The Doctrine Of Dominion (And Ownership And Inheritance)
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, January 14, 2026 (Donate)
We are in a culture where one nation has pure land ownership by its citizens, another nation has the government or a sovereign own it all (e.g., communism), and still other nations allow citizens to own the land, but pay yearly taxes—like a rent on it—to keep it each year. How does land get passed along from generation to generation?
Did you know that God’s Word speaks to this issue? Land ownership
and inheritance are outworkings of doctrines based in a very early
doctrine—dominion.
The Doctrine Of Dominion
The doctrine of dominion in Scripture begins in
Genesis and is the foundational principle for understanding land stewardship,
national boundaries, and inheritance. Dominion is not merely power or
exploitation; it is delegated authority from the sovereign and ruling God to
mankind, exercised under God’s rule and for His purposes.
In Genesis 1:26–28 (NKJV), God declares,
“Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Humanity’s dominion is predicated on being made in the image
of God. God is a ruling, ordering, and purposeful Creator, and man reflects
that nature by being entrusted with authority to rule over things in the
created order.
Genesis 2 reveals more about this idea by placing Adam in
the Garden “to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Dominion therefore includes
stewardship, cultivation, protection, and accountability. The earth belongs
ultimately to God (Psalm 24:1), but man is appointed as God’s vice-regent or “steward”,
ruling under His authority rather than autonomously.
Buck’s Definition
Charles Buck, in his theological dictionary[1],
viewed dominion as authority granted by God, not ownership independent of Him.
He understood dominion to mean mankind’s right and responsibility to govern,
cultivate, and use the earth according to God’s moral order.
Dominion based in creation, where God made man in His image
and placed him over the works of His hands. Buck pointed out that this
authority was limited and accountable, since God remains the ultimate owner of
all things.
Buck also connected dominion with stewardship,
arguing that land, resources, and social authority must be exercised wisely,
justly, and for the common good as predicated on Scripture. For Buck, dominion
did not justify abuse or tyranny, but required obedience to God, care for
others, and respect for divinely established order in families, nations, and
inheritance. These are wise words from Charles Buck.
The Fall Affects Dominion
After the Fall, dominion is not revoked but distorted due to
man’s sin and our current sin nature. Because of sin, there is toil, conflict, pain,
suffering, and abuse of authority (Genesis 3:17–19), yet God continues to work
through human governance. After the Flood, God reaffirms man’s authority over
the earth (Genesis 9:1–3).
This principle of dominion directly relates to land
ownership and national boundaries. Scripture teaches that God Himself
determines the boundaries of nations. Deuteronomy 32:8 states, “When the Most
High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of
Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples.” Land is not merely claimed by
strength; it is apportioned by God’s sovereign decree.
Consider the land divisions after the Flood after Noah inherited
the earth. They changed a little prior to the events at the Tower of
Babel.
Land Adjustments After The Flood
In Genesis 9:27 (NKJV), Noah declares,
“May God enlarge Japheth, and may
he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.”
This statement shows an early recognition that God Himself
governs the expansion and inheritance of peoples on the earth. This statement means
that Noah’s three sons inherited the world form their father and it was already
divvied up. But after Ham’s inappropriate actions, and Shem and Japheth’s
appropriate actions, Noah asked God to revise it and enlarge Japheth’s
inheritance.
Noah’s words are not merely a blessing but a prophetic
acknowledgment that dominion and territory are granted by God, not seized
independently of Him.
After the Flood, mankind was commanded to “be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). This implies a lawful and orderly
division of the earth among families and nations under God’s authority. Noah’s
reference to enlargement assumes that such divisions were already understood as
part of God’s design for dominion and inheritance likely after surveying and settling
at Noah’s farm initially.
The scattering at the Tower of Babel was due to man’s
rebellion against God’s divine plan. Instead of spreading out and exercising
dominion over assigned territories, humanity sought centralized power and
self-glory, saying,
And they said, “Come, let us build
ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a
name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole
earth.” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV).
God’s judgment confused their language and forcibly
scattered them, accomplishing His original purpose for national boundaries and
territorial inheritance. If you look closely at Japheth’s territory, it really was
larger than the others. See maps in this
article on Babylon.
Another Example Of Dominion Is With Abraham And His
Descendants
Nowhere is this clearer than in God’s covenant with Abraham.
In Genesis 12:7 (NKJKV), God promises,
“To your descendants I will give
this land.”
This promise is reaffirmed repeatedly (Genesis 15; Genesis
17), showing that land inheritance is covenantal and generational but
as we read further, conditional upon their obedience. Just like in the Garden
of Eden, disobedience (sin) caused man to be vomited out; so, the Israelites
were vomited out when they sinned against God (e.g., the captivity). In the
same way though, the Canaanites who were committing atrocious sins (see
Leviticus 18) before the Israelites, were also vomited out of the land.
The land of Israel is described as an inheritance, not as
arbitrary real estate (Deuteronomy 4:21). It is held under God’s law and can be
forfeited through rebellion (Leviticus 18:24–28).
Inheritance in Scripture flows naturally from dominion.
Families, tribes, and nations receive land to steward under God’s commandments.
Numbers 26–36 carefully outlines the division of the land among the tribes of
Israel. This shows that inheritance is both a gift and a responsibility. For
instance, Naboth’s refusal to sell his vineyard (1 Kings 21:3) underscores that
land inheritance was viewed as sacred, not disposable.
National authority follows the same pattern. Kings are
judged by how they exercise dominion under God’s law. Psalm 72 portrays
righteous rule as reflecting God’s own justice and care for the poor. When
rulers reject God’s authority, their dominion collapses (Daniel 4:17),
demonstrating that all earthly rule is subordinate to God’s ultimate kingship.
We need to remember that biblical dominion begins with God,
flows to mankind made in His ruling image, and is expressed through stewardship
of land, the establishment of nations, and the passing of inheritance.
Dominion is not ownership in the absolute sense, but
entrusted authority. God, the supreme Ruler, gave man something real to rule
over, calling humanity to reflect His order, justice, and faithfulness on the
earth. So how does dominion play out long term?
Christ’s Eternal Dominion
The Bible teaches that dominion from now through eternity
in Heaven belongs fully and eternally to Christ, yet redeemed humanity shares
in His rule by union with Him, not independently from Him.
After His resurrection, Jesus Christ declares,
“All authority has been given to Me
in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18, NKJV).
Scripture consistently presents Christ as the last Adam and
eternal federal head (1 Corinthians 15:45; Ephesians 1:22). Dominion is
restored to mankind in a perfected state only through Him—as Christ is sinless.
Believers are said to be “heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ” (Romans 8:17) and are promised participation in His reign: “If we
endure, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12). Revelation 5:10 states
that the redeemed “shall reign on the earth,” and Revelation 22:5 affirms they
“shall reign forever and ever.”
However, this reign is delegated and participatory, not
autonomous. Christ alone possesses inherent dominion; man rules as a redeemed
steward under Christ’s kingship. Heaven is not a return to independent human
dominion, but the perfected fulfillment of dominion through Christ, to the
glory of God.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
[1]
Charles Buck, A Theological Dictionary, Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co.
Publishers, Philadelphia, PA, 1838.
