View All Biblical Expressions

Open the womb / first to open the womb

Here’s what it means

The phrase refers to the first child born from a mother, especially the firstborn male.

Why the Bible says it this way

An idiom is a familiar phrase whose meaning comes from the whole expression, not from reading each word by itself.

A helpful detail: The womb is not literally opened by a separate ritual act; the formula identifies first birth.

Where it appears