Definition
Berith (Hebrew: בְּרִית) is the central Old Testament word for “covenant.” It denotes a solemn, binding agreement — in the context of God’s saving action: a promise established and guaranteed by God that determines the structure of redemption history. In soteriology, berith functions as the juridical-relational framework within which concepts such as justification, inheritance, and redemption receive their meaning.
Usage in the Corpus
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger connects berith to the number 14 as the number of deliverance (2 × 7). The covenant with Abraham is confirmed 14 times in Genesis (7 times in Gen. 15, 7 times in Gen. 17) — a numerical structure that for Bullinger illustrates the divine certainty of the covenant promise. Berith is the legal foundation upon which believers may claim God’s redemptive acts. [Bullinger, Number in Scripture]
Origin
The etymology of berith is disputed: possible connection to bāra’ (to cut, as in covenant-making by cleaving animals, Gen. 15) or to an Akkadian loanword birītu (chain, bond). In the OT it is the standard term for the covenant between God and the patriarchs, Moses, David, and the New Covenant in Jeremiah.