Greek word · G2818

κληρονόμος

klēronomos

heir

Heir: the person entitled to receive and hold a property or estate. In biblical use it often means simply rightful possessor or owner, without anyone needing to die. Israel 'inherits' the land God gives it.

Appears 15 times in 14 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

κληρο-νόμος, -ου, ὁ

(κλῆρος, νέμομαι, to possess) [in LXX: Judges 18:7, 2 Samuel 14:7, Micah 1:15, Jeremiah 8:10 (יָרַשׁ), Sirach 23:22 * ;]

1. (as in cl.) an heir: Matthew 21:38, Mark 12:7, Luke 20:14, Galatians 4:1; of those who as sons of God inherit the privileges of the Messianic Kingdom; of Christ himself, Hebrews 1:2; of Abraham, Romans 4:13-14; of Christians, Romans 8:17, Galatians 3:29, Titus 3:7, James 2:5.

2. (As in LXX: Jg, Mi, Je, ll. with) a possessor: Hebrews 6:17 11:7 (Cremer, 359 f.).†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 1:2

Range of meaning

Heir: the person entitled to receive and hold a property or estate. In biblical use it often means simply rightful possessor or owner, without anyone needing to die. Israel 'inherits' the land God gives it.

Against the English

Modern 'heir' suggests someone waiting for a parent's death. Here the Father does not die. The word means the appointed owner and ruler of all things, as in Psalm 2, where the king receives the nations.

How it drifted

Modern inheritance law ties heirship strictly to death and wills. The Old Testament idea of 'inheritance' (nachalah, 'allotted possession') was broader: it meant receiving an assigned holding from God.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 2:8 (Greek Old Testament): 'I will give you the nations as your inheritance (klēronomia)'. Mark 12:7 (the tenants: 'this is the heir'); Rom 4:13 (Abraham 'heir of the world'); Gal 4:1–7. In Hebrews: 1:4 (he 'has inherited a name'), 1:14, 6:17, 11:7. Greek papyri use the word routinely in wills and property records.

From the study of James 2:5

Range of meaning

An heir: someone who receives a klēros, an allotted share or portion (the word originally meant a 'lot' cast to divide land). In the Septuagint this word family is used throughout for Israel receiving the land as its allotted inheritance, and for the righteous 'inheriting the land' (Ps 37:11, 29).

Against the English

English 'heir' usually suggests waiting for a relative to die and then getting property. The biblical picture is receiving one's assigned portion from God, the ultimate landowner.

How it drifted

Modern inheritance law has narrowed the word to estates and wills. The biblical word is about an allotment from God, rooted in the land promise.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 37:11 'the meek shall inherit the land'. Matt 5:5. Matt 25:34 'inherit the kingdom prepared for you'. 1 Cor 6:9–10. Gal 3:29. Rom 4:13 (Abraham 'heir of the world').

From the study of Romans 8:17

Range of meaning

The one who receives a klēros, a 'lot' or allotted portion. Hence an heir, a beneficiary, someone legally entitled to a share of an estate. In Jewish usage it is tied to the verb klēronomeō, 'to inherit, take possession of', which the Greek Old Testament uses constantly for Israel receiving the land of Canaan by God's gift.

Against the English

English 'heir' usually suggests waiting for a death and then getting money or property. The Greek word was broader. It meant the rightful receiver of an allotted possession, whether or not anyone had died.

How it drifted

Modern English ties inheritance almost entirely to wills and estates after death. Christian devotional language then narrowed the 'inheritance' to 'going to heaven'. Paul's own inheritance language points to the renewed creation (Rom 4:13; 8:18-23).

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Greek Old Testament, the land is Israel's klēronomia, divided by lot (Num 26:52-56; Josh 13-19). Psalm 2:8 promises the anointed king 'the nations as your inheritance'. Psalm 37 (LXX 36) and Matt 5:5 speak of the meek 'inheriting the land/earth'. Paul calls Abraham 'heir of the world' (Rom 4:13) and builds a parallel argument in Gal 3:29-4:7: 'no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir through God'. Greek legal papyri use the word for ordinary heirs to estates.

Similar words

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 21:38 κληρονόμος· heir;

    But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’

    Here: The person with the legal right to the estate. For the tenants this means the one person between them and ownership. In Jewish scripture it echoes Psalm 2, where God's son is given the nations as his inheritance.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 12:7 κληρονόμος· heir;

    But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 20:14 κληρονόμος· heir;

    But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

    Here: The person entitled to receive the estate by succession. Recognising him as heir is exactly what makes him a target.

Romans · 4

  1. Romans 4:13 κληρονόμον heir

    For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

    Here: The rightful receiver and possessor of an allotted inheritance. In the Greek Old Testament this is the vocabulary of Israel coming to possess the land.

  2. Romans 4:14 κληρονόμοι, heirs,

    For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,

  3. Romans 8:17 κληρονόμοι· κληρονόμοι heirs;, heirs

    And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

    Here: Those entitled to receive an allotted share of the family estate. In Paul's Jewish Bible, the 'inheritance' was the promised land, which Paul has widened into the whole world (Rom 4:13).

Galatians · 3

  1. Galatians 3:29 κληρονόμοι.¶ heirs.

    And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

    Here: People with a legal right to an inheritance. This picks up "the inheritance" of v. 18 and leads straight into 4:1–7, where Paul explains how heirs come into what is theirs and ends with "if a son, then an heir through God."

  2. Galatians 4:1 κληρονόμος heir

    What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything.

  3. Galatians 4:7 κληρονόμος an heir of

    So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.

    Here: The person entitled to the family estate. In Galatians the estate is the promise God made to Abraham (3:18, 3:29), including the blessing of the nations and the Spirit (3:14).

Titus · 1

  1. Titus 3:7 κληρονόμοι heirs

    so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

    Here: Those legally entitled to receive an estate as family members. It is placed first in its clause for emphasis: "heirs is what we become."

Hebrews · 3

  1. Hebrews 1:2 κληρονόμον heir

    But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

    Here: The one with the legal right to possess and rule an estate. It echoes Psalm 2:8, where God gives his royal son the nations as his inheritance.

  2. Hebrews 6:17 κληρονόμοις heirs

    So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.

    Here: "Heirs": the people named to receive the inheritance. That means Abraham and his line (11:9 calls Isaac and Jacob "co-heirs of the same promise") and, as 6:18 makes plain, the writer and his readers ("we").

  3. Hebrews 11:7 κληρονόμος.¶ heir.

    By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

    Here: "Heir": the one who receives an allotted share by right of relationship. Inheritance is a key theme in Hebrews (1:2, 14; 6:12, 17; 9:15; 11:8). Noah receives the righteous standing that belongs to faith as his own share.

James · 1

  1. James 2:5 κληρονόμους heirs

    Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

    Here: People with a legal right to an assigned share. The word echoes Israel's allotted inheritance of the land. These people have nothing now, but they hold title to the coming kingdom.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.