Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of heredity in the Bible is often intertwined with themes of inheritance, lineage, and the transmission of traits or consequences from one generation to another. While the term "hereditary" itself is not explicitly used in the Berean Standard Bible, the principles surrounding it are evident throughout Scripture.
Biblical Lineage and InheritanceThe Bible places significant emphasis on genealogies and the passing down of blessings, promises, and land. The genealogies in Genesis, for example, trace the lineage from Adam through the patriarchs, underscoring the importance of family lines.
Genesis 5 and 11 provide detailed genealogical records, highlighting the continuity of God's promises through specific family lines.
Inheritance laws in the Old Testament further illustrate the hereditary principle. The land of Canaan was divided among the tribes of Israel, and specific portions were allotted to families as a perpetual inheritance (
Numbers 26:52-56). This inheritance was to remain within the family, as seen in the case of Zelophehad's daughters, who were granted the right to inherit their father's land to preserve his name and property within the tribe (
Numbers 27:1-11).
Hereditary Sin and ConsequencesThe Bible also addresses the concept of hereditary sin and its consequences. The fall of Adam and Eve introduced sin into the human race, affecting all their descendants.
Romans 5:12 states, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned." This passage highlights the hereditary nature of sin, passed down from generation to generation.
The consequences of sin can also be seen in the generational curses mentioned in the Old Testament.
Exodus 20:5-6 warns of the iniquity of the fathers being visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate God, but also promises mercy to thousands of generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments. This reflects the idea that the actions and sins of one generation can have lasting effects on subsequent generations.
Hereditary Blessings and PromisesConversely, the Bible also speaks of hereditary blessings. God's covenant with Abraham included promises that extended to his descendants.
Genesis 17:7 states, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you." This covenantal promise was reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob, emphasizing the hereditary nature of God's blessings.
The Davidic covenant further illustrates hereditary blessings, as God promised David that his throne would be established forever through his descendants (
2 Samuel 7:12-16). This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, whose kingdom is eternal.
Spiritual HeredityIn the New Testament, the concept of spiritual heredity is introduced through the idea of being born again into the family of God.
John 1:12-13 states, "But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God." This spiritual rebirth transcends physical lineage, offering believers a new identity and inheritance in Christ.
The Apostle Paul speaks of believers as heirs with Christ, sharing in His sufferings and glory (
Romans 8:17). This spiritual inheritance is not based on earthly lineage but on faith in Jesus Christ, making all believers part of God's family and recipients of His promises.
In summary, the Bible presents a multifaceted view of heredity, encompassing physical lineage, the transmission of sin and its consequences, the passing down of blessings and promises, and the spiritual inheritance available to all who believe in Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Passing from a parent to a child; as, a hereditary disease.
2. (a.) Descended, or capable of descending, from an ancestor to an heir at law; received or passing by inheritance, or that must pass by inheritance; as, an hereditary estate or crown.
Greek
3971. patroos -- of one's fathers, received from one's fathers... from one's fathers. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: patroos Phonetic
Spelling: (pat-ro'-os) Short Definition:
hereditary Definition:
hereditary...Strong's Hebrew
5159. nachalah -- possession, property, inheritance... Word Origin from an unused word Definition possession, property, inheritance NASB
Word Usage gift (1), give (1),
hereditary (1), heritage (14), heritages (1
...Library
Slum Novelists and the Slums
... a nation of kings. Next to a genuine republic, the most democratic thing
in the world is ahereditary despotism. I mean a despotism...
Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or...
... feature of Roman society, which affected the position of the Church not a little,
was the tendency to regard callings and trades ashereditary, and by the...
Preface.
... Physical science is proving more and more the immense importance of Race; the
importance ofhereditary powers,hereditary organs,hereditary habits, in all...
Additional Notes
... which they occur. B."TheHereditary Succession of the Coarbs Of Patrick.
Life, Secs.19.20, 30. The assertions of St. Bernard in...
Biographical Sketch.
... Another periodical presently repeated the paragraph, prefaced by the remark that
what is true in regard to faith"that it is nothereditary"is happily no...
The Preparations of the Greeks for Defense.
... properly express the idea. They were commanders, chieftains,hereditary
generals, but not strictly kings. We shall, however, often...
Preface
... be necessarily like them.Hereditary Christianity in India is much like
hereditary Christianity at home. The Church in Tinnevelly...
'Make us a King'
... It was God who made the judges, and the introduction, in however slight a degree,
of thehereditary principle, was not only politically a blunder, but...
Being Made Archbishop of Armagh, He Suffers Many Troubles. Peace...
... But a very evil custom had developed, by the devilish ambition of certain powerful
persons, that the holy see[373] should be held byhereditary succession....
The Helvetic Consensus Formula. AD 1675.
... In connection with this doctrine ofhereditary sin there arose among the Calvinists
of the seventeenth century a controversy about immediate or antecedent, and...
Thesaurus
Hereditary (1 Occurrence)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Passing from a parent to a child; as, a
hereditary disease.
... Multi-Version Concordance
Hereditary (1 Occurrence).
...Priesthood (30 Occurrences)
... prest'-hood: 1. Priesthood Is an Office 2. In the Old Testament 3.Hereditary
Priesthood 4. In the New Testament 5. Conclusions LITERATURE All worship is based...
Heredity
... Moreover Deuteronomy 28:59-61 may contain a thought ofhereditary diseases (compare
2 Kings 5:27). On the psychical side the data are almost equally scanty....
Ahab (85 Occurrences)
... For the first time since the division of the kingdoms thehereditary internecine
quarrels are forgotten, "and Jehoshaphat," the good king of Judah, "made peace...
Jubilee (25 Occurrences)
... large. 2. It would render it impossible for any one to be born to absolute
poverty, since every one had hishereditary land. 3. It...
Genealogy (29 Occurrences)
... important by the facts that the land was promised to the descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, that the priesthood was exclusivelyhereditary, that the royal...
Judah (802 Occurrences)
... of the Semites 2. The Canaanites 3. The Israelite Confederacy 4. Migration into
Canaan 5. The Bond of Union 6. Early Rulers 7. The Judges 8.Hereditary Kings II...
Saul (371 Occurrences)
... Saul now undertook the great and difficult enterprise of freeing the land from its
hereditary enemies the Philistines, and for this end he gathered together an...
Hereby (17 Occurrences)
Testaments
... Simon succeeded him, and by the help of the Romans was madehereditary ruler
of Palestine. He in turn was followed by John Hyrcanus....
Resources
Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the biblical role of the high priest? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Bilhah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgHereditary: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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