firstfruits
Aparche identifies an initial or representative person, group, or portion within a larger whole.
The word most often designates persons or groups presented as an initial or representative part of a larger whole: Christ in relation to those who have died, and people in relation to regions, creation, God, or the Lamb. It also occurs for an initial portion whose holiness is related to the whole lump and for what believers have of the Spirit while awaiting bodily redemption.
Senses in use
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Initial or representative persons and groups · dominant
The nominative singular form identifies Christ in the sequence before those who belong to him in 1 Corinthians 15:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:23; the APB renders the clauses "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" and "Christ the firstfruits." It likewise marks the household of Stephanas in Achaia, those chosen for salvation, people brought forth among creatures, those bought to God and the lamb, and Epaenetus in Asia as an initial or representative group or person.
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An initial portion related to a larger whole · rare
In Romans 11:16, the nominative singular form stands in the conditional clause concerning holiness: the APB renders, "If the firstfruits are holy, so also is the lump." The verse explicitly relates this designated portion to the larger lump.
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What believers have of the Spirit · rare
In Romans 8:23, the accusative singular form occurs in the phrase describing believers as "having the firstfruits of the Spirit" while they groan and await adoption and bodily redemption. The clause presents this possession alongside an expectation still future in the verse.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the supplied verses, the APB consistently uses "firstfruits" in clauses about Christ, people, holiness, and the Spirit. Its repeated English wording confirms the verse-level presentation without determining every nuance of the Greek form.