Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty tablet, c. 1259 BC — the everyday legal form that 'covenant' borrows from
Covenant
A binding agreement between two parties, sealed by a sign — a meal, a sacrifice, a mark on the body. Used throughout the Bible for the agreements God makes with people.
In the ancient Near East, a covenant (Hebrew berith, Greek diathēkē) was a formal agreement between two parties, usually unequal in power — a king and a vassal, a father and an adopted son. The agreement spelled out obligations on both sides and was sealed by a public sign: a shared meal, the slaughter of an animal, a mark on the body. The Bible uses this everyday legal pattern for the agreements God makes with people: with Noah after the flood (sign: the rainbow), with Abraham (sign: circumcision), with Israel at Sinai (sign: the Sabbath and the law), and through Jesus a 'new covenant' (sign: the cup at the Last Supper).
“Covenant.” Atlas. Accessed 2026. https://fcbh-atlas.vercel.app/en/concept/covenant
- placeJerusalem
Capital of Judah on a ridge in the Judean hills at 750 m elevation. Site of the Temple. Jesus was crucified an…
- placeBethlehem
Small town 9 km south of Jerusalem. Birthplace of King David, and of Jesus Christ. Name means 'house of bread'…
- placeNazareth
Hill town in Lower Galilee, about 25 km west of the Sea of Galilee. The boyhood home of Jesus.
- placeGalilee
Northern region of ancient Israel, fertile and lake-fringed. Most of Jesus' ministry happened here.
- placeEgypt
Ancient kingdom of the Nile. Refuge of Abraham and Joseph, then a house of slavery, then the place from which …
- placeUr
Ancient Sumerian city on the Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia. Abraham's birthplace, called 'Ur of the Chalde…