BIRTHRIGHT (See Family); (בְּכֹרָה, H1148, an abstract fem. noun from Heb. בְּכֹר, H1147, first-born, thus meaning the rights of the first-born, the due of primogeniture. The ancient custom was that the family name and titles passed through the line of the eldest son. The appropriation of the birthright of Esau by Jacob, who then inherited the covenant and continued the line of Abraham, is the first and most important use of the term (Gen 25:29-34). Within a long line of sons or heirs there was a further division of birthright privilege according to age. Because of his incest, Reuben was deprived of his usual position (Gen 49:3, 4), which was given to his nephews, the sons of Joseph (1 Chron 5:1). The figure of the first-born and his birthright is used commonly in the OT (2 Chron 21:3; Jer 31:9, et al.). In the NT the Gr. πρωτοτόκια, G4757, “birthright,” appears only once (Heb 12:16) in an allusion to the birthright of Esau. The LXX uses the same term so that the NT reading is a direct quotation. The birthright was more than a title to the family inheritance; it involved a spiritual position. The place of the individual in the covenant status of Israel was part of the birthright and it was this aspect which made the foolishness of Esau so profound.