What is a covenant in the Bible?
Quick answer
A covenant is a binding relationship initiated by God with his people, framed by promise and obligation — the spine of biblical history from Noah to the new covenant in Christ.
God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David — each developing his saving plan.
The "new covenant" was promised by Jeremiah and sealed by Jesus' blood at the Last Supper: "This is my blood of the covenant…"
The Bible's two Testaments are literally "two covenants" — the old and the new.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06-07. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.