Jeremiah 31:31-33

31:31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, ¹  “when I will make a new covenant ²  with the people of Israel and Judah. ³  31:32 It will not be like the old ⁴  covenant that I made with their ancestors ⁵  when I delivered them ⁶  from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” ⁷  says the Lord. ⁸  31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ⁹  after I plant them back in the land,” ¹⁰  says the Lord. ¹¹  “I will ¹²  put my law within them ¹³  and write it on their hearts and minds. ¹⁴  I will be their God and they will be my people. ¹⁵ 

Jeremiah 50:5

50:5 They will ask the way to Zion;

they will turn their faces toward it.

They will come ¹⁶  and bind themselves to the Lord

in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten. ¹⁷ 

Genesis 17:7-13

17:7 I will confirm ¹⁸  my covenant as a perpetual ¹⁹  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ²⁰  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ²¹  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ²²  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²³  the covenantal requirement ²⁴  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: ²⁵  Every male among you must be circumcised. ²⁶  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ²⁷  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ²⁸  must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, ²⁹  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ³⁰  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ³¹  reminder.

Genesis 17:2

17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ³²  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ³³ 

Genesis 23:4

23:4 “I am a temporary settler ³⁴  among you. Grant ³⁵  me ownership ³⁶  of a burial site among you so that I may ³⁷  bury my dead.” ³⁸ 

Isaiah 24:5

24:5 The earth is defiled by ³⁹  its inhabitants, ⁴⁰ 

for they have violated laws,

disregarded the regulation, ⁴¹ 

and broken the permanent treaty. ⁴² 

Isaiah 55:3

55:3 Pay attention and come to me!

Listen, so you can live! ⁴³ 

Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to ⁴⁴  you,

just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. ⁴⁵ 

Isaiah 61:8

61:8 For I, the Lord, love justice

and hate robbery and sin.

I will repay them because of my faithfulness; ⁴⁶ 

I will make a permanent covenant with them.

Luke 1:72-75

1:72 He has done this ⁴⁷  to show mercy ⁴⁸  to our ancestors, ⁴⁹ 

and to remember his holy covenant ⁵⁰  –

1:73 the oath ⁵¹  that he swore to our ancestor ⁵²  Abraham.

This oath grants ⁵³ 

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our ⁵⁴  enemies,

may serve him without fear, ⁵⁵ 

1:75 in holiness and righteousness ⁵⁶  before him for as long as we live. ⁵⁷ 

Galatians 3:14-17

3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, ⁵⁸  so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

Inheritance Comes from Promises and not Law

3:15 Brothers and sisters, ⁵⁹  I offer an example from everyday life: ⁶⁰  When a covenant ⁶¹  has been ratified, ⁶²  even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it. 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. ⁶³  Scripture ⁶⁴  does not say, “and to the descendants,” ⁶⁵  referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” ⁶⁶  referring to one, who is Christ. 3:17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, ⁶⁷  so as to invalidate the promise.

Hebrews 6:13-18

6:13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 6:14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.” ⁶⁸  6:15 And so by persevering, Abraham ⁶⁹  inherited the promise. 6:16 For people ⁷⁰  swear by something greater than themselves, ⁷¹  and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. ⁷²  6:17 In the same way ⁷³  God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, ⁷⁴  and so he intervened with an oath, 6:18 so that we who have found refuge in him ⁷⁵  may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.

Hebrews 7:24

7:24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever.

Hebrews 13:20

Benediction and Conclusion

13:20 Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus Christ,

[31:31]  ¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:31]  ² tn Or “a renewed covenant” (also in vv. 22-23).

[31:31]  ³ tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

[31:32]  ⁴ tn The word “old” is not in the text but is implicit in the use of the word “new.” It is supplied in the translation for greater clarity.

[31:32]  ⁵ tn Heb “fathers.”

[31:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”

[31:32]  ⁷ tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.

[31:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ⁹ tn Heb “with the house of Israel.” All commentators agree that the term here refers to both the whole nation which was divided into the house of Israel and the house of Judah in v. 30.

[31:33]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “after those days.” Commentators are generally agreed that this refers to the return from exile and the repopulation of the land referred to in vv. 27-28 and not to something subsequent to the time mentioned in v. 30. This is the sequencing that is also presupposed in other new covenant passages such as Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28.

[31:33]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ¹² tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the Lord, ‘I will….’” The sentence has been reworded and restructured to avoid the awkwardness of the original style.

[31:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “in their inward parts.” The Hebrew word here refers to the seat of the thoughts, emotions, and decisions (Jer 9:8 [9:7 HT]). It is essentially synonymous with “heart” in Hebrew psychological terms.

[31:33]  ¹⁴ tn The words “and minds” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to bring the English psychology more into line with the Hebrew where the “heart” is the center both of knowing/thinking/reflecting and deciding/willing.

[31:33]  ¹⁵ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

[50:5]  ¹⁶ tc The translation here assumes that the Hebrew בֹּאוּ (bo’u; a Qal imperative masculine plural) should be read בָּאוּ (ba’u; a Qal perfect third plural). This reading is presupposed by the Greek version of Aquila, the Latin version, and the Targum (see BHS note a, which mistakenly assumes that the form must be imperfect).

[50:5]  ¹⁷ sn See Jer 32:40 and the study note there for the nature of this lasting agreement.

[17:7]  ¹⁸ tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  ¹⁹ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ²¹ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ²² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  ²³ tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[17:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”

[17:10]  ²⁶ sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.

[17:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “sign.”

[17:12]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the son of eight days.”

[17:13]  ²⁹ tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

[17:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:13]  ³¹ tn Or “an eternal.”

[17:2]  ³² tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ³³ tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[23:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”

[23:4]  ³⁵ tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.

[23:4]  ³⁶ tn Or “possession.”

[23:4]  ³⁷ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.

[23:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “beneath”; cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “under”; NAB “because of.”

[24:5]  ⁴⁰ sn Isa 26:21 suggests that the earth’s inhabitants defiled the earth by shedding the blood of their fellow human beings. See also Num 35:33-34, which assumes that bloodshed defiles a land.

[24:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “moved past [the?] regulation.”

[24:5]  ⁴² tn Or “everlasting covenant” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the ancient covenant”; CEV “their agreement that was to last forever.”

[55:3]  ⁴³ tn The jussive with vav (ו) conjunctive following the imperative indicates purpose/result.

[55:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “an eternal covenant with.”

[55:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the reliable expressions of loyalty of David.” The syntactical relationship of חַסְדֵי (khasde, “expressions of loyalty”) to the preceding line is unclear. If the term is appositional to בְּרִית (bÿrit, “covenant”), then the Lord here transfers the promises of the Davidic covenant to the entire nation. Another option is to take חַסְדֵי (khasde) as an adverbial accusative and to translate “according to the reliable covenantal promises.” In this case the new covenantal arrangement proposed here is viewed as an extension or perhaps fulfillment of the Davidic promises. A third option, the one reflected in the above translation, is to take the last line as comparative. In this case the new covenant being proposed is analogous to the Davidic covenant. Verses 4-5, which compare David’s international prominence to what Israel will experience, favors this view. In all three of these interpretations, “David” is an objective genitive; he is the recipient of covenantal promises. A fourth option would be to take David as a subjective genitive and understand the line as giving the basis for the preceding promise: “Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, because of David’s faithful acts of covenantal loyalty.”

[61:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”

[1:72]  ⁴⁷ tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

[1:72]  ⁴⁸ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

[1:72]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

[1:72]  ⁵⁰ sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

[1:73]  ⁵¹ tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.

[1:73]  ⁵² tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”

[1:73]  ⁵³ tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.

[1:74]  ⁵⁴ tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] Ë^1,13 565 892 pc) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 Ï pc) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.

[1:74]  ⁵⁵ tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.

[1:75]  ⁵⁶ sn The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.

[1:75]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “all our days.”

[3:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.”

[3:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[3:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “I speak according to man,” referring to the illustration that follows.

[3:15]  ⁶¹ tn The same Greek word, διαθήκη (diaqhkh), can mean either “covenant” or “will,” but in this context the former is preferred here because Paul is discussing in vv. 16-18 the Abrahamic covenant.

[3:15]  ⁶² tn Or “has been put into effect.”

[3:16]  ⁶³ tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).

[3:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.

[3:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.

[3:16]  ⁶⁶ tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.

[3:17]  ⁶⁷ tc Most mss (D F G I 0176 0278 Ï it sy) read “ratified by God in Christ” whereas the omission of “in Christ” is the reading in Ì⁴⁶ א A B C P Ψ 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 pc co. The shorter reading is strongly supported by the ms evidence, and it is probable that a copyist inserted the words as an interpretive gloss. However, this form of the “in Christ” expression is somewhat atypical in the corpus Paulinum (εἰς Χριστόν [ei" Criston] rather than ἐν Χριστῷ [en Cristw]), a fact which tempers one’s certainty about the shorter reading. Nevertheless, the expression is used more in Galatians than in any other of Paul’s letters (Gal 2:16; 3:24, 27), and may have been suggested by such texts to early copyists.

[6:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “in blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply you,” the Greek form of a Hebrew idiom showing intensity.

[6:15]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Abraham) has been specified for clarity.

[6:16]  ⁷⁰ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”

[6:16]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.

[6:16]  ⁷² tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”

[6:17]  ⁷³ tn Grk “in which.”

[6:17]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”

[6:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “have taken refuge”; the basis of that refuge is implied in the preceding verse.