What Is a Covenant in the Bible?

The Bible is divided into Old and New Testament — better translated, Old and New Covenant. The whole book is a covenant story. Here is the shape of it. Day 362 of the Bible in One Year plan.

By Cruzsilla Gutiérrez·April 30, 2026

The verse

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV)

And the moment that promise was kept:

"And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'" Luke 22:20 (ESV)

Context

The Bible's word for covenant is berith in Hebrew and diatheke in Greek. The Latin Vulgate translated diatheke as testamentum, which is why the Bible is divided into "Testaments." But the more precise word is covenant: a binding agreement that creates a relationship, with promises, obligations and a sign.

In the ancient Near East, covenants were how nations bound themselves to one another and how kings bound themselves to vassals. They were ratified with blood — animals cut in half, parties walking through the pieces, swearing self-curse if they broke the deal. The Bible adopts the form and fills it with theology.

The biblical covenants

1. The Noahic covenant. After the flood, God promises Noah that He will not again destroy the earth by water (Genesis 9:8-17). The sign is the rainbow. It is universal: with all flesh, all nations.

2. The Abrahamic covenant. God promises Abraham land, descendants and worldwide blessing (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17). The sign is circumcision. It begins to narrow the focus: through one family, the world will be blessed.

3. The Mosaic covenant. At Sinai, God gives Israel the Ten Commandments and the Law (Exodus 19-24). The sign is the Sabbath; the heart is the Decalogue. The covenant is conditional: blessing for obedience, curse for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28).

4. The Davidic covenant. God promises David that one of his offspring will reign forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). It points to the Messiah, the descendant of David who would never die.

5. The new covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a covenant where the law is written on hearts, sins are forgiven completely, and everyone in it knows the Lord. Hebrews 8:13 says the old covenant was "becoming obsolete" because the new one was on its way. At the Last Supper, Jesus held up the cup and said, "This cup… is the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:20). The promise was kept.

What it means

Three things follow from this story.

First, God is a covenant-maker. He does not relate to His people informally. He commits Himself in writing, with signs, with binding language. When He says "I will be your God and you will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33), He means it for every condition that follows.

Second, covenants are made in blood. Hebrews 9:22 — "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." The Old Testament covenants required animal blood as a placeholder; the new covenant required the blood of Christ. "He entered once for all into the holy places, by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9:12).

Third, the believer lives inside a covenant. Every Christian, by faith in Christ, is a member of the new covenant. The Lord's Supper is its sign. The forgiveness of sins is its core promise. The indwelling Spirit is its guarantee. The Christian life is not a private spirituality; it is a covenant relationship with covenant promises.

How to apply it

1. Read your Bible covenantally. Notice when each book sits within God's promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and finally to the church in Christ. Whole sections become clearer.
2. Take the Lord's Supper seriously. It is the sign of the new covenant. Every time you take it, remember: this cup, this blood, this promise.
3. Live like a covenant person. God has bound Himself to you. Bind yourself to Him in obedience — not to earn what is already given, but to fit who you already are.
4. Apply covenant language to marriage. Malachi 2:14 calls a wife "your companion and your wife by covenant." Marriage is not a contract; treat it that way.
5. Trust the unbreakable promise. Hebrews 6:18 says God's covenant is sealed with two unchangeable things — His word and His oath. Your security is not in your performance; it is in His covenant.

Related verses

• Genesis 9:13 — "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant."
• Genesis 17:7 — "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant."
• Hebrews 8:6 — "Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better."
• Hebrews 9:15 — "Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant."
• Hebrews 13:20 — "By the blood of the eternal covenant."

Reflection

The Bible's covenant language is a way of saying that God will not let you out of His grip. He has given His word, sealed it in His Son's blood, signed it with His Spirit. To know that today is to live with a backbone the world cannot give you. The covenant is not yours to keep alone; it is His to keep on your behalf, and He has already done it.

Frequently asked questions