Jeremiah 31:9 (often associated with Genesis 41:51,52) is often quoted as a scripture that is suggested to mean that firstborn means something other than the usual meaning of firstborn in reference to Colossians 1:15.
Genesis 41:51,52 - And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh; for he said, God has made me forget all my toil, and all the house of my father.[52] And the name of the second he called Ephraim; for he said, God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.
In Genesis 41, we find that Joseph refers to Manasseh his firstborn and to Ephraim as his secondborn. The word "firstborn" is certainly not being used here with a meaning of Preeminent One. The actual first to be brought forth of Joseph's sons was Manasseh. In one of our studies on Colossians 1:15, we point out that firstborn of a living group always includes the firstborn in the group of which he is the firstborn. Manasseh was certainly a member of the sons of Joseph. The default meaning of firstborn refers to the first to be brought forth. Trinitarians and some others claim that Jesus was never brought for into existence at any time. What about Manasseh. Was he never brought forth into existence? Obviously, Manasseh certainly was indeed brought forth into being, hence was a creation. He certainly was not never a member of the sons of Joseph. Likewise , in Colossians 1:15, the default reasoning should be that Jesus was a member of "every creature" of God, and that Jesus was actually brought forth into existence.
However, Jeremiah 31:7-9 is often thought to contradict what is said in Genesis 41:51,52:
For so says Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the head of the nations. Cry out, give praise and say, O Jehovah, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.[8] Behold! I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the recesses of the earth. Among them the blind, and the lame, the pregnant one, and the travailing one together, a great company shall return here.[9] They shall come with weeping, and I will lead them with prayers. I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a right way; they will not stumble in it. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.
The reasoning of some is that in Genesis 41:51,52 Manasseh is firstborn and Ephraim is the secondborn, but in Jeremiah 31 Ephraim is firstborn, not the secondborn. In some vague way this is thought to mean that firstborn applied to Jesus in Colossians 1:15 does not mean that Jesus is was the first creature to be brought forth.
This, of course, overlooks several things.
First, it appears that in Jeremiah, it is not Joseph who is calling Ephraim his firstborn, but rather it is Jehovah, so the group is not the same in both scriptures. In Jeremiah 31:9, the group is not the sons of Joseph as such. It is in reference to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom, often called "Ephraim," as opposed to the two tribes often referred to as "Judah." The reference is regarding future blessings.
Second, in neither scripture is the firstborn not a member of the group of which he is being designated as firstborn.
Third, in neither scripture does it mean the that firstborn was never brought forth into being.
The allusion, perhaps, is to Joseph’s having the birthright, and whose younger son, Ephraim, was preferred to Manasseh the elder, (1 Chronicles 5:2) (Genesis 48:14 Genesis 48:20) . Ephraim intends the same as Israel, the ten tribes, and includes the whole body of the Jewish nation.
Some claim that one of the tribes of the northern kingdom is here called “firstborn”, evidently with the suggestion that this does not mean that there was a beginning related to this usage of firstborn, and thus the same idea should be applied to Colossians 1:15. We should note that Ephraim, as used here, stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel, and not to the one tribe. (2 Chronicles 25:7; Jeremiah 7:15) Additionally, Israel is used here by extension to the very formation of the entire 12-tribed nation of Israel, whom Jehovah calls his firstborn. Israel was Jehovah’s firstborn son as a covenant nation. (Exodus 4:22; Hosea 11:1; Romans 9:4) There was a time when Israel did not exist, thus there is no suggestion here that firstborn is being used as without a beginning. Therefore, Israel was “brought forth” as God’s first son as a covenant nation. There is nothing in the language of Jeremiah 31:9 to warrant the conclusion that in Colossians 1:15 firstborn means anything other than the meaning of the word, first to be born or brought forth in the class being referred to.
Nevertheless, if the right of the firstborn is taken from one and given to another (Genesis 25:31-34; Hebrews 12:16), this does not mean that the one who has been given the right of the firstborn was not brought forth into existence in the group being designated. Nor does it mean that the word firstborn itself is to be given the meaning of "preeminence". Preeminence in the Bible is given to whoever has the right of the firstborn, whether that person is the actual firstborn or has been designated as firstborn because the right of firstborn has been taken away from the actual firstborn.
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