συγκληρονόμος
synklēronómos
G4789 substantive adjective
SILEX Entry
Definition
One who shares an inheritance with another; a joint heir. The term refers specifically to a person who, together with one or more others, possesses legal or familial rights to receive an allotted share (often property or status) as an inheritance. By extension, it can indicate a person who participates fully and equally with another in receiving a benefit or privilege, either by legal, familial, or covenantal arrangement. Contextually, it is used for those who are co-recipients of a promised inheritance, status, or destiny.
Semantic Range
joint inheritor, co-heir, one who shares in an allotted inheritance, participant together in a promised benefit or status
Root / Etymology
From the preposition σύν ('with, together with') and the noun κληρονόμος ('heir, inheritor'). The compound denotes 'one who is an heir together with another.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term συγκληρονόμος is primarily a legal or familial term not attested widely in classical literature but common from the Hellenistic period onward, especially in contexts dealing with inheritance law and property rights. In the New Testament and related Jewish literature, it acquires added significance in referencing participation in covenantal promises (e.g., Israelite inheritance or eschatological hope). Where English Bible translations opt for 'joint-heir' or 'fellow-heir,' these renderings may obscure the underlying concept of concrete, legal familial sharing. The idea is not merely figurative; it draws on the well-understood Greco-Roman and Judean inheritance customs. In LXX, the concept of co-inheritance is expressed in passages about familial allotment. New Testament usage—especially in Pauline texts—extends the term to describe Gentiles as joint participants alongside Israelites (the 'seed of Abraham') in covenantal inheritance, or believers as co-heirs with the Messiah. English translations as 'co-heir' or 'joint-heir' generally reflect this sense but may fail to make explicit the deep legal and familial resonance for ancient audiences.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from σύν and κληρονόμος; a co-heir, i.e. (by analogy) participant in common:--fellow (joint)-heir, heir together, heir with.
Root Family
κληρονόμ- (klēronomía) — share by lot, inheritance, portion
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4789-01 |
συνκληρονόμα | sunkleronoma | ADJ.S ACC N PL |
fellow heirs | joint heirs | joint heirs | 1 |
G4789-02 |
συνκληρονόμοι | sunkleronomoi | ADJ.S NOM M PL |
joint-heirs | co-heirs | co-heirs | 1 |
G4789-03 |
συνκληρονόμοις | sunkleronomois | ADJ.S DAT M PL |
joint heirs | to joint heirs | to joint heirs | 1 |
G4789-04 |
συνκληρονόμων | sunkleronomon | ADJ.S GEN M PL |
fellow heirs | of joint inheritors | joint inheritors | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G4789-02 |
Romans 8:17 | συνκληρονόμοι | sunkleronomoi | ADJ.S NOM M PL |
joint-heirs | co-heirs | co-heirs |
G4789-01 |
Ephesians 3:6 | συνκληρονόμα | sunkleronoma | ADJ.S ACC N PL |
fellow heirs | joint heirs | joint heirs |
G4789-04 |
Hebrews 11:9 | συνκληρονόμων | sunkleronomon | ADJ.S GEN M PL |
fellow heirs | of joint inheritors | joint inheritors |
G4789-03 |
1 Peter 3:7 | συνκληρονόμοις | sunkleronomois | ADJ.S DAT M PL |
joint heirs | to joint heirs | to joint heirs |