Covenant in the Old Testament: Abrahamic Covenant

In his covenant with Abraham, God makes a promise to Abraham: he will be the father of many nations, and his descendants will be given the land of Canaan. There are two stories in the Bible about the covenant with Abraham, in Genesis 15 and Genesis 17:1-14.

In Genesis 15, God promises Abram that he will have a son and that he will be given the land of Canaan. Abram asks God for proof that this promise will come to pass. In response, God instructs him to slaughter a number of animals. Abram cuts the animals in half and puts the halves opposite each other. At night he sees a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch pass between the pieces of the animals. In this way God shows him that he will keep his promise.

This passage is based on an ancient ritual that was used to seal a covenant. The person who had made a promise was represented by the cut up sacrificial animal: if he did not keep his promise, then he would suffer the same fate as the sacrificial animal.

In Genesis 17 God also makes a covenant with Abram and promises him many descendants and possession of the land of Canaan. As a sign of this covenant, and to seal it, all of Abram’s male descendants must be circumcised.

The term “covenant” usually (in the Old Testament as well) refers to an agreement between two parties. However, in the case of God’s covenant with Abraham the word has another meaning. Here it is more about granting certain privileges. This is most like “charters”, which are known from the ancient Near East. Kings would use these to grant privileges, power or possessions to deserving subjects.