Covenant (biblical)
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- This article is about biblical covenants. For other uses, see Covenant (disambiguation).
Covenant, meaning a solemn contract, oath, or bond, is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith (ברית, Tiberian Hebrew bərîṯ, Standard Hebrew bərit) as it is used in the Hebrew Bible.
In a Biblical context regarding covenants, we address oaths believed to exist between God and the Israelites (Old Testament); there is also believed to be a subsequent covenant between God and the Christian church. These covenants were the basis for the Torah and New Testament scripture, as well as the basis for claiming that the Israelites were God's "chosen people." According to the terms of these covenants, the Israelites were told that God pledges to grant blessings on Earth and in Heaven to the people of Israel, and that the Israelites must obey/worship God in order to receive the blessings.
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[edit] Biblical covenants
[edit] Noahide Covenant
The Noahide Covenant, found in Genesis 8-9 completes the Noahide Laws and applies to the whole of mankind. God:
- forbids eating blood.
- forbids murder and adopts the punishment of death for murderers.
- promises that he will never again destroy all life on earth by flood.
- adopts the rainbow as a sign of the covenant (Gen. 9:15-17).
[edit] Abrahamic Covenant
The Abrahamic covenant, found in Genesis 15, granting the Israelites a promised land in the Land of Israel. In this covenant, God promises<ref name="covenant-abram">Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-18; 15:1-21; 17:1-22</ref>:
- To make of Abraham into a great nation and to multiply his seed exceedingly and to make him a father of a great many nations.
- To bless Abraham and make him great.
- To make Abraham a blessing to all the families of the earth.
- To bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him.
- To give Abraham and his seed forever all the land which he could see.
- To give him a sign of the covenant (circumcision).
[edit] Mosaic Covenant
The Mosaic Covenant, found in Exodus 19 through 24, which contained the foundations of the Torah. In this covenant, God promises:
- To make Israel His special possession among the people of the land.
- To make Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
- The Ten Commandments.
[edit] Covenant with Lot
The covenant with Lot is a covenant independent of the Abrahamic Covenant. God promises the land of the Moabites (Ar) and the land of the Ammonites to the descendants of Lot as a possession.<ref name="covenant-lot">Deuteronomy 2:9,19</ref> David and Solomon<ref name="forbidden-marriages">Numbers 25:1-3, Ruth 1:4, Ezra 9:1-2, 1 Kings 11:1-13</ref> were only allowed to rule over these lands as 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Ruth<ref name="descendants-ruth">Ruth 1:1-13,17,21-22</ref>, a Moabite<ref name="descendants-lot">cf. Deuteronomy 23:3-6, Jeremiah 48, Numbers 24:17</ref>.
[edit] Palestinian Covenant
The Palestinian Covenant is a conditional covenant enlarging upon the Abrahamic Covenant promising the seed of Abraham eternal possession of Canaan.<ref name="covenant-disperse">Deuteronomy 30:1-10</ref> This covenant says that Israel will be dispersed among the nations, but when Israel repents, returns to God, and obeys his commandments, then God promises:
- To regather Israel from its dispersion.
- To bring the Israelites to the land which their fathers possessed.
- To prosper the Israelites above their fathers.
- To restore the Israelites spiritually so that Israel will love the Lord with all their heart and soul.
- To put all the curses of Israel upon Israel's enemies.
[edit] Davidic Covenant
The Davidic covenant, found in 2 Samuel 7, establishing David and his lineage as the rightful kings of Israel and Judah and extends the covenant of Abraham to David's lineage. According to Christianity, the Davidic covenant is an important element of Jesus's claim to be the Messiah.
[edit] National Covenants
National covenants by the nations of Israel and Judah can be found in texts such as Exodus 19:8; Joshua 24:24; 2 Kings 23:3 (Josiah), 2 Chronicles 15:8-15, 23:16; 34:31-32; Nehemiah 10:29; Jeremiah 50:5. National covenants were often associated with times of spiritual renewal or revival.
[edit] Personal Covenants
Personal covenants or commitments abound in the Scriptures and are prominent in the Psalms. They may be prefaced with expressions such as "I will". One example is: "I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works" (Psalm 9:1). Another is: "I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever" (Psalm 145:1-2).
[edit] New Covenant (Christian view)
- See main article: New Covenant (theology).
Christians claim that they represent a New Covenant, predicted by the prophet Jeremiah in the eponymous book, chapter 31, and connected with Jesus at the Last Supper where he says that the cup is "the New Covenant in [his] blood" and further in the Epistle to the Hebrews (chapters 8-10). The term "New Testament," most often used for the collection of books in the Bible, can also refer to the New Covenant as a theological concept in which Gentiles as well as Israelites could participate and under which God promised to grant the faithful eternal life.
[edit] Notes
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "What is a Covenant" from Kingdom Prologue by Meredith G. Kline
- The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man by Hermann Witsius
- Nave's Topical Bible on covenants
- An online Bible study of the word "covenant" using Jack Van Impe's Dictionary of Prophecy Termsde:Bund (Altes Testament)
