πρωτότοκος
First-born (usually as noun, literally or figuratively)
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What does πρωτότοκος (prōtótokos) mean in the Bible?
πρωτότοκος (prōtótokos) is a Greek word meaning "first-born (usually as noun, literally or figuratively)". πρωτότοκος, -ον (πρῶτος, τίκτω) [in LXX chiefly for בְּכוֹר ;] first-born: Luk. Indicates supremacy and rank rather than created origin.
Full entry for πρωτότοκος (G4416) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Denotes supremacy and priority, not merely birth order; applied metaphorically to Christ's preeminence over creation.
(πρῶτος, τίκτω) [in LXX chiefly for בְּכוֹר ;] first-born: Luk.2:7; pl., Heb.11:28. Metaphorical, of the priority of Christ (originally perh. a Messianic title, cf. Psa.89:28, Heb.1:6; see ICC on Col.1:15): Heb.1:6; π. πάσης κτίσεως, Col.1:15; ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, Rom.8:29; π. (ἐκ) τ. νεκρῶν, Col.1:18, Rev.1:5; pl., of the elect, ἐκκλησία πρωτοτόκων, Heb.12:23.
Why This Word Matters
Indicates supremacy and rank rather than created origin. Colossians 1:15–20
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
New Testament Witnesses
Additional Occurrences
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain