Problem #3: Too Flexible to Be a Genuine Principle
If the “first mention” is supposed to set the stage for the meaning of a given term throughout Scripture but can be overridden by the context of other passages, then what is the point in even talking about the “first mention”? Why would it even matter how it is used the first time in the Bible if the meaning is determined by the word’s context?
Can we really build a standard hermeneutical principle upon a practice that only works some of the time?
Of course, several examples could be given where the first mention of a word is the primary or most important definition, as we saw with
’elohim earlier. But can we really build a standard hermeneutical principle upon a practice that only works some of the time?
As we have seen, some proponents hold to a softer version of this principle. That is, instead of the first mention providing the word’s primary or most important definition, the first mention at least establishes the tone for all the richness of meaning that will emerge. Putting this version of the principle into practice makes the definition so vague as to strip it of value. Even if the first mention introduces us to a word and hints at some of the deeper meanings of the term, we still need to look at the context in which it is used to determine its meaning. Once again, the first mention principle carries little, if any, interpretive value.
Problem #4: A Word Might Have Multiple Significant Meanings
The principle of first mention also fails to account for the fact that many key biblical terms have multiple significant meanings that are not at all apparent at their first mention. Take the word
light, for example. The first mention of this word appears in Genesis 1:3: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” The word is contrasted with darkness in the following verse. Clearly, the meaning of this word in context refers to something that illuminates a given area to enable sight, and in this case to distinguish between day and night. Keep in mind that this verse does not refer to the creation of the sun, which was created on the fourth day.
Many key biblical terms have multiple significant meanings that are not at all apparent at their first mention.
This is the most common use of the Hebrew word
’or and the Greek term
phōs that is roughly equivalent to it. Both are regularly translated as light throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, respectively. Certainly, this an important word, but is this use truly the most important meaning of the term? Does it establish the richness with which the term would later be used? Consider John 1:9, which tells us that Jesus, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” Or what about Jesus’ own words when he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)? While there are similarities between these two uses of light, the former refers to literal physical light while the latter is used metaphorically to refer to the spiritual illumination that God gives to man. Indeed, it would be difficult to demonstrate that the first mention of light in Genesis 1:3 could ever properly introduce the profound meaning described in the
Gospel of John.
One final example will drive this point home. Clearly,
word is a vital concept in Scripture, which uses this term with different referents. Yet two of these referents are extremely important, and neither one of them matches the first use of the term, as we will see shortly. But this example also raises another crucial problem with the first mention principle. To apply this principle consistently, one must use the original languages of Scripture rather than relying on English translations. But some who tout the first mention do not really use the actual first mention because they are looking at an English translation that used a different English word to translate the same Hebrew word found elsewhere. For example, Morris cites Genesis 15:1 as the first mention of
word. In this verse, it refers to the “word of the LORD.” But this is a translation of the Hebrew term
dabar, which actually appears for the first time in Genesis 11:1 in which we are told that the whole world had one speech (
dabar).
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So the first use of this term for
word in Scripture has to do with the one language man shared prior to the Babel event. But the Bible definitely uses this term with much deeper meanings that would never have been guessed given the first mention in Genesis 11:1. For example, the second appearance of
dabar is the passage cited by Morris: “After these things the
word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision” (Genesis 15:1). Here and in many other Old Testament passages,
word refers to “a message from or about God.”
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Some Christians have suggested that in passages about “the word of the LORD” coming to someone (in some cases, there was more than basic communication from God taking place) that the second Person of the Trinity was making an appearance to that individual. After all, the New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as “the Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). While it is plausible that the preincarnate Christ appeared in some of these cases, there is no reason to insert this idea into each Old Testament passage referring to the “word of the LORD.” Regardless of one’s view of this issue, the fact remains that either view carries a markedly different meaning than the first mention of
dabar.
Is it fair to compare the first mention of
dabar (Genesis 11:1) with its use in Genesis 15:1 where it appears as part of a phrase? Perhaps not, but this raises two more problems with the first mention principle.
First, those who hold to the principle of first mention as it concerns words or phrases generally agree that this principle holds across both testaments. That is, the first use of the word or phrase in the Old Testament has significant bearing in our understanding of the equivalent word or phrase in the New Testament. But if this is accurate, then remember that Jesus is famously referred to as the “Word” (Greek
logos in John 1:1, 14). If one wants to limit the principle to each testament, so that we need to find the first use of
logos in the New Testament, then one will be disappointed to learn that the Greek word is first used in Matthew 5:32 where it refers to the “reason” (Greek
logou) of sexual immorality as a basis for divorce (the first use with identical form,
logos, in the Greek New Testament is in Matthew 5:37). Whether one points to the first mention of the Hebrew or the Greek term for
word does not in any way set us up for the rich, profound use of
logos in the first chapter of John’s Gospel.
The second problem for those who seek to use the principle of first mention for the entire phrase is also a problem for many Christians who use theologically imprecise reasoning at this point.
The phrase “word of God” is used in at least three ways in Scripture. All of them are significant, but many Christians conflate these phrases and introduce serious error. Consider the following verses:
On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. (Acts 13:44, emphasis added)
And he [Paul] continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:11, emphasis added)
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. (Revelation 19:13, emphasis added)
The first verse cited above refers to the message Paul was about to give to the crowd of Jews and Gentiles that had gathered in Antioch. Undoubtedly, his message contained references and allusions to Scripture, but he obviously did not read the entire Old Testament to them. The “word of God” in the second verse is closely related to the first use, but it likely refers to the Scriptures as a whole, at least those that were written up to that point. These two uses are tied closely together: one speaks of a message based on Scripture, and the other likely refers to Scripture itself."
https://answersingenesis.org/hermeneutics/law-first-mention-legitimate-interpretive-principle/