TR: kârath → diatithemi (Covenant-Cutting / Covenant-Making)

The Chain

Hebrew OT                 LXX (Greek OT)              Greek NT
─────────────             ───────────────────          ────────
כָּרַת (kârath)        →  διατίθεμαι (diatithemi)  →  διατίθεμαι (diatithemi)
H3772, 280x               71x as translation           7x in NT
"cut (a covenant)"        of kârath berit              "make/appoint/bequeath"

OT Usage (Hebrew)

Strong's	Word	Occurrences	Primary Meaning
H3772	כָּרַת (kârath)	280	cut, cut off, make a covenant
H1285	בְּרִית (beriyth)	284	covenant, compact

The idiom karat berit (כָּרַת בְּרִית — lit. "cut a covenant") is the standard Hebrew formula for entering a solemn binding agreement. The "cutting" refers to the covenant ratification rite of splitting animals and passing between the pieces, binding the parties with the implicit oath: may what happened to this animal happen to me if I break faith (cf. Gen 15:9–17; Jer 34:18–19).

Key OT passages: - Gen 15:18 — "In the same day the LORD made (karat) a covenant with Abram" - Jer 31:31 — "I will make (karat) a new covenant with the house of Israel" - Jer 34:18 — "the men that have transgressed my covenant...when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts"

[Full study: H3772-karath.md]

LXX Bridge

Hebrew	Greek Translation	Count	Notes
kârath (H3772) + berit	διατίθεμαι (G1303)	71x	Primary verb for covenant-making contexts
kârath (H3772) + berit	διαθήκη (G1242)	83x	LXX sometimes renders the phrase as the noun rather than the verb
kârath (H3772) cutting	ἐκκόπτω (G1581)	13x	Used for excision/judgment senses

Semantic shift in translation: The Greek diatithemi means "to arrange, dispose, appoint" — it lacks the "cutting" imagery entirely. The LXX translators abstracted the concept from the ritual act to the legal effect. More significantly, the related noun diatheke (G1242) carries a second sense absent in Hebrew: a unilateral last will and testament, which becomes theologically exploited in Hebrews 9:16–17. The Hebrew karat (cutting) implied the oath-bond between living parties; the Greek diatheke can imply a posthumous disposition — setting up a NT argument that the covenant takes effect through the death of the covenant-maker.

NT Usage (Greek)

Strong's	Word	NT Occurrences	Primary Meaning
G1303	διατίθεμαι (diatithemi)	7	appoint, make/establish a covenant; bequeath

All NT occurrences of G1303: - Luke 22:29 — "And I appoint (diatithemi) unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed (diatithemi) unto me" — Jesus using the covenant-appointment language at the Last Supper - Hebrews 8:10 — "For this is the covenant that I will make (diatithemi) with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord" — direct quotation of Jer 31:33 (LXX) - Hebrews 9:16 — "For where a testament (diatheke) is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator (diatithemi)" — playing on both senses of the word - Hebrews 9:17 — "For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator (diatithemi) liveth" - Hebrews 10:16 — "This is the covenant that I will make (diatithemi) with them after those days, saith the Lord" — second quotation of Jer 31:33

Note: Heb 9:16–17 uses diatithemi as a participial noun ("testator"), exploiting the will-and-testament sense to argue that Christ's death was necessary to bring the new covenant into force.

[Full study: TODO(need G1303-diatithemi study)]

Direct OT→NT Quotations

NT Verse	Quotes OT	Shared Chain	Significance
Heb 8:10	Jer 31:33	karat → diatithemi	"I will make a new covenant" — Jer 31's new covenant applied to Christ's ministry
Heb 10:16	Jer 31:33	karat → diatithemi	Second citation of same prophecy; covenant written on heart/mind
Luke 22:29	Echoes Jer 31:31–34; Dan 7:18, 27	karat → diatithemi	Jesus "cuts/appoints" the kingdom to his disciples at Passover — covenant language at covenant meal

Continuity and Shifts

What stays the same: - The fundamental act: God unilaterally initiating a covenant (as in Gen 15 where only God passes through) - The parties: God and his people (Israel → church) - The content: law written on hearts (Jer 31 → Heb 8–10)

What shifts: - The "cutting" metaphor is lost in Greek; diatithemi abstracts to "disposition/appointment" - The noun diatheke acquires the additional legal sense of a will/testament, which Hebrews 9 exploits: the covenant requires the death of the covenant-maker (Christ) - The blood rite from OT covenant-cutting is now the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20 "the new testament in my blood") — the physical "cutting" finds its ultimate referent

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Generated from: search_strongs.py (--lxx-map, --lookup, --verses), gather_word_data.py Last updated: 2026-04-01