G1242 — διαθήκη (diathēkē)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1242
Original: διαθήκη
Transliteration: diathēkē
Pronunciation: dee-ath-ay'-kay
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: G1303 διατίθεμαι (diatithēmi) — to arrange, dispose, make a covenant
Occurrences: 30 unique verses (33 tokens) in NT
Books: 11
First Occurrence: Matt 26:28 — "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From G1303 (διατίθεμαι); properly, a disposition, i.e. (especially) a contract (especially a devisory will): — covenant, testament.

The word carries two distinct legal senses in the Greek world: (1) a bilateral covenant or compact between parties, and (2) a unilateral will/testament (legally valid only at the testator's death). The NT uses both senses — the covenant sense dominates, but Heb 9:16–17 explicitly invokes the testamentary sense to argue that Christ's death ratifies the new covenant.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 34.44 — Establish or Confirm a Relation (Association)
Key neighbors in domain: G1303 διατίθεμαι (make a covenant), G0802 ἀσύνθετος (covenant-breaker), G1325 δίδωμι (give)
Secondary Domain: 57 — Possess, Transfer, Exchange (the testamentary/will sense)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[034] Association — covenant as an established relationship or binding arrangement between parties.
[057] Possess, Transfer, Exchange — the testamentary sense in Hebrews, where inheritance or disposition takes effect through death.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
covenant	13	43.3%
testament	10	33.3%
covenants	3	10.0%
a testament	2	6.7%
the covenant	2	6.7%

Note: KJV inconsistently renders the same Greek word as either "covenant" or "testament" — largely a context-driven editorial choice. Modern translations (ESV, NASB, NIV) generally prefer "covenant" throughout.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Hebrews	14	4.6
Galatians	3	2.0
2 Corinthians	2	0.8
Ephesians	1	0.6
Romans	2	0.5
Luke	2	0.2
Acts	2	0.2
1 Corinthians	1	0.2
Revelation	1	0.2
Matthew	1	0.1
Mark	1	0.1

Hebrews accounts for 47% of all occurrences at the highest density (4.6 per 100 vv). The theological argument of Hebrews — new covenant superior to old — drives this concentration. Galatians is next, also arguing covenant superiority (Abrahamic over Mosaic). The Synoptic/Pauline uses are almost entirely in eucharistic or Israel-heritage contexts.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The New Covenant in Christ's Blood¶

The eucharistic formula links the cup directly to a "new covenant" in Christ's blood. - Matt 26:28 — "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" - Mark 14:24 — "This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many" - Luke 22:20 — "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you" - 1 Cor 11:25 — "This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it"

2. Covenant with the Patriarchs and Israel¶

NT writers recall the OT covenant made with Abraham and the fathers as the foundation of Israel's identity. - Luke 1:72 — "to remember his holy covenant" (Zechariah's Benedictus, recalling Abrahamic covenant) - Acts 3:25 — "the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham" - Acts 7:8 — "he gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begat Isaac" - Rom 9:4 — "to whom pertaineth the adoption… and the covenants, and the giving of the law" - Eph 2:12 — "strangers from the covenants of promise" (Gentiles outside Israel's covenant heritage)

3. The New Covenant Superior to the Old¶

Hebrews and 2 Corinthians contrast the new covenant (Christ/Spirit) with the old (Sinai/letter). - 2 Cor 3:6 — "made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit" - Heb 8:6 — "he is the mediator of a better covenant, established upon better promises" - Heb 8:8–10 — Jeremiah 31 quoted: "I will make a new covenant… not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers" - Heb 12:24 — "Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling"

4. The Covenant as Legal Testament (Will)¶

Hebrews uniquely uses diathēkē in its Greek legal sense — a will that takes effect only at death. - Heb 9:16 — "where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator" - Heb 9:17 — "a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth"

5. The Ark of the Covenant¶

The physical ark containing covenant documents appears in the heavenly sanctuary. - Heb 9:4 — "the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna" - Rev 11:19 — "there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament"

6. Covenant Confirmed to Abraham in Galatians¶

Paul argues the Abrahamic diathēkē is an irrevocable arrangement the Mosaic law cannot annul. - Gal 3:15 — "Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth" - Gal 3:17 — "the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law… cannot disannul" - Gal 4:24 — "these are the two covenants; the one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
αἷμα (haima)	G129	8x (27%)	"blood of the covenant/testament" — covenant ratified by blood
καινός (kainos)	G2537	7x (23%)	"new covenant" — the new-vs-old contrast
θεός (theos)	G2316	7x (23%)	"covenant of/with God" — divine party to the covenant
διατίθεμαι (diatithēmi)	G1303	5x (17%)	"make/establish a covenant" — verb cognate, the act of covenanting
ἐπαγγελία (epangelia)	G1860	5x (17%)	"covenant of promise" — covenant as vehicle of divine promise
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	5x (17%)	OT covenant formulas quoted: "saith the Lord"
ἡμέρα (hēmera)	G2250	5x (17%)	prophetic temporality: "the days come… I will make a new covenant"
μεσίτης (mesitēs)	G3316	3x (10%)	"mediator of the covenant" — Christ as covenant broker
κρείττων (kreitton)	G2909	3x (10%)	"better covenant" — Hebrews' superiority argument
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	3x (10%)	law/covenant relationship — Gal 3 and Heb 8 contrasts

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1303 διατίθεμαι (diatithēmi) — root verb: to arrange, assign, dispose; to make a covenant (Heb 8:10; 9:16; 10:16)
G1304 διατριβή (diatribē) — distant cognate (spending time); unrelated semantically

Synonyms¶

G3142 μαρτύριον (martyrion) — testimony / witness; search_relationships.py grouped it with covenant-document and witness themes.
G2665 καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) — veil; Hebrews' covenant argument is tightly bound to tabernacle-access imagery.
G685 ἀρά (ara) — curse; covenant oath and sanction language form the linkage surfaced by the relationship tool.
G1656 ἔλεος (eleos) — mercy; biblical covenant discourse regularly overlaps with covenant-mercy language.
G3051 λόγιον (logion) — oracle; divine covenant words and covenant documents are a recurring pairing.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G1242.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
בְּרִית (beriyth)	H1285	both translated "covenant"	beriyth is the Hebrew equivalent — bilateral compact sealed by blood rite; diathēkē is the Greek translation, which also carries the unilateral testamentary-will sense absent from beriyth

Note: In the LXX, the translators chose diathēkē over synthēkē (bilateral agreement) for beriyth — likely to preserve the divine-initiative character of God's covenants rather than implying equal-party negotiation.

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Word	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI Score	Notes
בְּרִית (beriyth)	H1285	246	6.28	Primary source — LXX renders beriyth → diathēkē nearly exclusively
כָּרַת (karath)	H3772	83	4.63	Verb of covenant-making: "cut a covenant"
אָרוֹן (aron)	H727	56	4.73	Ark of the covenant — diathēkē appears in "ark of the covenant" phrases
פָּרַר (parar)	H6565	19	5.14	Break/annul a covenant
אָלָה (alah)	H423	10	4.72	Oath/curse — the binding element of covenant ratification