אַף־אָ֭נִי בְּכ֣וֹר אֶתְּנֵ֑הוּ עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃
Gagawin Ko rin siyang panganay, ang pinakamataas sa mga hari sa lupa.
Rabbeinu Bahya
קדש לי כל בכור פטר כל רחם, “sanctify for Me every firstborn, the first issue of every womb.” The wording we would have expected here is קדש לי כל בכור בבני ישראל באדם ובבהמה, “sanctify for Me every Jewish firstborn amongst humans and domestic beast,” seeing this would be the logical way of thanking G’d for sparing the firstborn Jews and their livestock. After all, the Egyptian firstborn killed included firstborn of father and mother. Why then does the Torah restrict this legislation to the first issue of a womb, i.e. the firstborn of the mother? In fact, in Egypt not only biological firstborns were smitten but, in the absence of an actual firstborn, the oldest in the house. Why else would there not have been a single house without a dead body on that night?
The reason the Torah did not command sanctification of the firstborn of the father is simply that there always exists some slight degree of doubt about the paternity of a child whereas no such doubt exists concerning its maternity. The same rule applies to the firstborn of the livestock as we read in verse 12: “you shall set apart every first issue of the womb to G’d and of every first issue that is dropped by the livestock that belong to you, the males to Hashem.” As a result of this legislation we find that Isaiah 49,15 draws a comparison between G’d’s love for Israel to a father’s love for his son when he said: “can a woman forget her baby or disown the child in her womb?” The prophet suggests that it is impossible for a mother not to have pity on her child. He did not say: “can a father forget his son?”
My teacher Rabbi Shlomoh (Rashba) of blessed memory commented that this verse in Isaiah wants to teach us two things. 1) Contrary to the doubt about paternity we mentioned earlier, there is no doubt about G’d considering Himself the father of the Jewish people [Hoseah 2,1 describing the Jewish people as the children of the living G’d. Ed.] seeing the prophet continues “even if the mother might forget her child G’d would never forget Israel.” This thought is confirmed by Eytan in Psalms 89, 27-28 “You are my Father, my G’d, the Rock of my deliverance;” (G’d responds) “I too will appoint him first-born.” 2) just as it is impossible for a mother to exchange her son for another so it is impossible for G’d to exchange the Jewish nation for another. The prophet (G’d) promised: “also these will not be forgotten.” Whereas G’d may “forget” the sin of the golden calf which the Israelites had addressed as “these are your gods O Israel” (Exodus 32,4), G’d will nonetheless not forget the Jewish people as His own as He would not forget their attitude at Mount Sinai when He had introduced Himself to the Jewish people with the words: “I am the Lord your G’d” (20,2).
The reason the Torah did not command sanctification of the firstborn of the father is simply that there always exists some slight degree of doubt about the paternity of a child whereas no such doubt exists concerning its maternity. The same rule applies to the firstborn of the livestock as we read in verse 12: “you shall set apart every first issue of the womb to G’d and of every first issue that is dropped by the livestock that belong to you, the males to Hashem.” As a result of this legislation we find that Isaiah 49,15 draws a comparison between G’d’s love for Israel to a father’s love for his son when he said: “can a woman forget her baby or disown the child in her womb?” The prophet suggests that it is impossible for a mother not to have pity on her child. He did not say: “can a father forget his son?”
My teacher Rabbi Shlomoh (Rashba) of blessed memory commented that this verse in Isaiah wants to teach us two things. 1) Contrary to the doubt about paternity we mentioned earlier, there is no doubt about G’d considering Himself the father of the Jewish people [Hoseah 2,1 describing the Jewish people as the children of the living G’d. Ed.] seeing the prophet continues “even if the mother might forget her child G’d would never forget Israel.” This thought is confirmed by Eytan in Psalms 89, 27-28 “You are my Father, my G’d, the Rock of my deliverance;” (G’d responds) “I too will appoint him first-born.” 2) just as it is impossible for a mother to exchange her son for another so it is impossible for G’d to exchange the Jewish nation for another. The prophet (G’d) promised: “also these will not be forgotten.” Whereas G’d may “forget” the sin of the golden calf which the Israelites had addressed as “these are your gods O Israel” (Exodus 32,4), G’d will nonetheless not forget the Jewish people as His own as He would not forget their attitude at Mount Sinai when He had introduced Himself to the Jewish people with the words: “I am the Lord your G’d” (20,2).
Rashi
the prince of death Heb. בכור מות, as in (Ps. 89:28), “Also I will make him a prince (בכור).”
Rashi
בכור שורו THE FIRSTBORN OF HIS OX — There is a usage of the word בכור that denotes greatness and sovereignty, as it is said, (Psalms 89:28) “I will also make him a בכור” (i.e., a man of rank), and similarly (Exodus 4:22) “My son, my firstborn (בכורי) is Israel”. The text means: the king who will issue from him, and that is Joshua, whose strength will be mighty as that of an ox to subdue many kings,
Rashi
בני בכרי [ISRAEL IS] MY SON, MY FIRSTBORN — The term בכור “firstborn” denotes high dignity as, (Psalms 89:28) “I also will appoint him a בכור” (which is explained by the following words, “the highest of the kings of the earth”). This is the literal meaning; a Midrashic comment is: Here (in these words) the Holy One, blessed be He, set His seal to the sale of the birthright which Jacob had purchased from Esau (Genesis Rabbah 63:14).
Rashi
And the first born of the poor shall graze In his days, the princes of Israel, who are now poor because of you, shall graze. “Firstborn,” is an expression of princes. Comp. (Ps. 89:28) “Also, I will appoint him My firstborn.”
Rashi
כי אין בית אשר אין שם מת FOR THERE WAS NOT A HOUSE WHERE THERE WAS NOT ONE DEAD — If there was a firstborn there, he died: if there was no firstborn there, then the chief person in the house died because the chief person in the house is called בכור, as it is said, (Psalms 89:28) “I also will appoint him to be a בכור, [the highest of the kings of the earth]” (Mekhilta DeRashbi 12:30; cf. Rashi on 4:22; Pesachim Rabbah, Midr. Vajosha). Another explanation is: the Egyptian women were unfaithful to their husbands and bore children from young men, unmarried, and thus they (the Egyptian men) had many firstborn sons sometimes there were five to one woman, each being the firstborn to his own father (thus there might well be no house in which there was not a firstborn) (cf. Mekhilta).