Lexical Definition

‎רֵאשִׁית‎ rêʼshîyth (ray-sheeth') first: beginning ^H:N-F
from the same as ‎רֹאשׁ‎

beginning, chief(-est), first(-fruits, part, time), principal thing.

• the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically, a firstfruit)

1) first, beginning, best, chief
1a) beginning
1b) first
1c) chief
1d) choice part

See Greek: ἀπαρχή

Extended Information

meaning of: רֵאשִׁית

• : best

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[‎רֵאשִׁית‎] noun feminine beginning, chief (for *‎רְאֵשִׁית‎ Nö^{GGA 1884, 1019}, compare Holz^{Hexateuch 465}; Syriac ); — absolute ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Deut 33:21+, construct ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Gen 10:10+, ‎רֵשִׁית‎ Deut 11:12 suffix ‎רֵאשִׁיתוֺ‎ Eccl 7:8, ‎רֵאשִׁתוֺ‎ Job 42:12, etc.; —

1.
a. beginning of kingdom Gen 10:10 (J), year Deut 11:12, reign Jer 26:1; Jer 27:1; Jer 28:1; Jer 49:34= first phase, step, or element in course of events Isa 46:10 (opposed to ‎אַחֲרִית‎); of a thing (‎דָּבָר‎) Eccl 7:8 (opposed to id.); of sin Mic 1:13, strife Prov 17:14, wisdom Ps 111:10, knowledge Prov 1:7 thy beginning Job 8:7 = thine early life so his beginning Job 42:12 (both opposed to ‎אַחֲרִית‎), ‎׳‎‎ר‎ before clause, ‎׳‎‎בָּרָא א‎ ‎׳‎‎בְּר‎ Gen 1:1 in the beginning when god created (> absolute in the beginning God created); ‎אֹנִי‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Gen 49:3 (poem) beginning (first product) of my manly vigour (|| ‎בְּכֹרִי‎ ‎כֹּחִי‎ so Deut 21:17; Ps 78:51 (both || ‎בְּכוֺת‎ Ps 105:36 compare ‎דֵּרְכֵי אֵל‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Job 40:19 (of hippopotamus), ‎דַּרְכּוֺ‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Prov 8:22 (of wisdom);=first season (of a tree) Hos 9:10 ‎גּוֺיִם‎‎׳‎‎ר‎ Num 24:20 (JE), first, earliest, of nations.
b. first of fruits Exod 23:19 (E), Exod 34:26 (JE), Deut 26:2; Deut 26:10; Ezek 44:30.a, of harvest Lev 23:10 (H), grain Deut 18:4; 2Chr 31:5 dough Num 15:20; Num 15:21 (P), Ezek 44:30b Neh 10:38*, wool Deut 18:4 of ‎כָּלתְּֿבוּאָתֶ֑ךָ‎ Prov 3:9 Israel is ‎תְּבוּאָתֹה‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Jer 2:3 (i.e. of ‎׳‎‎י‎s increase); ‎׳‎‎ר‎=first-fruits Lev 2:12 (P), Num 18:12 (P), Neh 12:44 ‎הָאָרֶץ‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Ezek 48:14

2. first chief, Amos 6:1 ‎גְּבוּרָתָם‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Jer 49:35 (of bows); so apparently ‎בְּנֵי עַמּוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Dan 11:41, i.e. the principal part of them (Buhl Marti conjecture ‎שְׁאֵרִית‎ after ᵑ6); ‎מַשְׁאוֺתֵיכֶם‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Ezek 20:40, i.e. your chief oblations; ‎שְׁמָנִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ר‎ Amos 6:6, i.e. choice oils; = choice part, of land Deut 33:21, offering 1Sam 2:29, ‎הַחֵרֶם‎ 1Sam 15:21 absolute chief thing Prov 4:7 (of wisdom).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References