covenant, testament

“Covenant” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(coming together). Ratified by eating together, oaths, witnesses, gifts, pillars (Gen. 9:15; 21:30-31; 31:50-52¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:15)
³⁰And 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. ³¹Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them. (Genesis 21:30‑31)
⁵⁰If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. ⁵¹And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; ⁵²This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. (Genesis 31:50‑52)). Covenant of the law through Moses (Ex. 20:24²⁴An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. (Exodus 20:24)); of the gospel through Christ (Gal. 3; Heb. 8).

“Testament” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(witness). One of the two volumes of the Sacred Scriptures, which treat of the old and new dispensations; distinguished as the Old Testament, treating of revelation before the Advent of Christ, and the New Testament, containing that made after the Advent (2 Cor. 3:6⁶Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (2 Corinthians 3:6); Heb. 9:15¹⁵And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)).

“Covenant” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

To this subject as spoken of in scripture there are two branches:

1. Man’s covenant with his fellow, or nation with nation, in which the terms are mutually considered and agreed to: it is then ratified by an oath, or by some token, before witnesses. Such a covenant is alluded to in Galatians 3:15¹⁵Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. (Galatians 3:15): if a man’s covenant be confirmed it cannot be disannulled or added to. When Abraham bought the field of Ephron in Machpelah, he paid the money “in the audience of the sons of Heth” as witnesses, and it was thus made sure unto him (Gen. 23:16¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. (Genesis 23:16)). In the covenant Jacob made with Laban, they gathered a heap of stones to be witness between them, and “they did eat there upon the heap” (Gen. 31:46⁴⁶And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap. (Genesis 31:46)). When the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the heads of Israel, “the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord, and... sware unto them” (Josh. 9:14-15¹⁴And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. (Joshua 9:14‑15)). So to this day, if a stranger in the East can get the head of a tribe to eat with him, he knows he is safe, the eating is regarded as a covenant. In 2 Chronicles 13:5⁵Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? (2 Chronicles 13:5) we read of “a covenant of salt”; and to eat salt together is also now regarded as a bond in the East.

2. The covenants made by God are of a different order. He makes His covenants from Himself, without consulting man. With Noah God made a covenant that he would not again destroy the world by a flood, and as a token of that covenant, He set the rainbow in the cloud (Gen. 9:8-17⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; ¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. ¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: ¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. ¹⁷And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth. (Genesis 9:8‑17)). This kind of covenant takes the form of an unconditional promise. Such was God’s covenant with Abraham, first as to his natural posterity (Gen. 15:4-6⁴And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. ⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:4‑6)); and secondly, as to his seed, Christ (Gen. 22:15-18¹⁵And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: ¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; ¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:15‑18)). He gave him also the covenant of circumcision (Gen. 17:10-14¹⁰This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. ¹¹And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. ¹²And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. ¹³He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. ¹⁴And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. (Genesis 17:10‑14); Acts 7:8⁸And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. (Acts 7:8))—a seal of the righteousness of faith (Rom. 4:11¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: (Romans 4:11)).

The covenant with the children of Israel at Sinai, on the other hand, was conditional: if they were obedient and kept the law they would be blessed; but if disobedient they would be cursed (Deut. 27-28).

In the Epistle to the Galatians the apostle argues that the “promise” made by God—”the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ” could not be affected by the law which was given 430 years later (Gal. 3:16-17¹⁶Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. ¹⁷And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. (Galatians 3:16‑17)). The promise being through Christ, the apostle could add respecting Gentile believers, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29²⁹And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)).

“Testament” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

See COVENANT, THE NEW.

Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words:

Number:

1242 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Greek:

διαθήκη

Transliteration:

diatheke

Phonic:

dee-ath-ay’-kay

Meaning:

from 1303; properly, a disposition, i.e. (specially) a contract (especially a devisory will)

KJV Usage:

covenant, testament