κληρονόμ-ος G2818
Heir; one who receives an inheritance, whether by legal right or divine promise.
Denotes a person who stands to inherit or already possesses an inheritance. In classical Greek the word could mean either the heir apparent or the heir already in possession. The New Testament draws on both senses: the parable of the wicked tenants depicts the son as the rightful heir whom the farmers murder (Matt 21:38; Mark 12:7), while Paul and the author of Hebrews apply the term theologically to believers who are heirs of God through faith (Rom 4:13-14; Gal 3:29; Tit 3:7) and even to Christ himself as heir of all things (Heb 1:2). Spanish 'heredero' and French 'héritier' both preserve the Latin root, underscoring how consistently the concept of legal succession carries across cultures.
Senses
1. heir (one who inherits) — One who inherits property, status, or a divine promise. Applied literally to the son in the parable of the vineyard tenants (Matt 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 20:14), where the heir's murder dramatizes Israel's rejection of God's messenger. Used theologically of believers who inherit salvation and the promises made to Abraham (Rom 4:13-14; Gal 3:29; Heb 1:2). Multilingual glosses uniformly center on legal inheritance—Spanish 'heredero,' French 'héritier,' German 'Erbe'—confirming a single, cohesive semantic core. 15×
AR["الوارِثُ", "وارِثاً", "وارِثونَ", "وارِثينَ", "وارِثٌ", "وارِثُ", "وَارِثًا", "وَرَثَةً", "وَرَثَةٌ", "وَرَثَةِ"]·ben["উত্তরাধিকারী", "উত্তরাধিকারীগণ,", "উত্তরাধিকারীদের", "উত্তরাধিকারীরা।", "মেরে-ফেলি"]·DE["Erbe", "Erben"]·EN["heir", "heirs"]·FR["héritier"]·heb["יוֹרְשִׁים", "יוֹרֵשׁ"]·HI["उत्तराधिकारी", "वअरिसेन", "वरिस", "वरिस.", "वारिस", "वारिस-भी", "वारिसों", "वारिस।"]·ID["ahli-waris", "ahli-waris,", "ahli-waris:", "pewaris", "pewaris-pewaris", "pewaris."]·IT["erede", "kleronomos"]·jav["ahli-waris", "ahli-waris.", "ahli-waris;", "ahliwaris", "ahliwaris,"]·KO["상속자", "상속자가", "상속자들", "상속자들.", "상속자들라면", "상속자들로", "상속자들에게", "상속자들이", "상속자들이니", "상속자라", "상속자로", "상속자이니"]·PT["herdeiro", "herdeiro;", "herdeiros", "herdeiros:"]·RU["-наследники", "наследник", "наследник;", "наследникам", "наследниками", "наследники", "наследников", "наследником"]·ES["heredero", "herederos"]·SW["mrithi", "njooni", "warithi"]·TR["mirasci", "mirasçı", "mirasçılar", "mirasçıları", "mirasçılarına", "mirasçısı", "varis", "varisler"]·urd["وارث", "وارث-ہیں", "وارث:", "وارثوں-کو"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κληρονόμ-ος, Doric dialect κλᾱρονόμος, ὁ, (νέμομαι) heir, frequently the heir in possession, Refs 5th c.BC+; of the heir apparent, Refs 3rd c.AD+: with genitive person, Refs 5th c.BC+: with genitive of things, Refs 5th c.BC+; τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν νόμων [δίκης] Refs 4th c.BC+