Subscribe to our Question of the Week: Question: What is an heir in the Bible?. Answer: The literal meaning of heir is “someone who has been appointed to receive an inheritance.” An heir is a person who receives something of value from a father (see Mark 12:7). The Bible sometimes uses the word heir to describe us as recipients of a gift from God (Galatians 4:7). We are “heirs” of God, and Christ is our “co-heir” (Romans 8:17). The heirs most often mentioned in the Old Testament were sons, principally the firstborn, born only to legitimate wives, not concubines.