BRIT--COVENANT

by David Bivin

The Hebrew word for covenant is brit. It is one of the most frequently
used words in Hebrew Scripture, appearing 270 times. It is also one of
Scripture's most important concepts.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is a covenant-making God. He

made a covenant with Noah that the world would never again be
destroyed by flood (Genesis 9:8-17). The rainbow, called in Hebrew ot
ha-brit (the sign of the covenant), was established as a symbol of that
promise. God made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18; 22:16-18,
and 26:4), promising him blessings and innumerable progeny. He also
made a covenant with David (II Samuel 7:11-16), giving him the gift of
kingship and dynasty.

One of the unique features of the religion of Israel is the covenant

between the people and its God. This was not a mutual agreement, but
rather a promise of aid and protection solely in return for loyalty. A
covenant between a deity and a people was unknown in other ancient
cultures. Apparently, the gods of other peoples did not demand exclusive
fealty. Israel's God, however, demanded absolute loyalty: "You shall
have no other gods besides me" (Exodus 20:3).

The best known commemoration of God's covenant with his people is

called in Hebrew brit milah (the covenant of circumcision). In rabbinic
literature this is also called bri-to shel avraham avinu (the covenant of
Abraham our father) (Avot 3:11), or brit kodesh (the holy covenant)
(Berachot 14a; compare Luke 1:72).

Many other things are associated with God's covenant, such as aron ha-
brit (the ark of the covenant), which held luhot ha-brit (the tablets of the
covenant), on which were inscribed the ten commandments, witnesses of
the covenant that God made with Israel (Deuteronomy 9:9). The Mosaic
covenant, the commandments presented in Exodus 20-23, are called
sefer ha-brit (the book of the covenant), and the Hebrew name for the
guardian angel of the congregation mentioned in Malachi 3:1 is malak
ha-brit (the messenger of the covenant).
According to Jewish tradition, there is a set of universal commandments
which all men, Jews or Gentiles, are obliged to obey. These laws predate
the Mosaic covenant, and are called mitzvot b'nei Noach (the
commandments of the sone of Noah), because all men are considered the
descendants of Noah. Those Gentiles who observe these laws are called
b'nei Noach (the sons of the covenant of Noah).

The concept of covenant has been carried into modern Hebrew. In Israel
today, for example, one calls the United States artsot ha-brit (the
countries of the covenant), which refers to the federation of states which
signed an agreement to become one nation. The U.S.S.R. is referred to as
brit hamo atsot (the covenant of the councils), since the Soviet Union is
a federation of councils or soviets. Another modern use of the Hebrew
word for covenant is B'Nai B'rith (sons of covenant), an international
Jewish organization which is celebrating its 144th year.

Hebrews 12:24 speaks of Jesus as the mediator of "a new covenant."

This is a reference to the well-known prophecy uttered by Jeremiah:
"'The time is coming' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah'"
(Jeremiah 31:31). However, nowhere in the New Testament is the term
"new covenant" used as a name for the collection of books which
Christians refer to as the New Testament. "Scripture," for the early
followers of Jesus, meant the Hebrew Scriptures. The term "New
Testament" was coined much later in history.

Nevertheless, ha-brit ha-hadasha (the new covenant), is the term used in

Hebrew today to refer to the "New Testament." What Christians call the
"Old Testament" is referred to in Hebrew as Tanach. This is an
abbreviation of the Hebrew words for three sections of the Jewish Bible,
TNK: Torah (Law), ne-vi-im (Prophets), and ketuvim (Writings).

Calling the Jewish Scriptures the "Old Testament" designates the

Hebrew Bible. "Old Testament" seems to imply that the Jewish
Scriptures have been replaced by the Christian New Testament, and that
God somehow has abrogated the covenant he made with the Jewish
people. Consequently, some Christians have concluded that the "Old
Testament" is out of date and does not warrant such serious study as the
New Testament.

Actually, the Hebrew adjective "new" used with "covenant" does not
necessarily imply the replacement of an earlier covenant, but may only
imply its renewal. Furthermore, the translation "testament" in this
context is unfortunate because it misses the connection with Jeremiah
31:31, and also may be misconstrued by the English reader to mean
testament in the sense of last will and testament, rather than covenant.

All this serves to illustrate once again how helpful it is to get back to
more Hebraic terminology and a more Hebraic perspective.

______________________
David Bivin has lived in Israel since 1963, when he came to do graduate
studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. From 1970 to 1981, he
was director of the Hebrew Language Division of the American Ulpan,
and also director of the Modern Hebrew Department of the Institute of
Holy Land Studies on Mt. Zion. David is co-author of two books: Fluent
Biblical and Modern Hebrew, and Understanding the Difficult Words of
Jesus. He is now publisher of Jerusalem Perspective, a monthly report
on research into the words of Jesus.

Since 1981, David has served as Yavo's Director of Research and

Education. David additionally serves as director of the Jerusalem
School for the Study of the Synoptic Gospels, a team of Jewish and
Christian scholars engaged in preparing a Gospel commentary that will
present the life and teachings of Jesus in their original Hebraic context.

Yavo Digest, Vol. 1, No. 4., 1987