רִאשׁוֹן

adj. former, first, chief (i heightened from orig. a, v. √);—abs. ר׳ Ho 2:19 +, שֹׁן- Ex 12:15 +, רִישׁוֹן Jb 8:8, cstr. רִאשׁוֹן Jb 15:7 Qr (Kt ראישון, and so always Cod. Sam. Pent., v. Köii. 1. 225 n); f. רִאשֹׁנָה Ju 20:37 + (Jos 21:10 Kt ראישנה, v. supr.); mpl. רִאשֹׁנִים Ex 34:1 +, fpl. רִאשֹׁנוֹת Is 41:22 +, etc.;— former: in time, former of two Gn 25:25 (J), 41:20 (E), Dt 10:1, 2, 3, 4, 10; 24:4, cf. Ho 2:9; Lv 4:21; 9:15 (both P), Ju 20:39; 2 K 1:14; Hg 2:3, 9; Ezr 3:12 +; more gen. former, previous, Nu 21:26 (JE), Mi 4:8; 2 K 17:34, 40; Zc 1:4; 7:7, 12; 8:11; Ne 5:15; Ec 17:10 ψ 79:8 +; כָּעֵת הָר׳ Is 8:23; דִּבְרֵי דויד הָר׳ †1 Ch 29:29 the doings of David, the former and the latter (הָאַחֲרֹנִים), cf. †2 Ch 9:29; 12:15; 16:11; 20:34; 25:26; 26:22; 28:26; 35:27; early days of harvest 2 S 21:9; רִאשֹׁנִים as subst., former persons, ancestors, men of old, Dt 19:14; Lv 26:45 (H), Ec 1:11 (opp. אַחֲרֹנִים); (הָ)רִאשֹׁנוֹת as subst. the former things, i.e. past events Is 41:22; 43:9, 18; 46:9; 48:3, earlier predictions 42:9. loc., foremost, of two 2 S 18:27. first: in time, הַמַּכָּה הָר׳ 1 S 14:14 the first slaughter (prelim. to general carnage); וְלֹא־הָיָה דְּבָרִי ר׳ 2 S 19:44 was not my word first? ר׳ in appos. with pers. subj. †2 S 19:21 I am come as first, cf. perhaps Is 41:27 (ins. אָמַרְתִּי Ges De הִגַּדְתִּים for הִנֵּה הִנָּם, CheHpt KitDi), and הָר׳ Je 50:17 (opp. הָאַחֲרוֹן), Is 43:27; ר׳ abs., first of mankind Jb 15:17; abs. of י׳, I (am the) first Is 41:4 (+ אֶת־ אַחֲרֹנִים), + אַחֲרוֹן 44:6; 48:12; abs. of time, מֵרִאשׁוֹן Je 17:12 from the beginning; especially first of a def. series (sometimes opp. אַחֲרוֹן), first day of feast Dt 16:4; Ex 12:15(×2), 16 + 5 times P (H), Ne 8:18; usually first month (חֹדֶשׁ) Ex 40:2, 17; Lv 23:5 + 6 times P, 1 Ch 12:16 (van d. H. v 15) + 10 times Ch Ezr, Est 3:7; Dn 10:4, חֹדֶשׁ om. Gn 8:13; Ex 12:2, 18; Nu 9:5 (all P) Ez 29:17; 30:20; 45:18, 21, so Jo 2:23, but read כָּרִאשׁוֹנָה (3 a) 𝔊 𝔖 We Now and Dr. first in degree, chief: יַד הַשָּׁרִים … רִאשׁוֹנָה Ezr 9:2 the hand of the princes … has been first in this trespass; 1 Ch 18:17; Dn 10:13 (cf. Est 1:14 infr.). fem. c. prep. as adv.; phr.: (1) of time, בָּרִאשֹׁנָה Gn 13:4 (J), = before, formerly, so Jos 8:5, 6 (JE), 2 S 7:10; 20:18; Je 7:12; Is 52:4, לָר׳ = before, formerly, Gn 28:19 (J), Ju 18:29; so כְּבָר׳ as formerly Ju 20:32; 1 K 13:6; Is 1:26; Je 33:7, 11, = כָּר׳ Dt 9:15; Dn 11:29 (opp. כָּאַחֲרוֹנָה); בָּר׳ = at first, first of all, Dt 13:10; 17:7 Nu 10:13 (P) Jos 8:33 (D), 1 K 17:13; 20:9; Zc 12:7; Pr 20:21 (opp. אַחֲרִיתָהּ), 1 Ch 11:6(×2); 17:9; Ne 7:5; לְמַבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה 1 Ch 15:13 (= לְמַה־בָּר׳) for what was at first, etc. (מָה 1 e); (2) loc., בָּר׳, i.e. at the head of an army 1 K 20:17, a procession Nu 10:14 (P), cf. Is 60:9. רִאשֹׁנָה alone as adv.: (1) of time, first Gn 38:28 (J), 1 K 18:25; Je 16:18; Lv 5:8; Nu 2:9; Jos 21:10 (all P), Is 65:7 (Ew De Che Di Du Skinner, > adj. Ges Hi Kn); (2) of place Gn 33:2 (J); (3) of degree, rank, Est 1:14.