Factbook tagging of firstborn in Hebrews 12:23
In Hebrews 12:23, the word firstborn is tagged for factbook as referring to Jesus. The resources I have checked including the UBS on Hebrews seem to conclude that this instance of firstborn is actually believers because it is plural and modified by "who are enrolled", which makes me believe this probably should not be tagged as a factbook entry for Jesus. I am no Greek expert in any sense, so I cannot speak to this with any authority, but my resources at least seem to suggest this is incorrectly tagged. Here is one example:
12:23 assembly of the firstborn. “Firstborn” is plural in Greek and modified by “who are enrolled.” Jesus was previously called the firstborn Son (1:6); here his followers are also granted an inheritance as if they too were firstborn sons (1:14; 2:10; 9:15; 12:5–8).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2384.
Perhaps others can speak to this with much better certainty but this difference can have significant theological implications (of which I am not trying to discuss here!).
Comments
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Agreed. Did a quick search: The NIB (Fred Craddock), WBC (William Lane), Hermeneia (Attridge), NIGTC (Ellingworth), AYB (Koester), NICNT (Cockerill), NTL (Johnson), Lenski, NICNT (Hughes) all acknowledge it’s a plural (as it is in the original Greek) – hence referring to the “assembly of the firstborns"
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The Greek is "assembly firstborn enrolled", where "assembly" is singular ==> an individual assembly/congregation/group of people, "firstborn" is plural and genitive, and the verb "enrolled" is also plural and genitive. Hence "assembly of <the firstborn who are enrolled>".
Dave
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"firstborn" is plural and genitive.. Hence "assembly of <the firstborn who are enrolled>".
An even better translation: "assembly of [those] firstborn..." (bringing out the plural genitive)..?
Check out my channel with Christian music in Youtube: @olli-pekka-pappi. Newest song (Oct 23rd 2024), The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi,
https://youtu.be/sRkAJvrmnBY0 -
The less literal translations have "the assembly of
God’s firstborn children" (GW, NLT), "the meeting of God’s firstborn children" (NCV). Dave
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