Heir

Heir - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Under the patriarchs the property of a father was divided among the sons of his legitimate wives (Gen. 21:10; 24:36; 25:5), the eldest son getting a larger portion than the rest. The Mosaic law made specific regulations regarding the transmission of real property, which are given in detail in Deut. 21:17; Num. 27:8; 36:6; 27:9-11. Succession to property was a matter of right and not of favour. Christ is the "heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:15). Believers are heirs of the "promise," "of righteousness," "of the kingdom," "of the world," "of God," "joint heirs" with Christ (Gal 3:29; Heb. 6:17; 11:7; James 2:5; Rom. 4:13; 8:17).

Heir - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

HEIR, n. are. [L. haeres, haeredis.]

1. The man who succeeds, or is to succeed another in the possession of lands, tenements and hereditaments, by descent; the man on whom the law casts an estate of inheritance by the death of the ancestor or former possessor; or the man in whom the title to an estate of inheritance is vested by the operation of law, on the death of a former owner.

We give the title to a person who is to inherit after the death of an ancestor, and during his life, as well as to the person who has actually come into possession. A man's children are his heirs. In most monarchies,the king's eldest son is heir to the throne; and a nobleman's eldest son is heir to his title.

Lo, one born in my house is my heir. Gen 15.

2. One who inherits, or takes from an ancestor. The son is often heir to the disease, or to the miseries of the father.

3. One who succeeds to the estate of a former possessor. Jer 49. Micah 1.

4. One who is entitled to possess. In Scripture, saints are called heirs of the promise, heirs of righteousness, heirs of salvation, _c., by virtue of the death of Christ, or of God's gracious promises.

Heir-presumptive, one who, if the ancestor should die immediately, would be heir, but whose right of inheritance may be defeated by any contingency, as by the birth of a nearer relative.

HEIR, v.t. are. To inherit; to take possession of an estate of inheritance, after the death of the ancestor.

Inherit - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

INHER'IT, v.t. [L. hoeres, an heir. See Heir.]

1. To take by descent from an ancestor; to take by succession, as the representative of the former possessor; to receive, as a right or title descendible by law from an ancestor at his decease. The heir inherits the lands or real estate of his father; the eldest son of the nobleman inherits his father's title, and the eldest son of a king inherits the crown.

2. To receive by nature from a progenitor. The son inherits the virtues of his father; the daughter inherits the temper of her mother, and children often inherit the constitutional infirmities of their parents.

3. To possess; to enjoy; to take as a possession, by gift or divine appropriation; as, to inherit everlasting life; to inherit the promises.

--That thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. Deu 16.

The meek shall inherit the earth. Mat 5.

INHER'IT, v.i. To take or have possession or property.

--Thou shall not inherit in our father's house.

Judg 11.

Inheritance - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

INHER'ITANCE, n. An estate derived from an ancestor to an heir by succession or in course of law; or an estate which the law casts on a child or other person, as the representative of the deceased ancestor.

1. The reception of an estate by hereditary right, or the descent by which an estate or title is cast on the heir; as, the heir received the estate by inheritance.

2. The estate or possession which may descend to an heir, though it has not descended.

And Rachel and Leah answered and said, is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Gen 31.

3. An estate given or possessed by donation or divine appropriation. Num 26.

4. That which is possessed or enjoyed.

Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. Psa 2.

ar:

1. The Word "Heir":

In the New Testament "heir" is the invariable translation of kleronomos (15 times), the technical equivalent in Greek, and of the compound sunkleronomos, "co-heir," in Ro 8:17; Eph 3:6; Heb 11:9; 1Pe 3:7 (in Ga 4:30; Heb 1:14, contrast the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)). In the Old Testament "heir" and "to be heir" both represent some form of the common verb yarash, "possess," and the particular rendition of the verb as "to be heir" is given only by the context (compare e.g. the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) in Jer 49:2; Mic 1:15). Exactly the same is true of the words translated "inherit," "inheritance," which in by far the great majority of cases would have been represented better by "possess," "possession" (see INHERITANCE and OHL on ...). Consequently, when God is said, for instance, to have given Palestine to Israel as an `inheritance' (Le 20:24, etc.), nothing more need be meant than `given as a possession.' The Septuagint, however, for the sake of variety in its rendition of Hebrew words, used kleronomeo in many such cases (especially Ge 15:7,8; 22:17), and thereby fixed on `heir' the sense of `recipient of a gift from God.' And so the word passed in this sense into New Testament Greek--Ro 4:13,14; Ga 3:29; Tit 3:7; Heb 6:17; 11:7; Jas 2:5; compare Eph 3:6; Heb 11:9; 1Pe 3:7. On the other hand, the literal meaning of the word is found in Mr 12:7 (and parallels and Ga 4:1--in the latter case being suggested by the transferred meaning in 3:29--while in Ro 8:17; Ga 4:7, the literal and transferred meanings are blended. This blending has produced the phrase "heirs of God," which, literally, is meaningless and which doubtless was formed without much deliberation, although it is perfectly clear. A similar blending has applied "heir" to Christ in Heb 1:2 (compare Ro 8:17 and perhaps Mr 12:7) as the recipient of all things in their totality. But apart from these "blended" passages, it would be a mistake to think that sonship is always consciously thought of where "heir" is mentioned, and hence, too much theological implication should not be assigned the latter word.

2. Heir in Old Testament Law:

The heirs of property in the Old Testament were normally the sons and, chief among these, the firstborn.

(1) De 21:15-17 provides that the firstborn shall inherit a "double portion," whence it would appear that all the other sons shared equally. (It should be noted that in this law the firstborn is the eldest son of the father, not of the mother as in Ex 13:2.) Uncertain, however, is what De 21:15-17 means by "wife," and the practice must have varied. In Ge 21:10 the son of the handmaid was not to be heir with Isaac, but in Ge 30:1-13 the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah are reckoned as legitimate children of Jacob. See MARRIAGE. Nor is it clear that De 21:15-17 forbids setting aside the eldest son because of his own sin--compare the case of Reuben (Ge 49:3,1; 1Ch 5:1), although the son of a regular wife (Ge 29:32). The very existence of De 21:15-17, moreover, shows that in spite of the absence of formal wills, a man could control to some extent the disposition of his property after his death and that the right of the firstborn could be set aside by the father (1Ch 26:10). That the royal dignity went by primogeniture is asserted only (in a particular case) in 2Ch 21:3, and both David (1Ki 1:11-13) and Rehoboam (2Ch 11:21-23) chose younger sons as their successors. A single payment in the father's lifetime could be given in lieu of heritage (Ge 25:6; Lu 15:12), and it was possible for two brothers to make a bargain as to the disposition of the property after the father's death (Ge 25:31-34).

(2) When there were sons alive, the daughters had no right of inheritance, and married daughters had no such right in any case. (Job 42:15 describes an altogether exceptional procedure.) Probably unmarried daughters passed under the charge of the firstborn, as the new head of the family, and he took the responsibility of finding them husbands. Nu 27:1-11; 36:1-12 treat of the case where there were no sons--the daughters inherited the estate, but they could marry only within the tribe, lest the tribal possessions be confused. This right of the daughters, however, is definitely stated to be a new thing, and in earlier times the property probably passed to the nearest male relatives, to whom it went in later times if there were no daughters. In extreme cases, where no other heirs could be found, the property went to the slaves (Ge 15:3; Pr 30:23, noting that the meaning of the latter verse is uncertain), but this could have happened only at the rarest intervals. A curious instance is that of 1Ch 2:34,35, where property is preserved in the family by marrying the daughter to an Egyptian slave belonging to the father; perhaps some adoption-idea underlies this.

(3) The wife had no claim on the inheritance, though the disposition made of her dowry is not explained, and it may have been returned to her. If she was childless she resorted to the Levirate marriage (De 25:5-10). If this was impracticable or was without issue she returned to her own family and might marry another husband (Ge 38:11; Le 22:13; Ru 1:8). The inferior wives (concubines) were part of the estate and went to the heir; indeed, possession of the father's concubines was proof of possession of his dignities (2Sa 16:21,22; 1Ki 2:13-25). At least, such was the custom in the time of David and Solomon, but at a later period nothing is heard of the practice.

(4) The disposition of land is a very obscure question. Nu 36:4 states explicitly that each heir had a share, but the continual splittin up of an estate through successive generations would have produced an impossible state of affairs. Possibly the land went to the eldest born as part of his portion, possibly in some cases it was held in common by the members of the family, possibly some member bought the shares of the others, possibly the practice differed at different times. But our ignorance of the facts is complete.

NOTE.--The dates assigned by different scholars to the passages cited have an important bearing on the discussion.

Burton Scott Easton

in-her'-i-tans (nahalah, "something inherited," "occupancy," "heirloom," "estate," "portion"): The word is used in its widest application in the Old Testament Scriptures, referring not only to an estate received by a child from its parents, but also to the land received by the children of Israel as a gift from Yahweh. And in the figurative and poetical sense, the expression is applied to the kingdom of God as represented in the consecrated lives of His followers. In a similar sense, the Psalmist is represented as speaking of the Lord as the portion of his inheritance. In addition to the above word, the King James Version translations as inheritance, morashah, "a possession," "heritage" (De 33:4; Eze 33:24); yerushshah, "something occupied," "a patrimony," "possession" (Jud 21:17); cheleq, "smoothness," "allotment" (Ps 16:5); kleronomeo, "to inherit" (Mt 5:5, etc.); kleronomos, "heir" (Mt 21:38, etc.); kleronomia, "heirship," "patrimony, "possession"; or kleros, "an acquisition" "portion," "heritage," from kleroo, "to assign," "to allot," "to obtain an inheritance" (Mt 21:38; Lu 12:13; Ac 7:5; 20:32; 26:18; Ga 3:18; Eph 1:11,14,18; 5:5; Col 1:12; 3:24; Heb 1:4; 9:15; 11:8; 1Pe 1:4).

The Pentateuch distinguishes clearly between real and personal property, the fundamental idea regarding the former being the thought that the land is God's, given by Him to His children, the people of Israel, and hence, cannot be alienated (Le 25:23,28). In order that there might not be any respecter of persons in the division, the lot was to determine the specific piece to be owned by each family head (Nu 26:52-56; 33:54). In case, through necessity of circumstances, a homestead was sold, the title could pass only temporarily; for in the year of Jubilee every homestead must again return to the original owner or heir (Le 25:25-34). Real estate given to the priesthood must be appraised, and could be redeemed by the payment of the appraised valuation, thus preventing the transfer of real property even in this case (Le 27:14-25). Inheritance was controlled by the following regulations:

(1) The firstborn son inherited a double portion of all the father's possession (De 21:15-17);

(2) the daughters were entitled to an inheritance, provided there were no sons in the family (Nu 27:8);

(3) in case there were no direct heirs, the brothers or more distant kinsmen were recognized (27:9-11); in no case should an estate pass from one tribe to another.

The above points were made the subject of statutory law at the instance of the daughters of Zelophehad, the entire case being clearly set forth in Nu 27; 36.

Frank E. Hirsch

Definition

An “heir” is a person who legally receives property or money that belonged to a person who has died.

• In Bible times, the main heir was the firstborn son, who received most of the property and money of his father.
• The Bible also uses “heir” in a figurative sense to refer to person who as a Christian receives spiritual benefits from God, his spiritual father.
• As God’s children, Christians are said to be “joint heirs” with Jesus Christ. This could also be translated as “co-heirs” or “fellow heirs” or “heirs together with.”
• The term “heir” could be translated as “person receiving benefits” or whatever expression is used in the language to communicate the meaning of someone who receives property and other things when a parent or other relative dies.

(See also: firstborn, inherit)

Bible References

• Galatians 4:1-2
• Galatians 4:7
• Genesis 15:1
• Genesis 21:10-11
• Luke 20:14
• Mark 12:7
• Matthew 21:38-39

Word Data

• Strong’s: H1121, H3423, G28160, G28180, G28200, G47890

Definition

The term “inherit” refers to receiving something valuable from a parent after a parent dies. The term can also refer to receiving something valuable from some other person because of a special relationship with that person. An “inheritance” is the things that are received, and an “heir” is a person who receives an inheritance.

• A physical inheritance that is received may be money, land, or other kinds of property.
• God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would inherit the land of Canaan, that it would belong to them forever.

Translation Suggestions

• As always, consider first whether there are already terms in the target language for the concept of an heir or an inheritance, and use those terms.
• Depending on the context, other ways that the term “inherit” could be translated might include “receive” or “possess” or “come into possession of.”
• Ways to translate “inheritance” could include “promised gift” or “secure possession.”
• The term “heir” could be translated with a word or phrase that means “privileged child who receives the father’s possessions.”
• The term “heritage” could be translated as “inherited blessings.”

(See also: heir, Canaan, Promised Land, possess)

Bible References

• 1 Corinthians 6:9
• 1 Peter 1:4
• 2 Samuel 21:3
• Acts 7:4-5
• Deuteronomy 20:16
• Galatians 5:21
• Genesis 15:7
• Hebrews 9:15
• Jeremiah 2:7
• Luke 15:11
• Matthew 19:29
• Psalm 79:1

Examples from the Bible stories

• __4:6 When Abram arrived in Canaan God said, “Look all around you. I will give to you and your descendants all the land that you can see as an inheritance__.”
• __27:1 One day, an expert in the Jewish law came to Jesus to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit__ eternal life?”
• __35:3 “There was a man who had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘Father, I want my inheritance__ now!’ So the father divided his property between the two sons.”

Word Data

• Strong’s: H2490, H2506, H3423, H3425, H4181, H5157, H5159, G28160, G28170, G28190, G28200