Continuing on in this series, we will now look at various types of covenants, Abraham as an example of entering into covenant with God, and the relationship between the Hebrew terms, berit and hesed.
Keep in mind, throughout this series, that while the information we are covering goes into some theological depth about covenants and Jewish beliefs overall, all of this will lead to concrete, crucial reasons about why keeping with covenant could very well save humanity.
Covenants and the Role of Abraham
Continuing with Abraham as an example, and which further illustrates the Hebrews incorporating covenants into their culture, Genesis 12:1-3 gives an overview of the covenant that God formed with Abraham: land, offspring, and blessings. However, because a ritual did not ensue after the initial conversation between God and Abraham, scholars view this chapter as a prelude to the covenant soon to be formalized (Bediako and Baidoo 2).
It is in Genesis 15 and 17 where the covenant between God and Abraham (first known as Abram) is formerly declared – and these two chapters, while similar in explaining what the covenant entailed, have separate angles as well: In Genesis 15, it appears God first declares His role in the covenant, secures his relationship with Abraham, and expects Abraham’s faith in the covenant. Chapter 17, on the other hand, not only restates the covenant and gives further details, it also hones in on Abraham’s responsibility to the covenant. In short, some scholars have even referred to Genesis 15 as “faith” and Genesis 17 as “responsibility” (Bediako & Baidoo 3).
The scholarly community, however, does not have a consensus on the similarities and differences between Genesis 15 and 17: Some scholars believe that Genesis 15 and 17 detail separate, yet related covenants, while other scholars see the two chapters as one covenant that is progressively explained, that 17 essentially confirms 15. The bottom line, though, is when Genesis 15 and 17 are combined, God indeed formed a covenant with Abraham, and it included what was foretold in Genesis 12:1-3 – land and offspring (Bediako &Badoo 11).
Examples of Covenant Types and the Berit-Hesed Relationship
What becomes abundantly clear is there is no shortage of covenant talk in the Torah. Prior to Abraham, God had established a covenant / berit with Noah — and it is the first time the word berit is used in Scripture. Then, after God’s covenant with Abraham, God continued to form covenants with other patriarchs — including Moses, Aaron, and David, to name a few. (Hayes and Kelle 151).
In fact, in the book, “Interpreting Ancient Israelite History, Prophecy, and Law”, the authors, John H. Hayes and Dr. Brad Kelle, explain that covenant context falls into one the following categories: God’s covenants with individuals, God’s covenant with Israel, covenants between human civilizations, later prophets’ perspectives on the covenant between God and Israel, marriage itself as a covenant, and the mention of a future covenant that will transform the Jewish people and their home, Israel (151 – 154).
Here are some examples to illustrate the covenant categories:
- God’s covenant with individuals: In Numbers 18:21-24, God forms a covenant with Moses’ brother, Aaron, regarding priestly responsibilities; and Phineas, Aaron’s grandson, was bound to a covenant of priesthood in Numbers 25:10-13 (151).
- God’s covenant with Israel: This is a flagship covenant with the Hebrews, who would become Israelites after the exodus from Egypt and said covenant delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai (152, 153).
- Covenants between humans: In 1 Samuel 11:1,the Jabesh-Gilead people create a covenant with Nahash the Ammonite (152).
- Prophets referring to covenants: Hosea refers to covenants between Israel and other states in Hosea 10:4 (153).
- The covenant of marriage: In Malachi 3:14, God witnesses a marriage and calls the wife a covenant woman. In addition, Proverbs 2:17 begins to describe the consequences for a woman who ignores the “berit” made with her husband (154).
- God’s future covenant: Isaiah 61:8 and Jeremiah 32:40 speak of an everlasting, transformative covenant with Israel and its people (154).
Now, although the Hebrew term for covenant, berit, is at the forefront of learning how the Torah was conceived and compiled, hesed, a term with definitions ranging from kindness and mercy to loyalty and faithfulness (Routledge 180), appears to have a symbiotic relationship with berit. In fact, although several other terms – e.g., tob (friendship), sesullah (special possession), shalom (peace), ben (father and son) – also have a relationship with berit, hesed stands as interconnected with berit. That is, while berit establishes the oath between two parties, hesed may mean being devoted to the berit (Hayes and Kelle 157).
Another way to put it is berit and hesed reflect a “master and protégé” relationship: The protégé is loyal to the master for providing the covenant, and this mutual relationship reinforces the connection between humankind and God (Taggar-Cohen 9). Additionally, because hesed is closely linked with berit, hesed, for the Hebrews / Israelites, was not only about being faithful to the covenant itself, but also recognizing Yahweh as their ultimate authority who supersedes any non-divine, human-to-human covenants that also have a berit-to-hesed relationship (Hayes and Kelle 157).
However, as with the scholarship on berit, there is some debate about how to apply the rather broad range of definitions for hesed. Modern scholarship suggests that hesed may apply more to legal covenants, and not necessarily to the between God and the patriarchs; therefore, hesed may have less to kindness and more about loyalty. Still, other scholarship stands by hesed being used to denote kindness and mercy, as in 1 Samuel 20:8, in which David forms a friendship covenant with Jonathan and expects hesed – “kindness”—in return (Routledge 182., 183).
In Part 4, we will take all that we have explored about covenant history and types and show how God’s revelation relates to them.
Works Cited
Bediako, Daniel Kwame, and Elijah Baidoo. “The Covenant of Abraham: Relationship between
Genesis 15 and 17.” Valley View University Journal of Theology, vol. 2, 2012, pp. 1–12.
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Press, 2014.
Boadt, Lawrence, et al. Reading the Old Testament : An Introduction. New York, Paulist
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Hayes, John H, and Brad E Kelle. Interpreting Ancient Israelite History, Prophecy, and Law.
Cambridge, James Clarke, 2017.
Kramer, Samuel Noah. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. University of
Chicago Press, 1963
Lopez, Rene. Israelite Covenants in the Light of Ancient Near Eastern Covenants.
Parrot, André. “Abraham”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Mar. 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abraham.
Taggar-Cohen, Ada. “The Hebrew Biblical Bérit in Light of Ancient Near Eastern Covenants
and Treaties.” Canon & Culture, vol. 14, no. 2, 2020, pp. 5–50.
Rodriguez, Angel Manuel. “Ancient Near Eastern Parallels to the Bible and the Question of
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