Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

BIRTHRIGHT

The right of the firstborn son of the mother of the household to be its heir. This heir received twice the property as did the others (Deut. 21:17; MAL B:1).

Four generations made up a household (Heb. bêṯ ʾāḇ): the father of the household and his brothers; his father and uncles; his sons; and his grandsons (Lev. 18:6-18). Households were patrilineal: members received social status from the father; only he designated heirs. Some designated “heirs” or “firstborn” (Heb. ben) by birthright, others by achievement. Using birthright reduced competition between the mothers and sons of the household. In the stories of Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 27:1-45) and the Code of Hammurabi, however, achievement designates a more competent heir than the birthright male, which helped the Hebrews survive in an unstable world.

Bibliography. V. H. Matthews and D. C. Benjamin, Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 b.c.e. (Peabody, 1993), 7-21, 110-20.

Don C. Benjamin

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

BIRTHRIGHT

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)