Covenants of Promise vs. Covenants of Penalty: Berît vs. ’Ālāh 🤝
The English word “covenant” is most often used to translate the foundational Hebrew word berît. However, the Old Testament also uses a different, powerful word to describe conditional agreements, revealing a contrast between God’s gracious promises and severe warnings.
1. The Covenant of Promise: Berît (בְּרִית)
- Meaning: This is the standard word for covenant, compact, or treaty. Its etymology is debated but often linked to “cutting,” referring to the ancient practice of cutting animals in half to solemnize an agreement (Genesis 15).
- Theological Focus: Berît emphasizes God’s binding commitment and unilateral promise to His people (e.g., the Abrahamic Covenant). It is the overarching framework for salvation history.
- Eschatological Weight: The New Covenant is the ultimate berît, guaranteed by Christ’s blood, promising eternal security and the final redemption upon His return. It is a covenant of grace and relationship.
2. The Covenant of Penalty: ’Ālāh (אָלָה)
- Meaning: This refers to a sworn oath, curse, or solemn agreement specifically backed by threatened judgment. It often emphasizes the conditional stipulations and the dire penalty for failure.
- Theological Focus: ’Ālāh is a covenant of warning where the terms and the consequences are explicitly laid out. While berît emphasizes what you receive from God, ’ālāh emphasizes what you incur if you violate the agreement. It is a covenant of consequence and accountability.
- Key Old Testament Use: This word is used in Deuteronomy 29 where the Israelites enter into a covenant (‘ālāh and berît) to ensure they understand the catastrophic curses that will result from disobedience. It is the framework for national punishment and exile.
The Final Distinction
The final judgment at Christ’s return is the ultimate execution of the ‘ālāh against the world and those who rejected the berît of grace.
- The Berît (Promise) ensures the safety and reward of the righteous.
- The ’Ālāh (Penalty) ensures the justice and punishment of the unrighteous who chose to abide by the cursed terms of worldly disobedience.
God’s dealing with humanity is thus governed by both: the unbreakable promise of salvation and the unbreakable principle of righteous judgment.
The Return Question
If God operates by the unbreakable berît (promise of grace) and the binding ’ālāh (threatened penalty), are you currently relying on the berît for forgiveness while allowing a secret, unrepentant disobedience that is knowingly placing you under the judgment of the ’ālāh?