BIRTHRIGHT (bertb'rit'), (Heb. t.,1.
o-racu', belonging to the first-born). This term de notes the rights or privileges belonging to the first-born among the Hebrews. The particular advantages which these conferred were the fol lowing: (1) Right to the Priesthood. The first-born became the priest in virtue of his priority of descent, provided no blemish or defect attached to him. Reuben was the first-born of the twelve patriarchs, and therefore the honor of the priest hood belonged to his tribe. God, however, trans ferred it from the tribe of Reuben to that of Levi (Num. iii t3 ; win :18). Hence the first-born of the other tribes were redeemed from serving God as priests, by a sum not exceeding five shekels. Being presented before the Lord in the temple, they were redeemed immediately after the thir tieth day from their birth (Num. xviii :15, t6; Luke ii :22). It is to be observed that only the first-born who were fit for the priesthood (i. e. such as had no defect, spot, or blemish) were thus presented to the priest.
(2) Double Portion. The first-born received a double portion of his father's property. There is some difficulty in determining precisely what is meant by a double portion. Some suppose that half the inheritance was received by the elder brother, and that the other half was equally di vided among the remaining brethren. This is not probable. The Rabbins believe that the elder brother received twice as much as any of the rest, and there is no reason to doubt the cor rectness of this opinion. When the first-born died before his father's property was divided, and left the right of the father descended to the children, and not to the brother next of age.
(3) Official Authority. He succeeded to the official authority possessed by his father. If the
latter was a king, the former was regarded as his legitimate successor, unless some unusual event or arrangement interfered.
After the law was given through Moses, the right of primogeniture could not be transferred from the first-born to a younger child at the fa ther's option. In the patriarchal age, however, it was in the power of the parent thus to convey it from the eldest to another child (Dent. xxi: 15-17; Gen. xxv :3t, 32).
It is not difficult to perceive the reason why the first-born enjoyed greater privileges than the rest of the children. The peculiar honor attach ing to them is easily accounted for. They arc to be viewed as having reference to the Redeemer, the first-born of the Virgin. Hence in the epistle to the Romans, viii :20, it is written concerning the Son. 'that he might be the first-born among many brethren ;' and in Coloss. i : r8. 'who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead: that in all things he might have the pre-eminence' (see also Ileb. i :4. 5. 6). As the first-born had a double portion, so the Lord Jesus, as Mediator, has an inheritance superior to his brethren ; he is exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high. where he reigns until all his enemies shall he sub dued. The universe is his rightful dominion in his mediatorial character. Again, he alone is a true priest ; he fulfilled all the functions of the sacerdotal office, and the Levites, to whom, un der the law, the priesthood was transferred from all the first-born of Israel, derived the efficacy of their ministrations from their connection with the great high priest (Jahn's Biblical Arc/urol ogy, sec. 165). (See FIRSTBORN.) S. D.