1067. bekirah
Lexical Summary
bekirah: Firstborn daughter

Original Word: בְּכִירָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: bekiyrah
Pronunciation: beh-kee-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (bek-ee-raw')
KJV: firstborn
NASB: firstborn
Word Origin: [feminine from H1069 (בָּכַר - firstborn)]

1. the eldest daughter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
firstborn

Feminine from bakar; the eldest daughter -- firstborn.

see HEBREW bakar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from bakar
Definition
first-born (always of women)
NASB Translation
firstborn (6).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בְּכִירָה noun feminine first-born, always of women Genesis 19:31; Genesis 9:33; Genesis 19:34,37; Genesis 29:26 (JE) 1 Samuel 14:49.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Semantic Range

The term denotes the elder or firstborn daughter within a family. It functions not merely as a genealogical marker but as a relational title that carries expectations of precedence, responsibility, and, at times, privilege in Near-Eastern family structures.

Occurrences and Narrative Settings

Genesis 19:31–37 – Lot’s elder daughter is consistently called בְּכִירָה. Her initiative—“Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to sleep with us as is the custom all over the earth” (Genesis 19:31)—drives the disturbing episode that results in the birth of Moab. Scripture records the incident four times to emphasize her primacy in the plan and its far-reaching national consequences.

Genesis 29:26 – Laban cites local custom to justify giving Leah, the בְּכִירָה, to Jacob before Rachel: “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.” The verse shows the cultural weight attached to birth order, affecting covenantal history by leading to the birth of Judah and, ultimately, Messiah.

1 Samuel 14:49 – Saul’s eldest daughter Merab is introduced as בְּכִירָה. Her promised but deferred marriage to David illustrates royal politics and foreshadows the conflict between Saul’s house and David’s line.

Role in Family Order

1. Social Responsibility: The firstborn daughter often mediated between parents and younger siblings, as implied by the leadership of Lot’s elder daughter.
2. Marriage Priority: Laban’s appeal to custom indicates an accepted priority for the elder daughter’s marriage, paralleling the explicit legal protections given to firstborn sons (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).
3. Inheritance Nuance: While Torah law formalizes the double portion for firstborn sons, Scripture’s silence on female inheritance in this context suggests that marriage arrangements served as a functional equivalent of patrimonial provision for daughters.

Cultural and Legal Implications

a. Honor and Shame: A family’s honor could hinge on securing a suitable match for the בְּכִירָה. Delay, as in Saul’s household, risked political embarrassment.

b. Covenant Trajectory: Decisions involving a firstborn daughter repeatedly influence redemptive history—Leah becomes mother to six tribes, including Judah; Lot’s daughter becomes ancestral mother of Moab, a nation later entwined with Israel through Ruth.

c. Custom versus Revelation: Laban’s appeal to custom contrasts with the sovereign overruling of human convention seen throughout Genesis, reminding readers that divine purpose is not thwarted by cultural norms.

Theological Reflections

• Providence over Birth Order: Whether through the tragic initiative of Lot’s elder daughter or the unloved status of Leah, God advances His redemptive plan independent of human merit.
• Foreshadowing Greater Reversal: The prominence of the elder daughter can highlight later scriptural reversals where the younger receives primacy (e.g., Joseph over Reuben), preparing readers to recognize God’s sovereign freedom culminating in Christ, “the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
• Mercy in Messiness: Genesis 19 underscores both human depravity and divine patience, as the Moabites eventually furnish Ruth, ancestress of David and Jesus.

Applications for Ministry

1. Family and Discipleship: The responsibilities traditionally assigned to an elder daughter encourage teaching about servant-leadership within the home.
2. Sexual Ethics: Lot’s narrative warns against compromise with surrounding culture and calls for vigilant parental guidance.
3. Women in Redemptive History: Highlighting women designated בְּכִירָה affirms their pivotal roles and counters any minimization of female agency in Scripture.
4. Navigating Cultural Expectations: Laban’s custom invites discussion on distinguishing immutable biblical principle from mutable societal norms in contemporary counseling.

Summary

בְּכִירָה draws attention to the firstborn daughter as a nexus of family duty, cultural expectation, and divine purpose. Across its six occurrences the word frames decisive moments—some fraught with sin, others marked by covenantal advance—each demonstrating that God weaves even flawed human decisions into the tapestry of redemption fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
הַבְּכִירָ֛ה הַבְּכִירָֽה׃ הַבְּכִירָה֙ הבכירה הבכירה׃ hab·bə·ḵî·rāh habbechiRah habbəḵîrāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 19:31
HEB: וַתֹּ֧אמֶר הַבְּכִירָ֛ה אֶל־ הַצְּעִירָ֖ה
NAS: Then the firstborn said
KJV: And the firstborn said
INT: said the firstborn to the younger

Genesis 19:33
HEB: ה֑וּא וַתָּבֹ֤א הַבְּכִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב אֶת־
NAS: that night, and the firstborn went
KJV: that night: and the firstborn went in,
INT: he went and the firstborn and lay with

Genesis 19:34
HEB: מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַתֹּ֤אמֶר הַבְּכִירָה֙ אֶל־ הַצְּעִירָ֔ה
NAS: On the following day, the firstborn said
KJV: And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said
INT: the following said the firstborn to the younger

Genesis 19:37
HEB: וַתֵּ֤לֶד הַבְּכִירָה֙ בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א
NAS: The firstborn bore a son,
KJV: And the firstborn bare a son,
INT: bore the firstborn A son and called

Genesis 29:26
HEB: הַצְּעִירָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הַבְּכִירָֽה׃
NAS: the younger before the firstborn.
KJV: the younger before the firstborn.
INT: the younger before the firstborn

1 Samuel 14:49
HEB: בְנֹתָ֔יו שֵׁ֤ם הַבְּכִירָה֙ מֵרַ֔ב וְשֵׁ֥ם
NAS: [were these]: the name of the firstborn Merab
KJV: [were these]; the name of the firstborn Merab,
INT: daughters the name of the firstborn Merab and the name

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1067
6 Occurrences


hab·bə·ḵî·rāh — 6 Occ.

1066
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