WG: Covenant
Overview
The covenant concept in Hebrew Scripture involves a cluster of words describing the making, keeping, breaking, and enduring character of solemn compacts — primarily between God and his people.
Word Group Members
| Strong's |
Word |
Transliteration |
POS |
Occurrences |
Role in Concept |
Library Entry |
| H1285 |
בְּרִית |
beriyth |
noun |
284 |
The compact itself |
H1285 |
| H3772 |
כָּרַת |
karath |
verb |
288 |
The action of making ("cutting") a covenant |
H3772 |
| H5769 |
עוֹלָם |
olam |
noun |
439 |
The duration — "everlasting" covenant |
TODO(need H5769 study) |
| H8104 |
שָׁמַר |
shamar |
verb |
468 |
The obligation — "keeping" the covenant |
TODO(need H8104 study) |
| H727 |
אָרוֹן |
aron |
noun |
202 |
The container — "ark of the covenant" |
— |
| H5674 |
עָבַר |
avar |
verb |
559 |
Transgression — "breaking" the covenant |
H5674 |
| G1242 |
διαθήκη |
diathēkē |
noun |
30 (NT) |
Greek NT equivalent — covenant/testament |
G1242 |
Relationships
Shared Roots
- beriyth (H1285) derives from a root meaning "to cut" — cognate with the covenant-making idiom כָּרַת בְּרִית (karath beriyth, "cut a covenant")
Co-occurrence (appear in same verses)
| Word A |
Word B |
Shared Verses |
Typical Context |
| beriyth (H1285) |
karath (H3772) |
80x |
"cut a covenant" — the standard idiom |
| beriyth (H1285) |
aron (H727) |
42x |
"ark of the covenant" |
| beriyth (H1285) |
olam (H5769) |
29x |
"everlasting covenant" |
| beriyth (H1285) |
shamar (H8104) |
26x |
"keep the covenant" |
| beriyth (H1285) |
avar (H5674) |
23x |
"transgress the covenant" |
| karath (H3772) |
olam (H5769) |
13x |
"cut an everlasting covenant" |
| karath (H3772) |
shamar (H8104) |
10x |
contexts where making and keeping appear together |
LXX Overlaps
| Hebrew Words |
Shared Greek |
Notes |
| beriyth + karath |
both → διαθήκη / διατίθεμαι |
Greek uses same root (δια-τίθημι) for both noun and verb |
| beriyth + olam |
→ διαθήκη αἰώνιος |
"everlasting covenant" rendered as a unit |
Roles in the Concept
- Object: beriyth (בְּרִית) — the covenant compact itself
- Action (making): karath (כָּרַת) — the act of cutting/establishing the covenant
- Action (keeping): shamar (שָׁמַר) — the obligation of keeping/guarding
- Action (breaking): avar (עָבַר) — the transgression of covenant terms
- Duration: olam (עוֹלָם) — the everlasting character of God's covenants
- Container: aron (אָרוֹן) — the physical repository of covenant documents
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together
- Gen 17:9–14 — beriyth (10x) + karath + shamar + olam — Abraham's covenant: "keep my covenant... an everlasting covenant"
- Deut 29:9–15 — beriyth + karath + olam — "that he may establish thee... for a covenant"
- Jer 31:31–33 — beriyth (5x) + karath — "I will make a new covenant... not according to the covenant that I made"
- 2 Ki 23:2–3 — beriyth + karath + shamar — Josiah reads the book of the covenant and makes a covenant to keep the commandments
Generated from: search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries
Last updated: 2026-03-31