Why biblical covenants were sealed by cutting flesh and spilling blood

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The Hebrew word for covenant, brit, stems from a root meaning to cut. In ancient Near Eastern tradition, these pacts were not mere promises but binding legal agreements often sealed by passing between the severed pieces of sacrificial animals, signaling a lethal consequence for anyone who broke the sacred oath.

Biblical covenants functioned like the formal treaties of the ancient world, mirroring the legal structures of the Near East. Scholars distinguish between two primary types: the obligatory suzerainty treaty, which governed relationships between unequal parties, and the promissory royal grant, which rewarded loyal service. The Mosaic covenant, centered on the Ten Commandments, reflects the former, establishing Israel as a holy nation under God’s direct governance. Conversely, the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants operate as grants, where God, acting as the suzerain, commits himself to unconditional promises of land and dynasty in exchange for the recipient's faithfulness.

The physical act of covenant-making was deeply symbolic. By slaughtering animals and walking between their remains, the parties invoked a self-imposed curse: should they fail to uphold their end of the bargain, they would suffer a fate similar to the sacrificed beast. This sacrificial element persists throughout the biblical narrative, from the Noahic covenant—which God established with all living creatures—to the New Covenant in Christian theology, where the blood of Jesus is interpreted as the ultimate seal of a bond between God and humanity.

The interpretation of these agreements has evolved significantly over millennia. While some traditions view the New Covenant as a replacement for the Old, others maintain a dual-covenant perspective. Furthermore, the translation of the Hebrew term brit into the Greek diatheke—which often implies a 'will' or 'testament'—has led Christian theologians to reframe the covenant as an inheritance left after death. These shifting definitions highlight how ancient legal and familial metaphors, such as fatherhood and sonship, were repurposed to define the relationship between the divine and the mortal.

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