Lexical Summary
bikkurim: Firstfruits
Original Word:בִּכּוּר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:bikkuwr
Pronunciation:bik-koo-REEM
Phonetic Spelling:(bik-koor')
KJV: first fruit (-ripe (figuratively)), hasty fruit
NASB:first fruits, early ripened things, first ripe, first ripe fruits, ripe fruit
Word Origin:[fromH1069 (בָּכַר - firstborn)]
1. the first-fruits of the crop
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
first fruit ripe figuratively, hasty fruit
Frombakar; the first-fruits of the crop -- first fruit (-ripe (figuratively)), hasty fruit.
see HEBREWbakar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
bakarDefinitionfirst fruits
NASB Translationearly ripened things (2), first fruits (12), first ripe (1), first ripe fruits (1), ripe fruit (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
—
Leviticus 2:14;
Leviticus 23:17;
Numbers 28:26 (P)
2 Kings 4:42;
Nehemiah 3:12;
Nehemiah 13:31;
Leviticus 23:20 (P); construct
Exodus 23:16,19 (E)
Exodus 34:22,26 (J)
Numbers 13:20 (E)
Numbers 18:13 (P)
Nehemiah 10:36 (twice in verse);
Ezekiel 44:30; suffix
Leviticus 2:14; — the first of grain and ftuit that ripened and was gathered and offered to God according to the ritual; bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost
Leviticus 23:20;
day of the first-fruits (Pentecost)
Numbers 28:26.
see below .
, see below , p. 128.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Rangeבִּכּוּר (bikkur) designates the very earliest produce of field or tree—the first grain heads, the first figs, the first grapes, the first loaves baked from the new harvest. It occurs eighteen times and is always concerned with what appears first and therefore belongs first to the LORD.
Agricultural Setting
In the land of Israel, barley ripens in early spring, wheat in late spring, vines and figs in early summer. The first cutting or picking was eagerly anticipated, both for food and for worship. Offering these “firsts” acknowledged that the whole harvest was the LORD’s gift.
Covenantal Obligation
The great covenant collections enshrine the duty:
• “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God” (Exodus 23:19; 34:26).
• “If you present an offering of firstfruits to the LORD, you are to present an offering of fresh heads of grain, roasted in the fire—crushed kernels of new grain” (Leviticus 2:14).
Failure to bring bikkur was covenant unfaithfulness (compareNehemiah 13:31).
Feasts and Calendar
1. Feast of Harvest / Weeks (Shavuot): “You are to celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field” (Exodus 23:16;Numbers 28:26). The first loaves made from new wheat were waved before the LORD (Leviticus 23:17, 20).
2. Day-by-day offerings: Portions of every firstfruits gift were reserved for the priests (Numbers 18:13;Ezekiel 44:30).
Priestly Provision and Community Care
Bikkur supported the priesthood. In2 Kings 4:42 the gift of “twenty loaves of barley bread from the firstfruits” enabled Elisha to feed a hundred men, illustrating how God multiplies what is first dedicated to Him for the blessing of many.
Prophetic Imagery of Early Figs
The same word pictures an early fig’s swift consumption:
• “Like the first ripe fig before summer; whoever sees it swallows it while it is still in his hand” (Isaiah 28:4).
• “All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater” (Nahum 3:12).
The prophets employ bikkur to portray the speed with which judgment or change will come—what appears secure can vanish as quickly as an early fig is eaten.
Theological Themes
1. Ownership and gratitude: Giving firstfruits confessed that the land and its yield are the LORD’s.
2. Faith and dependence: Israel offered bikkur before the rest of the harvest was safely gathered, expressing trust that God would supply the full yield.
3. Pledge of more to come: Firstfruits served as a tangible guarantee—if the first appeared, the rest would follow (Numbers 13:20, “It was the season for the first ripe grapes”).
Typological Fulfillment in Christ and the Church
The New Testament applies the firstfruits principle to redemption:
• Messiah’s resurrection—“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
• The outpouring at Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) becomes the church’s firstfruits (Acts 2; compareRomans 8:23;James 1:18). What bikkur previewed agriculturally, God fulfilled spiritually: the initial resurrection and the initial ingathering pledge the final harvest of resurrected believers.
Ministry Application Today
Believers still honor the principle by dedicating the “first and best” of income, time, and abilities to the Lord’s service, trusting Him for the remainder. Congregations may highlight this during harvest festivals or as part of stewardship teaching, reminding worshipers that early, willing giving reflects covenant loyalty and anticipates God’s continued provision.
Summary
בִּכּוּר gathers Israel’s first and finest yield, binding agriculture, worship, and community in a single act of devotion. Its prophetic use warns of fleeting security, while its typological trajectory leads to Christ, whose resurrection guarantees the full harvest of redeemed humanity. The continuing call is clear: offer the first portion in faith, and rejoice in the sure promise of God’s abundant completion.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּכּ֨וּרֵי בִּכּוּרִ֑ים בִּכּוּרִ֖ים בִּכּוּרִים֙ בִּכּוּרֵ֖י בִּכּוּרֵ֞י בִּכּוּרֵ֣י בִּכּוּרֵ֥י בִּכּוּרֵי֙ בִּכּוּרֶֽיךָ׃ בכורי בכוריך׃ בכורים הַבִּכּוּרִ֗ים הַבִּכּוּרִ֤ים הבכורים וְלַבִּכּוּרִ֑ים וּבִכּוּרֵ֛י ובכורי ולבכורים כְּבִכּוּרָהּ֙ כבכורה bik·kū·rê bik·kū·re·ḵā bik·kū·rîm bikkūrê bikkuRei bikkuReicha bikkūreḵā bikkuRim bikkūrîm hab·bik·kū·rîm habbikkuRim habbikkūrîm kə·ḇik·kū·rāh kəḇikkūrāh kevikkuRah ū·ḇik·kū·rê ūḇikkūrê uvikkuRei velabbikkuRim wə·lab·bik·kū·rîm wəlabbikkūrîm
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