First-Begotten, Firstborn

"firstborn" (from protos, "first," and tikto, "to beget"), is used of Christ as born of the Virgin Mary, Luke 2:7; further, in His relationship to the Father, expressing His priority to, and preeminence over, creation, not in the sense of being the "first" to be born. It is used occasionally of superiority of position in the OT; see Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 21:16,17 , the prohibition being against the evil of assigning the privileged position of the "firstborn" to one born subsequently to the "first" child.