King James Bible Dictionary

OWN, adjective [See Owe and Ought.]

1. Belonging to; possessed; peculiar; usually expressing property with emphasis, or in express exclusion of others. It follows my, your, his, their, thy, her. God created man in his own image. Adam begat a son in his own likeness. Let them fall by their own counsel. He washed us from our sins in his own blood.

In the phrases, his own nations, his own country, the word own denotes that the person belongs to the nation or country.

2. own often follows a verb; as, the book is not my own that is, my own book.

3. It is used as a substitute.

That they may dwell in a place of their own 2 Samuel 7:10.

In this use, a noun cannot follow own

4. 'He came to his own and his own received him not, ' that is, his own nation or people; own being here used as a substitute, like many other adjectives.

OWN, verb transitive [from the adjective.]

1. To have the legal or rightful title to; to have the exclusive right of possession and use. A free holder in the United states owns his farm. Men often own land or goods which are not in their possession.

2. To have the legal right to, without the exclusive right to use; as, a man owns the land in front of his farm to the middle of the highway.

3. To acknowledge to belong to; to avow or admit that the property belongs to.

When you come, find me out and own me for your son.

4. To avow; to confess, as a fault, crime or other act; that is, to acknowledge that one has done the act; as, to own the faults of youth; to own our guilt. The man is charged with theft, but he has not owned it.

5. In general, to acknowledge; to confess; to avow; to admit to be true; not to deny; as, to own our weakness and frailty.

Many own the gospel of salvation more from custom than conviction.