκος; πρωτεύω; τίκτω

Sense 1: firstborn

Semantic entry: 10.43

Semantic domains: Kinship Terms

Subdomains: Kinship Relations Involving Successive Generations

Definition: pertaining to being a firstborn child (normally in contexts speaking of people but also used in reference to domestic animals)

Notes: In Jewish society the rights and responsibilities of being a firstborn son resulted in considerable prestige and status. The firstborn son, for example, received twice as much in inheritance as any other offspring.|The use of πρωτότοκος ‘firstborn’ does not imply in Greek that other children were also born to a woman, though in a number of languages one would never use ‘firstborn’ unless other children followed. Such an individual would be spoken of merely as ‘the only child.’ It is also frequently necessary to employ an appropriate qualifier for ‘firstborn’ in order to mark clearly the fact that it is ‘a firstborn son’ rather than ‘a firstborn daughter.’|The figurative meaning of πρωτότοκος in the messianic title πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως ‘firstborn of all creation’ (RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15 may be interpreted as ‘existing before all creation’ (see 13.79: πρωτότοκος) or ‘existing superior to all creation’ (see 87.47: πρωτότοκος).

LUK 2:7: RV LUK 2:7 · LV LUK 2:7 · Read together LUK 2:7

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OET-RV LUK 2:7

7 and so Maria bore her first son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and slept him in an empty feeding trough, because they had missed out on the guest room.

OET-LV LUK 2:7

7 And she _bore the son of _her the firstborn, and swaddled him, and laid him in a_manger, because was not a_place for _them in the guest _room.

COL 1:15: RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15

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OET-RV COL 1:15

15 The son is the visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

OET-LV COL 1:15

15 who is the_image of _the the invisible god, the_firstborn of _all creation,

All 7 recorded passages for this sense

LUK: RV LUK 2:7 · LV LUK 2:7 · Read together LUK 2:7

COL: RV COL 1:15 · RV COL 1:18 · LV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:18 · Read together COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:18

HEB: RV HEB 1:6 · RV HEB 11:28 · RV HEB 12:23 · LV HEB 1:6 · LV HEB 11:28 · LV HEB 12:23 · Read together HEB 1:6 · Read together HEB 11:28 · Read together HEB 12:23

REV: RV REV 1:5 · LV REV 1:5 · Read together REV 1:5

Sense 2: existing first, existing before

Semantic entry: 13.79

Semantic domains: Be, Become, Exist, Happen

Subdomains: Exist

Definition: pertaining to existing prior to something else

Notes: It is possible to understand πρωτότοκος in RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15 as ‘superior in status’ (see 87.47: πρωτότοκος). See also discussion at 10.43: πρωτότοκος.

ROM 8:29: RV ROM 8:29 · LV ROM 8:29 · Read together ROM 8:29

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OET-RV ROM 8:29

29 After all, those he knew in advance, he also determined in advance to be similar to his son’s image, so that his son would become the eldest of many siblings.

OET-LV ROM 8:29

29 Because whom he _foreknew, also he _predetermined similar to _the image of _the son of _him, in _order that to _be him firstborn among many brothers.

COL 1:15: RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15

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OET-RV COL 1:15

15 The son is the visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

OET-LV COL 1:15

15 who is the_image of _the the invisible god, the_firstborn of _all creation,

Sense 3: superior to, above all

Semantic entry: 87.47

Semantic domains: Status

Subdomains: High Status or Rank [including persons of high status]

Definition: pertaining to being superior to everything else in the same or related class

Notes: For another interpretation of πρωτότοκος in RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15, see 13.79: πρωτότοκος; see also discussion at 10.43: πρωτότοκος.

ROM 8:29: RV ROM 8:29 · LV ROM 8:29 · Read together ROM 8:29

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OET-RV ROM 8:29

29 After all, those he knew in advance, he also determined in advance to be similar to his son’s image, so that his son would become the eldest of many siblings.

OET-LV ROM 8:29

29 Because whom he _foreknew, also he _predetermined similar to _the image of _the son of _him, in _order that to _be him firstborn among many brothers.

COL 1:15: RV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:15

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OET-RV COL 1:15

15 The son is the visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation

OET-LV COL 1:15

15 who is the_image of _the the invisible god, the_firstborn of _all creation,

All 3 recorded passages for this sense

ROM: RV ROM 8:29 · LV ROM 8:29 · Read together ROM 8:29

COL: RV COL 1:15 · RV COL 1:18 · LV COL 1:15 · LV COL 1:18 · Read together COL 1:15 · Read together COL 1:18