"pr. to acquire by lot; to inherit, obtain by inheritance; in NT to obtain, acquire, receive possession of, Mt. 5:5; 19:29; absol. to be heir, Gal. 4:30"
Definition and meaning
pr. to acquire by lot; to inherit, obtain by inheritance; in NT to obtain, acquire, receive possession of, Mt. 5:5; 19:29; absol. to be heir, Gal. 4:30
In the original Greek the word is written: κληρονομέω
Historical context
Rome had controlled Judea since 63 BC. Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple into one of the most magnificent structures in the ancient world — and simultaneously murdered members of his own family. The common people paid multiple layers of taxation and were politically powerless. Into that world a carpenter from Galilee began teaching that the kingdom of God had arrived.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of kleronomeo (G2816) across the King James Bible.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Common questions
Strong's G2816 (kleronomeo) is a Greek word that means: pr. to acquire by lot; to inherit, obtain by inheritance; in NT to obtain, acquire, receive possession of, Mt. 5:5; 19:29; absol. to be heir, Gal. 4:30 It appears 16 times in the King James Bible.
The word kleronomeo (G2816) appears 16 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G2816 is kleronomeo, a Greek word defined as: pr. to acquire by lot; to inherit, obtain by inheritance; in NT to obtain, acquire, receive possession of, Mt. 5:5; 19:29; absol. to be heir, Gal. 4:3. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
kleronomeo is a Greek word found in the New Testament.