Are any of you begotten of the dead?
The First Begotten of the Dead
Who are they?
The thing to understand about this is that it is emphasizing the reality of being dead spiritually and then alive spiritually. Jesus talked about being born again and it confused people because they thought they he meant natural birth again (born again). But the Bible says that the true believers were dead spiritually but then were quickened to believe on Jesus, to trust in God, so that they became alive spiritually.
"And you
hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins; "
True believers were once dead in their sins, without God, and without hope in the world.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: "
Are any of you born again? To me this is the same as your question asking 'are any of you begotten of the dead?'
Jesus was the
first born from the dead. He was the first to be resurrected, which it should be remembered was spiritual birth for him. He took our sins upon himself and became death spiritually. So much so that he asked God why he had forsaken him. Then, God raised him up from spiritual death with his life spirit that was not dead and he was able to give that spirit to persons who were now also able to be born from spiritual death to spiritual life.