Bible Dictionary
FOREFATHER
A forefather is an earlier ancestor or chief father of a family or people. The term may include parents, grandparents, and more remote family predecessors.
Definition
A forefather is an earlier ancestor or chief father of a family or people. The term may refer to an early ancestor generally or to predecessors in a family line, including parents and grandparents.
Biblical Usage
The Bible uses forefather for ancestors whose iniquities were followed by later generations and for the ancestors whom a servant of God had served. In one passage, the related term is translated “parents,” including grandparents.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>for'-fa-ther:</p><p>(1) 'abh ri'shon, "first father," "chief father," hence, "early ancestor": "turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers" (Jer 11:10).</p><p>(2) progonos, "born before," "ancestor": "whom I serve from my forefathers" (2Ti 1:3). It is translated "parents" (including grandparents) in 1Ti 5:4: "and to requite their parents."</p>