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Genesis 9:23  | 39
MAJOR COVENANTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
COVENANTS REFERENCE TYPE PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION
NOAHIC Gen 9:8–17 Royal Grant Made with righteous (6:9) Noah and An unconditional divine promise never to
his descendants and every living destroy all earthly life with some natural
thing on earth—all life that is subject catastrophe, the covenant “sign” (9:13,17) being
to human jurisdiction the rainbow in the storm cloud
Royal (land) Made with “righteous” Abram An unconditional divine promise to fulfill the
Grant (his faith was “credited . . . to him grant of the land; a self-maledictory oath
as righteousness,” v. 6) and his symbolically enacted it (15:18; see note on
descendants, v. 16 vv. 18–21)
Made with Abraham as patriarchal A conditional divine pledge to be Abraham’s
head of his household God and the God of his descendants (cf. “as
ABRAHAMIC
Gen 15:6–21
A
ABRAHAMIC
Gen 17
Suzerain-vassal
B
for me,” v. 4; “as for you,” v. 9); the condition:
total consecration to the Lord as symbolized
by circumcision
SINAITIC
Exod 19–24
Suzerain-vassal
Made with Israel as the descendants A conditional divine pledge to be Israel’s
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and as God (as its protector and the guarantor of its
the people the Lord had redeemed blessed destiny); the condition: Israel’s total
from bondage to an earthly power consecration to the Lord as his people (his
kingdom) who live by his rule and serve his
purposes in history
PHINEHAS
Num 25:10–13
Royal Grant
Made with the zealous priest An unconditional divine promise to maintain
Phinehas the family of Phinehas in a “lasting priesthood”
(v. 13; implicitly a pledge to Israel to provide it
forever with a faithful priesthood)
DAVIDIC
2 Sam 7:5–16
Royal Grant
Made with faithful King David after An unconditional divine promise to establish
his devotion to God as Israel’s king and maintain the Davidic dynasty on the
and the Lord’s anointed vassal had throne of Israel (implicitly a pledge to Israel) to
come to special expression (v. 2) provide it forever with a godly king like David
and through that dynasty to do for it what he
had done through David—bring it into rest in
the promised land (1 Kgs 4:20–21; 5:3–4)
NEW
Jer 31:31–34
Royal Grant
Promised to rebellious Israel as it An unconditional divine promise to unfaithful
is about to be expelled from the Israel to forgive its sins and establish his
promised land in actualization of relationship with it on a new basis by writing
the most severe covenant curse (Lev his law “on their hearts” (v. 33)—a covenant of
26:27–39; Deut 28:36–37, 45–68) pure grace
MAJOR TYPES OF ROYAL COVENANTS/TREATIES IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
ROYAL GRANT (UNCONDITIONAL) PARITY SUZERAIN-VASSAL (CONDITIONAL)
A king’s grant (of land or some other
benefit) to a loyal servant for faithful or
exceptional service. The grant was normally
perpetual and unconditional, but the
servant’s heirs benefited from it only as
they continued in their father’s loyalty and
service. (Cf. 1 Sam 8:14; 22:7; 27:6; Esth 8:1.) A covenant between equals,
binding them to mutual friendship
or at least to mutual respect for
each other’s spheres and interests.
Participants called each other
“brother. ” (Cf. Gen 21:27; 26:31;
31:44–54; 1 Kgs 5:12; 15:19; 20:32–34;
Amos 1:9.) A covenant regulating the relationship between a great king and
one of his subject kings. The great king claimed absolute right
of sovereignty, demanded total loyalty and service (the vassal
must “love” his suzerain) and pledged protection of the subject’s
realm and dynasty, conditional on the vassal’s faithfulness
and loyalty to him. The vassal pledged absolute loyalty to his
suzerain—whatever service his suzerain demanded—and
exclusive reliance on the suzerain’s protection. Participants
called each other “lord” and “servant” or “father” and “son.”
(Cf. Josh 9:6,8; Ezek 17:13–18; Hos 12:1.)
Commitments made in these covenants were accompanied by self-maledictory oaths (made orally, ceremonially, or both). The gods were called upon to
witness the covenants and implement the curses of the oaths if the covenants were violated.