Or riishon {ree-shone'}; from ri'shah; first, in place, time or rank (as adjective or noun) -- ancestor, (that were) before(-time), beginning, eldest, first, fore(-father) (-most), former (thing), of old time, past.
see HEBREW ri'shah
H7223. rishon
רִאשׁוֺן182 adjective former, first, chief (i heightened from original a, see √); — absolute ׳ר Hosea 2:19 +, שֹׁן- - Exodus 12:15 +, רִישׁוֺן Job 8:8, construct רִאשׁוֺן 15:7 Qr (Kt ראישון and so always Manuscript Sam. Pentateuch, see Köii. 1, 225 n); feminine רִאשֹׁנָה Judges 20:37 + (Joshua 21:10 Kt ראישנה see above); masculine plural רִאשֹׁנִים Exodus 34:1 +, feminine plural רִאשֹׁנוֺת Isaiah 41:22 +, etc.; —
1 former:
a. in time, former of two Genesis 25:25 (J), 41:20 (E), Deuteronomy 10:1-2, 3, 4, 10; 24:4, compare Hosea 2:9; Leviticus 4:21; 9:15 (both P), Judges 20:39; 2 Kings 1:14; Haggai 2:3, 9; Ezra 3:12 +; more Generally former, previous, Numbers 21:26 (JE), Micah 4:8; 2 Kings 17:34, 40; Zechariah 1:4; 7:7, 12; 8:11; Nehemiah 5:15; Eccl 17:10; Psalm 79:8 +; ר הָ ׳כָּעֵת Isaiah 8:23; ר הָ דויד ׳דִּבְרֵי 1 Chronicles 29:29 the doings of David, the former and the latter (הָאַחֲדֹנִים), compare 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; 16:11; 20:34; 25:26; 26:22; 28:26; 35:27; early days of harvest 2 Samuel 21:9; רִאשֹׁנִים as substantive, former persons, ancestors, men of old, Deuteronomy 19:14; Leviticus 26:45 (H), Ecclesiastes 1:11 (opposed to אַחֲרֹנִים); (תָ)רִאשֹׁנוֺת as substantive the former things, i.e. past events Isaiah 41:22; 43:9, 18; 46:9; 48:3, earlier predictions 42:9.
b. location, foremost, of two 2 Samuel 18:27.
2 first:
a. in time, ר הָ ׳הַמַּכָּה 1 Samuel 14:14 the first slaughter (preliminary to General carnage); ר דְּבָרִי ׳וְלֹאהָֿיָה 2 Samuel 19:44 was not my word first? ׳ר in apposition with person subject 2 Samuel 19:21 I am come as first, compare perhaps Isaiah 41:27 (insert אָמַרְתִּי Ges De < read הִגַּדְתִּים for הִנָּם הִנֵּה CheHpt Kit Di), and ר ׳הָ Jeremiah 50:17 (opposed to הָאַחֲרוֺן), Isaiah 43:27; ׳ר absolute, first of mankind Job 15:17; absolute of ׳י, I (an the) first Isaiah 41:4 (+אַחֲדֹנִים אֶתֿ), + אַחְרוֺן 44:6; 48:12; absolute of time, מֵרִאשׁוֺן Jeremiah 17:12 from the beginning; especially first of a def. series (sometimes opposed to אַחֲרוֺן). first day of feast Deuteronomy 16:4; Exodus 12:15 (twice in verse); 12:16 5t. P (H), Nehemiah 8:18, usually first month (חֹרֶשׁ) Exodus 40:2, 17; Leviticus 23:5-6t. P, 1 Chronicles 12:16 (van d. H. v.12:15) + 10 t. Chronicles, Ezra, Esther 3:7; Daniel 10:4, חֹדֶשׁ omitted Genesis 8:13; Exodus 12:2, 18; Numbers 9:5 (all P) Ezekiel 29:17; 30:20; 45:18, 21, so Joel 2:23, but read כָּרִאשׁוֺנָה (3a) ᵑ6 ᵐ5 We Now and Dr.
b. first in degree, chief: הַשָּׂרִיםרִ֗֗֗אשׁוֺנָה יַד Ezra 9:2 the hand of the princes ... has been first in this trespass; 1 Chronicles 18:17; Daniel 10:13 (Chronicles, Esther 1:14 below).
3. a. feminine with preposition as adverb phrase: (1) of time, בָּרִאשֹׁנָה Genesis 13:4 (J), = before, formerly, so Joshua 8:5-6, (JE), 2 Samuel 7:10; 20:18; Jeremiah 7:12; Isaiah 52:4, ׳לָר = before, formerly, Genesis 28:19 (J), Judges 18:29; so ׳כְּבָר as formerly 20:32; 1 Kings 13:6; Isaiah 1:26; Jeremiah 33:7, 11, = ר ׳כָּ Deuteronomy 9:15; Daniel 11:29 (opposed to כָּאַחֲרוֺנָה); בָּר = at first, first of all, Deuteronomy 13:10; 17:7; Numbers 10:13 (P) Joshua 8:33 (D), 1 Kings 17:13; 20:9; Zechariah 12:7; Proverbs 20:21 (opposed to אַחֲרִיתָהּ), 1 Chronicles 11:6 (twice in verse); 17:9; Nehemiah 7:5; לְמַבָּרִאשׁוֺנָה 1 Chronicles 15:13 (= ׳לְמַהבָּֿר) for what was at first, etc. (מָךְ 1e); (2) location, ׳בָּר i.e. at the head of an army 1 Kings 20:17, a procession Numbers 10:14 (P), compare Isaiah 60:9.
b. רִאשֹׁנָה alone as adverb: (1) of time first Genesis 38:28 (J), 1 Kings 18:25; Jeremiah 16:18; Leviticus 5:8; Numbers 2:9; Joshua 21:10 (all P), Isaiah 65:7 (Ew De Che Di Du Skinner, >adjective Ges Hi Kn); (2) of place Genesis 33:2 (J); (3) of degree, rank, Esther 1:14.