בְּרִית
A compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)
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What does בְּרִית (berit) mean in the Bible?
בְּרִית (berit) is a Hebrew word meaning "a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)". a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh) BDB: covenant Usage: confederacy, (con-) feder(-ate), covenant, league. The adulterous woman forsakes covenant, framing immorality as theological betrayal. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant, Creation, Messiah.
Full entry for בְּרִית (H1285) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Covenant sealed through ritual blood sacrifice; God's binding commitment to His people, foundational to redemptive history
a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh) BDB: covenant Usage: confederacy, (con-) feder(-ate), covenant, league.
Why This Word Matters
The adulterous woman forsakes covenant, framing immorality as theological betrayal. Hosea 6:7-11
Nehemiah’s prayer is covenant-conscious from beginning to end. He interprets both the exile and the hope of restoration through God’s berît with Israel. This helps believers today read their own situation through the lens of God’s covenant in Christ rather than through vague spirituality or national narratives. Hosea 8:1-7
The written covenant underscores the seriousness and structure of renewed obedience. Isaiah 49:7-13
Shows the Servant as mediator of covenant restoration. Nehemiah 1:1-11
Explicit legal framework of Israel’s relationship with Yahweh. Nehemiah 10:1-39
Legal framework of indictment. Proverbs 2:12-22
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 284 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.