On the Meaning of "Covenant"
English:
Covenant
Testament
Latin:
Convenire (Come Together/Agree)
Testamentus (Testament)
Greek:
διαθηκη
Diatheke
Hebrew:
‫ברית‬
B’rit (berith)
The Hebrew word for covenant is b’rit, meaning covenant, pact, or treaty. It is one of the most
frequently used words in Hebrew Scriptures (appearing some 270 times) and is one of the Scripture’s
most important concepts.
Ancient covenants were often made by animal sacrifice. To “cut a covenant” demonstrated the
earnestness of the parties involved in the agreement. YHVH chose to cut covenant with Abram in this
manner (Genesis 15:7-11, 17-18). Thus the word B’rit implies the shedding of blood in the process of
ratifying an agreement.
YHVH is a covenant-keeping God who desires to be in relationship with people. There are several
covenants of YHVH found in the Scriptures, including:
The covenant with Adam and Eve in Garden Eden (Genesis 2:15-17) The covenant with Noah after the
flood destroyed the earth (Genesis 9:8-17) The covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:8, 17:9), Issac
(Genesis 17:19, 21), and Jacob (Genesis 28:16, etc.) The covenant with national Israel after their
deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 20-23) The covenant with King David that one of his descendants
would sit upon the throne of Israel for ever (2 Samuel 7:11-16) The new covenant with Israel and
Judah (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2
Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 9:15) The Sign of the Covenant
God made covenant with Noah after the flood destroyed the earth (Genesis 8:20-9:17). The rainbow,
called in Hebrew ’ot ha-brit (the sign of the covenant), was established as a symbol of that promise.
Circumcision - Sign of the Covenant
The rite of circumcision was given by God to Abraham as “a sign of the covenant between Me and you”
(Genesis 17:11-13), which is also called an “everlasting covenant.” In rabbinic literature this is also
called brito shel Avraham avinu (the covenant of Abraham our father) (Avot 3:11).
Children of the Covenant
The children of the covenant refer to the Jewish people, those who are in covenantal relationship with
YHVH. By extension (see below), Christians are made partakers of the covenant promises given to
Israel, but do not replace the Jewish people as the recipients of God’s covenantal purposes and
election.
Tablets of the Covenant
The Tablets of the Covenant refer to the two stone tablets upon which YHVH wrote the Ten Sayings
(aseret hadiberot) or Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 9:9-11).
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant held luchot habrit (the Tablets of the Covenant) (Exodus 25:16, 21; 40:20)
and was part of the Holy of Holies in the Mishkan. The Voice of the LORD would be heard between
the Cherubim placed over the Mercy Seat upon the ark (Numbers 7:89).
The Mosaic Covenant
The covenant with national Israel after their deliverance from Egypt as mediated by Moses and is
known as the “Book of the Covenant” (Exodus chapters 20-23).
Blood of the Covenant
The blood of the Covenant refers to the sealing of the terms as given in the Book of the Covenant
(Exodus 24:8) in response to the affirmation of national Israel.
Note that it was not enough to simply make an affirmation of the covenant verbally: the terms of the
covenant were sealed by sacrifice. Animals were killed and offered to YHVH and their blood was
sprinkled on the altar and on the people. As Moses sprinkled the people he declared solemnly: “The
blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words.”
‫שבע‬
Sheva
Seven
To seven oneself
From the Seven days of Creation to the Seven Seals of Revelation, Scripture is saturated with the
Number Seven. Just listing all the occurrences would take several pages. Essentially all biblical
scholars, regardless of their stance with respect to the meaning of numbers in Scripture, have
recognized the special symbolic use of this Number. It is simply impossible to miss the Number Seven
in Scripture. The question now is this:
Why did God do this? What is the meaning of the Number Seven? Why did He indelibly mark his
Word with this Number?
Hebrew
English
German
Saxon
Sanskrit
Latin
Greek
Sheva
Seven
Sieben
Sebun
Sapta
Septem (September)
Hepta
The answers to these questions yield great insight into the Mind of God, His Wisdom, and the
Promise revealed in His Holy Word. I begin with the meaning of the Hebrew word for seven, (Sheva),
and roots that are closely related to it. This word is often transliterated as Sheba, with a hard Bet (b),
but as far as I can tell, the soft Bet (v) is more accurate. The sidebar compares the word for Seven in
various languages. Note that words with both the hard Bet (b) and soft Bet (v) appear in the list. The
phonetic resemblance is striking, especially since there is a strong similarity between the Hebrew and
Sanskrit which are supposedly independent language groups.
Sheva is closely related to two other triliteral roots spelt with the same three consonants that differ
only in vowel points. Thus, there are three Hebrew roots that look identical. Here are three
representative entries from Strong's Concordance:
1. to satisfy, fill, full, plenty, satiate
2. to swear, charge, make an oath
3. Hebrew number seven
The triliteral root (Shin - Bet - Ayin) therefore carries three fundamental meanings:
1) The Number Seven
2) Fullness/Completeness
3) Oath/Swear.
These three ideas are found associated throughout the Bible. For example, the reason for seven angels
with seven final plagues is explained in terms of fullness in Revelation 15.1:
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues;
for in them is filled up the wrath of God. Thus we have one very obvious answer to our question.
God marked the Bible with the Number Seven because it is the fullness of God's revelation!
Yet there is more, much more. The relation between the Number Seven and the idea of an oath is
explained in the passage from Genesis 21 quoted at the head of this page. This is especially insightful
because these passages reveal the etymology of Sheva/Sheba in the surface text of Scripture. Here, the
Bible is serving as its own etymological dictionary.
Genesis 21, which corresponds to Shin within the chapter sequence of Genesis, gives a detailed
introduction to the various meanings of the Shin Key Word (Sheva/Saba). I begin with the question
posed by the verse itself "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs?" The next verse gives the
answer:
And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto
me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware
both of them. The name Beersheba means Beer (well) of the Sheba (Oath). Thus Scripture clearly
displays the Number Seven with its associated meaning of Oath, and we have another very obvious
answer to our question: God marked the Bible with the Number Seven because it is His Oath! His
Promise! His Covenant!
‫תָּ בַׁ ת‬
Shabbat
Rest or "cessation"
The Jewish day of rest and seventh day of the week, on which religious Jews remember the Biblical
creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and the Exodus of the Hebrews, and look forward to
a future Messianic Age. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening
until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.
Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles and reciting a blessing. God via the Torah commands Jews
to observe (refrain from forbidden activity) and remember (with words, thoughts, and actions)
Shabbat, and these two actions are symbolized by the customary two Shabbat candles.
Traditionally, three festive meals are eaten: in the evening, in the morning, and late in the afternoon.
The evening dinner typically begins with kiddush and another blessing recited over two loaves of
challah bread, which is symbolic of the double portion of manna that fell for the Jewish people on the
day before Sabbath during their 40 years in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.
Shabbat is a festive day when Jews exercise their freedom from the regular labors of everyday life. It
offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family.
Shabbat is closed the following evening at nightfall, after the appearance of three stars in the sky; the
havdalah blessings are then recited over a cup of wine with the use of fragrant spices and a candle.
Covenants in biblical times were often sealed by severing an animal, with the implication that the
party who breaks the covenant will suffer a similar fate. In Hebrew, the verb meaning to seal a
covenant translates literally as "to cut". It is presumed by Jewish scholars that the removal of the
foreskin symbolically represents such a sealing of the Abrahamic covenant.
Priestly Covenant
Hebrew:
‫( הנההכה ברית‬brith ha-kehuna)
The priestly covenant is the covenant that God made with Aaron and his descendants, the Aaronic
priesthood, as found in the Hebrew Bible and Oral Torah. The Hebrew Bible also mentions another
perpetual priestly promise with Phinehas and his descendants.