Covenant Hebrew Meaning: Berith in Its Passages
Covenant Hebrew meaning centers on berith, also written brit or briyth, a compact or covenant.
Last updated October 15, 2026
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Covenant Hebrew meaning centers on berith, also written brit or briyth, a compact or covenant. The parties, promises and obligations come from the particular passage. Genesis 15, Exodus 24 and Jeremiah 31 cannot be reduced to one undifferentiated agreement.
A covenant is a named relation or compact whose content must be read in context. Strong's historical entry for berith lists covenant and league. Genesis 15 concerns Abram and land; Exodus 24 includes a book and blood; Jeremiah 31 announces a new covenant. The shared term connects the passages without making their details identical.
Covenant Hebrew Meaning: source entries
| Term | Entry ID | Historical entry wording | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| berith / briyth / brit | 1285 | […] a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):--confederacy, (con-)feder(-ate), covenant, league. […] | Strong original Hebrew |
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Genesis 15: a promise with named parties
The naming of Abram and the land promise anchor this covenant statement. The surrounding scene of divided pieces helps explain why historical dictionaries discuss cutting language. That association should stay tied to a source and a scene. It is not a rule that every covenant passage must describe the same ceremony.
List the parties and the stated content before giving a general definition. This step prevents an abstract word study from losing the very thing a compact concerns. A promise about a specified land is more definite than an unexplained slogan about relationship.
Exodus 24: book, assent and blood
Moses reads the book of the covenant to the people, who respond with an undertaking to obey. The passage then describes blood and calls it covenant blood. Each action belongs to the account. Selecting only one action gives an incomplete picture of what the chapter presents.
A covenant can carry obligations. It should not automatically be described as an agreement between equal parties with equal power. That assumption comes from some modern contracts, not from the English label alone. Read who speaks, commands and responds.
Jeremiah 31: new and contrasted
Jeremiah explicitly contrasts the promised new covenant with the one made when the people were led from Egypt. The passage mentions an inwardly written law and forgiveness. Its own contrast is better evidence than a chart imposed without quotation.
Later traditions explain the relation among these covenants in different ways. This lexical page does not claim that the noun settles those debates. It shows the wording and contrasts that any interpretation must address. A short covenant overview belongs here, rather than on a competing definition page.
Wording and context in three editions
Genesis 15:18
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
18 In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
18 In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Before (WEB Classic): 16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.” 17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
After (WEB Classic): 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
Exodus 24:7-8
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
7 He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that Yahweh has said, and be obedient.”
8 Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words.
Before (WEB Classic): 5 He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to Yahweh. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
After (WEB Classic): 9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
31 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
31 “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah,
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says Yahweh.
33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Yahweh: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
31 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
Before (WEB Classic): 29 “In those days they will say no more, “ ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.
After (WEB Classic): 35 Yahweh, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar […] 36 “If these ordinances depart from before me,” says Yahweh, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever.”
FAQ
Does berith always describe a modern legal contract?
No. Compact is a useful gloss, but the parties and terms vary by passage. A modern contract analogy may help with one feature and mislead about another. Read the text's own commitments and setting.
Related meanings
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Verdict: Covenant Hebrew Meaning
The covenant Hebrew meaning begins with berith and becomes specific through parties and promises. Read Genesis, Exodus and Jeremiah on their own terms before comparing their relations.