Greek word · G4789

συγκληρονόμος

synklēronomos

co-heir

Fellow heir; someone who shares the same inheritance on equal terms with others.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 24, 2026

What it means

συν-κληρο-νόμος (Rec. συγκ-), -ου, ὁ

a co-inheritor, fellow-heir: Romans 8:17, Ephesians 3:6; with genitive of thing(s), Hebrews 11:9, 1 Peter 3:7 (for exx., see Deiss., LAE, 88 f.).†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: Fellow heir; someone who shares the same inheritance on equal terms with others.
Against the English: KJV/WEB/YLT 'heirs together' (nominative reading) make the husband and wife jointly heirs. Modern versions follow the dative ('as co-heirs with you') and make clear that the wife herself is an heir, and the honor is owed to her because of it.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rom 8:17 ('co-heirs with Christ'), Eph 3:6 (Gentiles as co-heirs), Heb 11:9. In Roman and Jewish practice daughters' and wives' inheritance rights were limited or indirect, so a word that names a wife a co-heir in the same estate stands out.

Range of meaning: A co-heir is someone who receives an inheritance jointly with others, with a legally recognised share in an estate. It is built on klēronomos ('heir'), which comes from klēros ('lot, allotted portion'). In Jewish usage the 'inheritance' family of words carries the weight of Israel's allotted land (Hebrew naḥalah) and, more broadly, of the portion God promises to his people, including the coming age or kingdom.
Against the English: 'Fellow heirs' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is accurate. NIV's 'heirs together with Israel' fills in the unstated partner from the context of 2:11–22. That is defensible, but it is interpretation.
How it drifted: Modern 'heir' tends to mean someone who receives money or property when a relative dies. In biblical usage, inheritance is above all about belonging to the family and having a guaranteed portion in what God has promised.
Used elsewhere in the period: Philo uses the word of a joint heir to imperial power (Embassy to Gaius 67). In the NT it appears in Romans 8:17 (believers are 'co-heirs with Christ'), Hebrews 11:9 (Isaac and Jacob were 'co-heirs of the same promise', which ties heirship to promise just as this verse does), and 1 Peter 3:7. In the LXX, the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, the klēronomia words translate naḥalah, the tribal land allotment.

Range of meaning: Fellow heir, co-heir: one who shares an inheritance with others.
Against the English: 'Joint-heirs' (KJV) and 'co-heirs' (BSB, NIV) are both accurate. 'Joint' can make English readers think of a modern joint account, as if each believer had equal, immediate access to all of Christ's assets. The verse ties the sharing to suffering now and glory later.
Used elsewhere in the period: Rare outside the New Testament. Lexicons such as BDAG list only a few non-biblical uses (including Philo). In the NT: Eph 3:6 (gentiles are 'fellow heirs' with Jews), Heb 11:9 (Isaac and Jacob, 'co-heirs of the same promise'), 1 Pet 3:7 (husband and wife as 'co-heirs of the grace of life'). Paul may be deliberately using a rare word with the 'syn-' ('with') prefix, the first in a string of 'with' words.

Romans · 1

Romans 8:17 συγκληρονόμοι joint-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: 'Heirs together with' Christ. Believers do not inherit on their own. They share in the inheritance that belongs first to the Messiah, the Son, who is 'firstborn among many brothers' (8:29).

Ephesians · 1

Ephesians 3:6 συγκληρονόμα joint-heirs

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

Here: Gentiles now hold an equal share in the family inheritance. They are not guests, lodgers or adopted servants. The 'with' (syn-) means heirs alongside Jewish believers in God's promised inheritance.

Hebrews · 1

Hebrews 11:9 συγκληρονόμων joint-heirs

By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

Here: "Joint heirs": three generations shared one inheritance, and none of them took possession of it in their lifetime.

1 Peter · 1

1 Peter 3:7 συγκληρονόμοις joint-heirs

Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Here: Someone who inherits an equal share of the same estate. In the critical text this is dative plural and refers to the wives: they inherit alongside their husbands, not through them.

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