Reference: Inheritance
American
The laws of inheritance among the Hebrews were very simple. Land might be mortgaged, but could not be alienated, Nu 36:6-9. See JUBILEE. The only permanent right to property was by heritage, or lineal succession. The eldest son had a double portion. Females had no territorial possession; but if a man left no sons, his daughters inherited-on condition of their marrying into a family within the tribe to which their father belonged. If a man had no children, his land passed to distant relatives, according to a law laid down in Nu 27:8-11. The Law of Moses rendered wills unnecessary; they were introduced, however, at a later period, Ga 3:15; Heb 9:17. Property was sometimes distributed among children during the lifetime of the father: thus, in the parable of the prodigal son, the father divided his property between the two sons, Lu 15:12.
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And you shall speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. read more. And if he has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. And if his father has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.
This is the thing which the LORD does command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel move from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep to himself the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. read more. And every daughter, that possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance move from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep to himself his own inheritance.
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannuls, or adds thereto.
For a will is in force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the maker lives.
Hastings
It is a remarkable fact that the Hebrew language fails to discriminate between the inheritance of property and its possession or acquisition in any other manner. The two words most constantly used in this connexion denote the idea of settled possession, but are quite indeterminate as to the manner in which that possession has been acquired. As might easily be inferred, from the historical circumstances of Israel's evolution, the words became largely restricted to the holding of land, obviously the most important of all kinds of property among a pastoral or agricultural people.
I. Inheritance in Law and Custom
1. Property.
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Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be displeasing in your sight because of the lad, and because of your bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto you, listen unto her voice; for in Isaac shall your descendants be called.
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with grain and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto you, my son?
But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel:)
Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting, saying, read more. Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he has no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. And you shall speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
And you shall speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.
And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. And if he has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren.
And if he has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren. And if his father has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.
And if his father has no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.
And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel: And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. read more. And if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe to which they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe to which they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph has spoken correctly. This is the thing which the LORD does command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel move from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep to himself the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance move from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep to himself his own inheritance. Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
If a man has two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he makes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, who is indeed the firstborn:
Then it shall be, when he makes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, who is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he has: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he has: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
And it shall be, that the firstborn that she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto your father's concubines, which he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by your father: then shall the hands of all that are with you be strong. read more. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
Therefore Nathan spoke unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith does reign, and David our lord knows it not?
Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, since he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be recorded according to the birthright.
Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.
And in all the land were no women found so beautiful as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
I have loved you, says the LORD. Yet you say, How have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the jackals of the wilderness.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Morish
The land of promise is constantly spoken of as the inheritance of Israel: the land flowing with milk and honey was given to them by God. De 4:21; Ps 105:11, etc. So when Israel returns to take possession of the land in a future day, it is still called their inheritance. Eze 45:1, etc. This all shows that they were and will be an earthly people, but God blessed them on earth in relationship with Himself as Jehovah, and will again bless them on earth when they own the Lord Jesus as their Messiah. In connection with this God calls Israel His inheritance: He hath chosen them for His own inheritance. Ps 33:12; 78:62, etc.
The Christian has no inheritance on earth; his inheritance is with the saints in light, Col 1:12; an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven.
1Pe 1:4. In the meanwhile the Holy Spirit is given as the earnest of the inheritance. Eph 1:14. It is in Christ Himself the inheritance is obtained, for the Lord Jesus will possess all things in heaven and in earth. Eph 1:18.
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Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance:
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.
He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was angry with his inheritance.
Moreover, when you shall divide by lot the land for inheritance, you shall offer a district unto the LORD, a holy portion of the land: the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand rods, and the width shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all its territory all around.
Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Smith
Inheritance.
[HEIR]
See Heir