The Ordinance of Firstborn (2): Some Cases of the Firstborn Curse

Some Cases of the Firstborn Curse

In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub… – 1 Kings 16:34 (New International Version)

Perhaps there are justifications for the belief that there is a firstborn curse, or a jinx that afflicts firstborns. Combing through the pages of the Bible, there are indeed some instances that justify this position, as quite a number of firstborns experienced various forms of calamities in their lifetimes ranging from failures to untimely death.

Let us consider some of the popular examples below:

Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve, did not fare well and ended up a failure, as he was condemned to a life of fugitiveness and vagabondage as punishment for murdering his brother, Abel (Genesis 4).

Shem, the probable firstborn of Noah, had no noteworthy record of achievement apart from being the ancestor of the Semitic race.

Moab, the firstborn of the daughter of Lot, who slept with her father alongside her sister, started life from a disadvantaged position, being the product of incest and had his descendants, the Moabites, cursed by God and banished from the temple (Numbers 21:29, Numbers 24:17, Deuteronomy 23:3).

Esau, the firstborn of Jacob and Rebekah, was first swindled into relinquishing his birthright by his twin brother and later deprived of his father’s final blessing through the scheming of his own mother (Genesis 25 & 27).

Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, slept with his father’s concubine, which led to him being cursed by his father and then being stripped of his right as the firstborn. He lost the seniority to Judah, the fourth son, and the double portion to Joseph, the penultimate son (Genesis 35:22, 49:3-4).

Er, the firstborn of Judah, was considered wicked by God, which led to his untimely death (Genesis 38:6).

Manasseh, the firstborn of Joseph, was bypassed for patriarchal blessing by his dying grandfather, who was actually blind at that time. When he was to pray for Joseph’s sons, Jacob crisscrossed his hands to transfer the superior blessing to Ephraim, the younger brother, and decreed that the younger would be greater than the older (Genesis 48).

The firstborns in Egypt were all killed in a plague, which included the firstborns of both humans and animals. This was a very unusual development as it meant there was no house or family in Egypt that was not in mourning after the plague (Exodus 12:29-30). The question is, why the firstborn, and not the last or children in other birth positions?

Gershom, the firstborn of Moses, a highly revered figure in Israel, had no noteworthy record of achievement to his name beyond the mention of his paternity.

Nadab, the firstborn of Aaron, the high priest, also had his life untimely cut short in his prime. He was killed alongside his immediate brother, Abihu, for offering an unclean incense to God at the altar (Leviticus 10).

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstborn: Are Firstborns Cursed? (1)
• Men in the Bible: Cain and the First Misery
• What are You Holding On to?
• This Beautiful Journey

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