1. "to receive a lot, receive by lot; especially to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance"; so, particularly in the Attic orators, with a genitive of the thing; in later writings not infrequent with an accusative of the thing (cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 129; Sturz, De dial. Maced. etc., p. 140; Winers Grammar, 200 (188); (Buttmann, § 132, 8)); absolutely, to be an heir, to inherit: Galatians 4:30 from Genesis 21:10.

2. universally, "to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one's own or as a possession; to become partaker of, to obtain" (cf. English inherit) (as φημην, Polybius 18, 38 (55), 8; τήν ἐπ' εὐσέβεια δόξαν, 15, 22, 3); in Biblical Greek everywhere with the accusative of the thing; so very frequent in the O. T. in the phrase κληρονομουν γῆν and τήν γῆν, of the occupation of the land of Canaan by the Israelites, as Leviticus 20:24; Deuteronomy 4:22, 26; Deuteronomy 6:1, etc. But as the Israelites after taking possession of the land were harassed almost perpetually by their hostile neighbors, and even driven out of the country for a considerable period, it came to pass that the phrase was transferred to denote the tranquil and stable possession of the holy land crowned with all divine blessings, an experience which pious Israelites were to expect under the Messiah: Psalm 24:13 (); Psalm 36:9, 11, 22, 29, 34 () Alex.; Isaiah 60:21; Tobit 4:12; ἐκ δευτέρας κληρονομήσουσι τήν γῆν, Isaiah 61:7; hence, it became a formula denoting to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah's kingdom: Matthew 5:5 (4) (from Psalm 36:11 ()), where see Bleek. ζωήν αἰώνιον, Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; Luke 18:18; τήν βασιλείαν, Matthew 25:34; βασιλείαν Θεοῦ, 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 5:21; σωτηρίαν, Hebrews 1:14; τάς ἐπαγγελίας, Hebrews 6:12; ἀφθαρσίαν, 1 Corinthians 15:50; ταῦτα (Rec. πάντα), Revelation 21:7; ὄνομα, Hebrews 1:4; τήν εὐλογίαν, Hebrews 12:17; 1 Peter 3:9. (Compare: κατα(κληρονομέω.)