SMITH: INHERITANCE
ISBE: INHERITANCE
BAKER: Inheritance
BRIDGEWAY: INHERITANCE
Inheritance
Inheritance [nave]
INHERITANCEProvisions for inheritance under Levirate marriages, Gen. 38:7-11; Num. 36:6-9; Deut. 25:5-10; Ruth 3:1-8; 4:7-17.
Unclassified Scriptures Relating to
Gen. 15:3; Gen. 21:9-11; Gen. 24:36; Gen. 25:5, 6; Gen. 48:21, 22; Num. 27:6-11; Deut. 21:15-17; 1 Kin. 21:3; 2 Chr. 21:3; Job 42:15; Prov. 17:2; Prov. 20:21; Eccl. 2:18, 19; Jer. 32:6-8; Ezek. 46:16-18; Luke 15:12, 25-31; Gal. 3:15; Heb. 9:16, 17 See: Will; Heir.
Figurative
Psa. 37:29; Acts 20:32; Acts 26:18; Rom. 8:16, 17; Eph. 1:11-14; Tit. 3:7; Heb. 1:14 See: Firstborn; Heir; Will.
INHERITANCE [smith]
[INHERITANCE [isbe]
INHERITANCE - 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" (Dt 33:4; Ezek 33:24); yerushshah, "something occupied," "a patrimony," "possession" (Jdg 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; Lk 12:13; Acts 7:5; 20:32; 26:18; Gal 3:18; Eph 1:11,14,18; 5:5; Col 1:12; 3:24; Heb 1:4; 9:15; 11:8; 1 Pet 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 (Lev 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 (Lev 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 (Lev 27:14-25). Inheritance was controlled by the following regulations: (1) The firstborn son inherited a double portion of all the father's possession (Dt 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
Inheritance [baker]
[N] [S]Legal inheritance refers to actual property or goods received after a family member's death. While Jewish inheritance customs were linked to family blood lines, Greek and Roman laws also provided for the disposition of family possessions through the adoption of an heir. The Scriptures transform the concept of inheritance to include the acquisition of spiritual blessings and promises from God.
The Old Testament. The Old Testament is rich in its usage of the inheritance metaphor. The terms for inheritance occur over two hundred times, most frequently in Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Psalms. While Jewish inheritance laws were specific and complete (Num 27:8-11), almost all references to inheritance in the Old Testament are theological, not legal.
In the theological sense, to inherit means to "receive an irrevocable gift" with an emphasis on the special relationship between the benefactor and the recipients. Unlike legal inheritance, the benefactor, God, does not die, yet he provides material and spiritual blessings for his people.
The focus of the inheritance concept in the Old Testament is God's promise to Abraham. The land of Canaan was bequeathed to him and his descendants as an eternal possession (Gen 12:7). Each family in Israel was apportioned its own inheritance as an inalienable possession (Josh 13-31) and given the task to occupy the land (Judges 1:3). As the biblical history of Israel unfolds, the promised inheritance specifies a righteous remnant who will inherit the world as an everlasting possession (Psalm 2:8; Isa 54:3; Dan 7:14).
From the promise of Canaan as Israel's inheritance came other aspects of the concept. The nation is described as God's inheritance (1 Kings 8:51, 53; Psalm 78:71; Isa 19:25; Zech 2:12) whom the Lord will never forsake (Psalm 94:14). The Lord is conversely described as the inheritance of the nation (Psalm 16:5). The privileged position of Israel as God's chosen people placed them at the center of God's plans for blessing.
Between the Testaments. In the intertestamental period the actual appropriation of this promise seemed remote due to the domination of Persian, Greek, and Roman powers. The reality of the inheritance of the land was deferred to the future and intertestamental literature emphasized the inheritance of eternal life and the world to come. The focus of the promised inheritance was less on national prominence in the present and more on personal participation in the future life with God. This idea was broadened in the rabbinic literature where having an inheritance or share in the world to come was a primary aspiration of the Jews. A notable dichotomy existed between those who would inherit the future world (the redeemed) and those who would not (the condemned). By the time of the New Testament, it was common for a person to ask a rabbi, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Matt 19:16).
The New Testament. The legal-historical milieu of the first century provided an array of inheritance traditions. Jewish, Greco-Hellenistic, and Roman inheritance laws differed greatly in the meaning and implementation of their traditions. However, as in the Old Testament, almost all occurrences of the terms for inheritance in the New Testament are theological (Luke 12:13; is the lone exception ).
Who Are the Heirs? Three major characters dominate the inheritance usage in the New Testament: Abraham, Christ, and the believer. The New Testament continues the focus on Abraham as a central figure of the inheritance metaphor. The initial promise to Abraham of the land of Canaan (Heb 11:8) is broadened to include "the world" (Rom 4:13). While the fact of Abraham's inheritance is significant, the New Testament concentrates on the means by which he received the inheritance: God's promise and Abraham's faith, not by works of the law (Rom 4:14; Gal 3:18).
The second major character is Jesus Christ. His prominent position as the Son of God uniquely qualifies him as God's heir. He is presented as the heir of all things (Heb 1:2,4) and the promises of God's kingdom are focused in him (Matt 21:38).
Finally, for the believer in Christ, heirship is a natural result of justification: "He saved us, … so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7). Since all believers are children of God they are necessarily heirs of God (Rom 8:17; Gal 4:7). It follows naturally that Christians are also heirs along with Abraham and Christ (Gal 3:29). They receive their inheritance by faith as did Abraham (Rom 4:13-14) and share in the inheritance with Christ as sons (Rom 8:17).
What Is the Inheritance? Throughout the New Testament, a striking promise for believers is simply "the inheritance" (Acts 20:32; 26:18; Eph 1:14, 18; Col 3:24). Generally, the promise refers to the possession of salvation (Heb 1:14). The believer's inheritance is described more specifically as eternal and joyful existence with God. Believers are promised "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). Inheriting the "world to come" is a guarantee for all those who belong to God's family.
The apostle Paul employs the inheritance metaphor more than any other New Testament writer. For him, the object of the inheritance is the kingdom of God. He never states exactly what constitutes the believer's inheritance of the kingdom, but asserts emphatically that unbelievers will not inherit the kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:21; Eph 5:5).
The Bible is clear that inheriting eternal life is synonymous with entering the kingdom. At the judgment, the righteous will inherit the kingdom (Matt 25:34) but the wicked will be eternally tormented (Matt 25:46). The finality of the separation of those outside of the family of God is clearly seen in their lack of a share in God's inheritance.
The concept of the believer's inheritance highlights the dignity of the family relationship of the believer in Christ. No higher position or greater wealth can an individual acquire than to become an heir of God through faith in Christ.
William E. Brown
See also EternalLife, Eternality, Everlasting Life; Reward
Bibliography. E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law and the Jewish People; A. N. Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament.
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[N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible
[S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary
INHERITANCE [bridgeway]
Israelites of Old Testament times considered an inheritance to be more than merely an amount of property received upon the death of one’s parents. The inheritance was tied up with the family’s portion of land originally allotted to it in Canaan (1 Kings 21:3-4; Micah 2:2). It was a gift that came from God (Gen 12:7; Deut 4:37-38; 12:10).The New Testament shows that Christians also have an inheritance. This inheritance is tied up not with material possessions but with the kingdom of God. But like the Old Testament inheritance, it is a gift that comes from God himself (Matt 25:34; James 2:5).
Israel in the Old Testament
When Canaan was divided among Israel’s twelve tribes, each tribal area was known as the inheritance of that tribe (Josh 15:20; 16:8; 18:2). Each tribal area was then divided among the families of that tribe, and each family portion was to remain with that family permanently. If anyone later sold part of the family land, it returned to the possession of the family in the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:13-17; see JUBILEE).
The inheritance passed from one generation to the next through the male descendants, though if there were no sons, it could be shared among the daughters. If the daughters later married, they were to marry within their own tribe and so prevent the inheritance from passing to another tribe (Num 27:1-8; 36:1-13).
If there were no descendants at all, the land passed to the nearest living relative (Num 27:9-11). A childless widow could, however, ask the brother of her dead husband to act as a sort of temporary husband to her, so that she might produce a son who would inherit the dead husband’s property and carry on his name (Deut 25:5-10; see WIDOW).
Whether concerning land or possessions in general, the eldest son received double the amount of the other sons. This special inheritance was known as the birthright (Gen 49:3; Deut 21:17). The firstborn could lose the birthright either by foolishly selling it or through misconduct (Gen 25:31-34; 1 Chron 5:1-2; see FIRSTBORN).
The Christian’s inheritance
The New Testament uses the picture of an heir firstly of Christ, and then of the Christian. Christ is the heir of all things (Heb 1:2), and through him believers also become heirs. The blessings of salvation promised to Abraham were fulfilled in Christ, and believers inherit these blessings through him (Gal 3:14,16,29). Through the grace of God they become children of God and receive eternal life (Rom 8:17; 1 Peter 3:7).
Although Christians enjoy this inheritance now, they will enjoy it more fully when Christ returns. Their salvation will then be complete. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within them, they can look forward to this inheritance with assurance (Eph 1:14,18; Titus 3:7; 1 Peter 1:4; see HOPE). Their expectation of this future inheritance gives them courage and perseverance amid present trials and difficulties (Heb 6:12; 11:13-16,39-40; Rev 21:7; see PERSEVERANCE).
