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What the Bible Says About Covenant, the

Overview

The Bible addresses covenant, the across 74 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Hebrews and Luke. Closely related themes include Abraham, Gospel, Law and Sacrifices. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Abraham, David and Moses.

Key Bible verses about covenant, the

Old Testament

Genesis

Genesis 15:7

And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

Genesis 15:8

And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

Genesis 15:9

And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

Genesis 15:10

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

Genesis 15:11

And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

Genesis 15:12

And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 15:13

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Genesis 15:14

And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

Genesis 15:15

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Genesis 15:16

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Genesis 15:17

And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. a burning: Heb. a lamp of fire

Genesis 15:18

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:

Genesis 17:2

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Genesis 17:3

And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

Genesis 17:4

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. many: Heb. multitude of nations

Genesis 17:5

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. Abraham: that is, Father of a great multitude

Genesis 17:6

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Genesis 17:7

And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

Genesis 17:8

And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. wherein: Heb. of thy sojournings

Genesis 17:9

And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Genesis 17:10

This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:11

And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.

Genesis 17:12

And 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. he that is eight: Heb. a son of eight days

Genesis 17:13

He 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.

Genesis 17:14

And 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.

Psalms

Psalms 89:29

His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Psalms 89:30

If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

Psalms 89:31

If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; break: Heb. profane

Psalms 89:32

Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

Psalms 89:33

Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. will: Heb. I will not make void from him to fall: Heb. to lie

Psalms 89:34

My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

Psalms 89:35

Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. that: Heb. if I lie

Psalms 89:36

His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

Psalms 89:37

It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.

Isaiah

Isaiah 56:4

For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:5

Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 56:6

Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:7

Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

New Testament

Luke

Luke 1:68

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Luke 1:69

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Luke 1:70

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

Luke 1:71

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

Luke 1:72

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

Luke 1:73

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

Luke 1:74

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

Luke 1:75

In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Luke 1:76

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

Luke 1:77

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, by: or, for

Luke 1:78

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, tender: or, bowels of the mercy dayspring: or, Sunrising, or, branch, Zac.3.8, esay II, I Malich.4.2, numb.24.17

Luke 1:79

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Hebrews

Hebrews 8:8

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

Hebrews 8:9

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

Hebrews 8:10

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: put: Gr. give in: or, upon

Hebrews 8:11

And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

Hebrews 8:12

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 9:11

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Hebrews 9:12

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:13

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Hebrews 9:14

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? spot: or, fault

Hebrews 9:16

For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. be: or, be brought in

Hebrews 9:17

For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Hebrews 9:18

Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. dedicated: or, purified

Hebrews 9:19

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, scarlet: or, purple

Hebrews 9:20

Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

Hebrews 9:21

Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.

Hebrews 9:22

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Hebrews 9:23

It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

People in the Bible and covenant, the

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying covenant, the for yourself

  • Begin with Genesis 15:7, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how Genesis, Hebrews and Luke each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Abraham, David and Moses and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Abraham, Gospel, Law and Sacrifices.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about covenant, the?

The Bible addresses covenant, the across 74 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Genesis, Hebrews and Luke. Closely related themes include Abraham, Gospel, Law and Sacrifices. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Abraham, David and Moses.

How many Bible verses are about covenant, the?

The Bible references covenant, the in 74 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention covenant, the?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is Genesis 15:7: “And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.”

Which people in the Bible are associated with covenant, the?

Abraham, David and Moses.

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