Son

In its figurative use for a person's relation to God, "son" is anchored in the message Moses is told to deliver to Pharaoh. The word fixes Israel's standing before Yahweh as filial and firstborn — a claim that grounds the demand for release.

Israel as Yahweh's Firstborn

The first time scripture applies the language of sonship to a people in this way comes at Yahweh's commissioning of Moses for the confrontation with Pharaoh: "And you will say to Pharaoh, Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my firstborn:" (Ex 4:22). The verse names Israel collectively as son, and as firstborn — an inheritance and rank claim — and the next verse turns immediately on that status to demand release for service, with the threat to Pharaoh's own firstborn standing in reciprocal weight.

Related Categories

The figurative use of "son" extends across several distinct strands handled under their own umbrellas: see Adoption for the relational category in which a person is taken into Yahweh's family; God, Fatherhood Of for the corresponding paternal side of that relation; Jesus, Son of God for the title applied to him; and Jesus, Son of Man for the parallel self-designation.