NOAHIC Genesis 9:8-17 Royal Grant Made with “righteous” (6:9) Noah (and
his descendants and every living thing
on earth - all life that is subject to
man’s jurisdiction)
An unconditional divine promise never
to destroy all earthly life with some
natural catastrophe; the covenant
“sign” being the rainbow in the storm
cloud.
COVENANT REFERENCE TYPE PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION
ABRAHAMIC #1
part one
Genesis 12:1-3 Royal Grant Made with Abram conditional that he
would leave all his country, kindred,
and father’s house, and follow the
Lord into the land which He would
show him.
The promise was a fourfold blessing:
1) Increase into a numerous people;
2) Material and spiritual prosperity; 3)
The exaltation of Abram’s name; 4)
Abraham was not only to be blessed
by God, but to be a blessing to others
- implicitly by the coming of the
Messiah through his descendants.
ABRAHAMIC #1
part two
Genesis 15 Royal (land) Grant Made with “righteous” Abram (v. 6)
and his descendants (v.16)
Renewal of Abrahamic Covenant with
unconditional divine promise to fulfill
the grant of the land; a self-
maledictory oath symbolically enacted
it (v. 17)
ABRAHAMIC #2 Genesis 17 Suzerain-vassal Made with Abraham as patriarchal
head of his household
A conditional divine pledge to be
Abraham’s God and the God of his
descendants (vv. 4,9); the condition:
total consecration to the Lord as
symbolized by circumcision
SINAITIC Exodus 19-24 Suzerain-vassal Made with Israel as the descendants
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and as
the people the Lord has redeemed
from bondage to an earthly power
A conditional divine pledge to be
Israel’s God (as her protector and the
Guarantor of her blessed destiny); the
condition: Israel’s total consecration
to the Lord as His people (His
kingdom) who live by His rule and
serve His purposes in history
PHINEHAS Numbers 25:10-13 Royal Grant Made with the zealous priest
Phinehas
An unconditional divine promise to
maintain the family of Phinehas in a
“perpetual priesthood” (implicitly a
pledge to Israel to provide for her
forever with a faithful priesthood)
DAVIDIC 2 Samuel 7:4-17 Royal Grant Made with faithful King David after his
devotion to God as Israel’s king and
the Lord’s anointed vassal had come
to special expression (v. 2)
An unconditional divine promise to
establish and maintain the Davidic
dynasty on the throne of Israel
(implicitly a pledge to Israel) to
provide her forever with a godly king
like David and through that dynasty to
do for her what He had done through
David - bring her into rest in the
promised land (1 Kings 4:20-22;
5:3,4)
NEW Jeremiah 31:31-34 Royal Grant Promised to rebellious Israel as she is
about to be expelled from the
promised land in actualization of the
most severe covenant curse
(Leviticus 26:27-39; Deuteronomy
28:36,37, 45-68)
An unconditional divine promise to
unfaithful Israel to forgive her sins and
establish His relationship with her on
a new basis by writing His law “on
their heart” - a covenant of pure grace
MAJOR COVENANTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Major types of Royal Covenants / Treaties in the Ancient Near East
ROYAL GRANT (UNCONDITIONAL)
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 he servant’s heirs
benefited from it only as they
continued their father’s loyalty and
service (cf. 1 Samuel 8:14; 22:7;
27:6; Esther 8:1.)
SUZERAIN-VASSAL (CONDITIONAL)
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. Joshua 9:6,8; Ezekiel 17:13-18;
Hosea 12:1.)
PARITY
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
“brothers.” (cf. Genesis 21:27;
26:31; 31:44-54; 1 Kings 5:12;
15:19; 20:32-34; Amos 1:9.)
Commitments made in these covenant 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.
Information in the above chart is adapted in part from the NASB Study Bible (Zondervan Publishing House).
