Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Firstfruits

רֵאשִׁית / בִּכּוּרִים in related contextsἀπαρχή · aparchḗ · G536

Firstfruits refers to the first portion of a harvest offered to God and, by extension, to the first installment guaranteeing a larger harvest to come.

9 Scripture references1 lexical sources0 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

Firstfruits refers to the first portion of a harvest offered to God and, by extension, to the first installment guaranteeing a larger harvest to come.

Torah Foundation

Important passages include:
Israel from slavery in Egypt under Torah.">Moses.">Exodus 23:19
• Leviticus 23:9–14
• Numbers 18:12
• Deuteronomy 26:1–11

Agricultural Meaning

The first portion acknowledges that the entire harvest belongs to God.
It also anticipates the remainder.

Resurrection

Yeshua whose mission focuses especially on proclaiming the gospel among Gentiles.">Paul applies firstfruits imagery directly to Yeshua:
"Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
— 1 Corinthians 15:20
The metaphor means Yeshua's resurrection is not an isolated miracle.
It guarantees the future resurrection harvest.

Spirit

Yeshua whose mission focuses especially on proclaiming the gospel among Gentiles.">Paul also describes the Spirit as firstfruits:
• Romans 8:23
The Spirit is therefore a present foretaste of future restoration.
Editorial source: Grafted Bible Dictionary · Entry 36

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Hebrew Word Study

רֵאשִׁית / בִּכּוּרִים in related contexts

Hebrew Bible Usage

View All Hebrew Occurrences

Greek Word Study

ἀπαρχή

aparchḗ · G0536

Hebrew Source

רֵאשִׁית / בִּכּוּרִים in related contexts

Unified Lexical Definition

a beginning of sacrifice, i.e. the (Jewish) first-fruit (figuratively)

Related Words

Lexical Sources

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

a beginning of sacrifice, i.e. the (Jewish) first-fruit (figuratively)

View original lexicon entry
{
    "strongs": "G0536",
    "language": "greek",
    "lemma": "ἀπαρχή",
    "transliteration": "aparchḗ",
    "pronunciation": "",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "glosses": [
        "first-fruits"
    ],
    "definitions": [
        "a beginning of sacrifice, i.e. the (Jewish) first-fruit (figuratively)"
    ],
    "administrator_commentary": "",
    "source": {
        "dataset": "Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon",
        "provider": "Open Scriptures",
        "url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
        "license": "CC BY-SA"
    },
    "version": 1,
    "updated_at": "2026-08-05T10:42:01-05:00",
    "strong": "G0536"
}

New Testament Usage

9 occurrences

View All Greek Occurrences

Sources: Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

9Exact Lemma29Conceptual Relationship
Epistles · 8
Revelation · 1

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