FIRSTBORN

In the Old Testament, this term denoted the firstborn offspring of humans or animals. The firstborn was accorded a place of special prominence (cf. Gen. 48:13-18; Dt. 21:15-17; 2 Chron. 21:3). 

The word also came to be used figuratively. The "firstborn" of death signified a particularly deadly disease (Job 18:13), and the "firstborn" of the poor meant "poorest of the poor" (Isa. 14:30). 

In the New Testament, when the church is designated as a congregation of "firstborn [ones]" (Heb. 12:23), the designation underscores the glorious, exalted status of God's people. 

Some have grossly misunderstood the description of Christ as "the firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:15). "Jehovah's Witnesses" allege that this term suggests that Jesus was the first creature created by Jehovah at the beginning of time. This view not only contradicts passages affirming Christ's eternality (e.g., Mic. 5:2; Jn. 1:1; 8:58; Rev. 22:13) but also fails to recognize the meaning of "firstborn" in context. 

The "Firstborn" of creation (1:15) does not mean that Christ was the first created being, any more than "firstborn" from the dead suggests he was the first person ever raised from the dead (1:18). In both cases, preeminence or supremacy is emphasized. Note the qualifying phrase in 18b, "that in all things he might have the preeminence."