Jewish Mikva'ot Roots, John's Baptism, Apostolic Practice, and the Paedobaptist vs Credobaptist Debate
Instituted by the risen Lord in the Great Commission ( Matt 28:19 ) as the initiatory sacrament/ordinance of union with Christ 's death and resurrection ( Rom 6:3-4 ). The subjects (Credobaptism vs Paedobaptism) and efficacy (Regeneration vs Covenant Sign vs Symbolic Badge) are cataloged under scholarly-debate.
people, covenant nation, kin
People, kinfolk, tribe; designates the covenant community of Israel ('My people', ammi), bound by covenant with Yahweh.
Derivation: From עָמַם (H6004) to associate.
sign, token, pledge, memorial
Sign, pledge, visible memorial token verifying divine covenants (rainbow, circumcision, sabbath).
Derivation: Probably from אוֹת (H225) to signal.
oath, curse, covenant execration
Solemn sworn curse attending covenant ratification; self-malediction invoked upon failure to maintain covenant obligations.
Derivation: From אָלָה (H422) to swear.
Sabbath, day of rest, covenant sign
The Sabbath day, holy seventh day of rest ordained at creation, enshrined in Decalogue, serving as perpetual sign of Mosaic Covenant.
Derivation: From שָׁבַת (H7673) to cease.
Wiki Article • Torah & Covenant
In the tenth generation from Adam , Noah builds an ark to preserve life through the global Flood ( Genesis 6:14 , Genesis 7:6 ), leading to God's everlasting covenant with all living creatures and the repopulation of the earth through Shem , Ham , and Japheth .
oath, sworn covenant promise
Oath, sworn pledge; divine swearing by which God guaranteed Abrahamic Covenant ('oath which He swore to Abraham', Genesis 26:3).
Derivation: From שָׁבַע (H7650) to swear.
immersion, baptism
Primary meaning: immersion, baptism. Strong's: baptism (technically or figuratively). Lexical nuances: immersion , baptism ; metaph., of affliction: Mk 10:38 , 39 , Lk 12:50 . Of the religious rite of baptism; of John's baptism: Mt 3:7 21:25 , Mk 11:30 , Lk 7:29 20:4 , Ac 1:22 10:37 18:25 19:3 ; β. μετανοίας , Mk 1:4 , Lk 3:3 , Ac 13:24 19:4 ; of Christian baptism; Ro 6:4 , Eph 4:5 , Col 2:12 (Tr., -μῷ , q.v.), I Pe 3:21 (cf. Cremer, 130; Tr., Syn. § xcix).†
Derivation: from G907 (βαπτίζω);
ark, chest, Ark of the Covenant
Chest, ark; specifically Ark of the Covenant (Aron Ha-Berit) located in Holy of Holies, topped by Mercy Seat (Kapporet) and cherubim.
Derivation: From אָרָה (H717) to gather.
circumcision, the circumcised
Primary meaning: circumcision, the circumcised. Strong's: circumcision (the rite, the condition or the people, literally or figuratively). Lexical nuances: circumcision ; of the rite itself: Jo 7:22 , 23 , Ac 7:8 , Ro 4:11 , Ga 5:11 , Phl 3:5 ; of the state of circumcision: Ro 2:25-28 3:1 , I Co 7:19 , Ga 5:6 6:15 , Col 3:11 ; ἐν π. ὤν , Ro 4:10 ; by meton., ἡ π. = οἱ περιτμηθέντες , the circumcised : Ro 3:30 4:9 , 12 15:8 , Ga 2:7-9 , Eph 2:11 ; οἱ ἐκ τῆς π. , of Jews, Ro 4:12 ; of Jewish Christians, Ac 11:2 , Ga 2:12 , Tit 1:10 ; οἱ ἐκ π. πιστοί...
Derivation: from G4059 (περιτέμνω);
steadfast love, covenant loyalty, mercy
Covenant loyalty, lovingkindness, steadfast love, mercy; the core relational attribute of God by which He obligates Himself in grace to sustain His covenant promises.
Derivation: From חָסַד (H2616) to show kindness.
love, covenant affection
Love, affection, relational commitment; describes God's unprovoked love for Israel (Deuteronomy 7:8) and ardent marital covenant devotion.
Derivation: From אָהַב (H157) to love.
The Structural Backbone of Redemptive History from Eden to the New Covenant
Covenants form the primary structural framework of redemptive history explicitly narrated across the Old and New Testaments: Adamic ( Gen 2 -3), Noahic ( Gen 9 ), Abrahamic ( Gen 12 /15/17), Mosaic ( Exod 19 -24), Davidic ( 2 Sam 7 ), and New Covenant ( Jer 31 , Luke 22 , Heb 8 ).
to cut, cut off, make covenant
To cut, sever; idiomatically 'karat berit' means to cut a covenant, derived from slaughtering animals and passing between divided halves.
Derivation: Primitive root.
to forsake, leave, abandon covenant
To depart from, abandon; used of human covenant unfaithfulness forsaking God and Torah, contrasted with God's promise never to forsake His people.
Derivation: Primitive root.
Hittite Vassal Treaties, Neo-Assyrian Parallels, and the Covenant Lawsuit (Rib)
Monumental archaeological and historical consensus (established by George Mendenhall, Kenneth Kitchen, Meredith Kline) that the literary structure of the Mosaic Covenant in Exodus and particularly Deuteronomy mirrors Late Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) Hittite Vassal Treaties rather than 1st millennium Neo-Assyrian treaties.
covenant, treaty, solemn alliance
A formal, legally binding compact or treaty sanctioned by oath and blood ceremony; the framework governing God's relation to creation, Israel, and David.
Derivation: From בָּרָה (H1262) in sense of cutting.
chosen one, elect
Chosen one, elect; designates covenant people, Moses the intercessor, David the royal shepherd, and Messianic Servant (Isaiah 42:1).
Derivation: From בָּחַר (H977) to choose.
earth, land, country, territory
The terrestrial sphere, dry land, earth in contrast to heaven; profoundly the promised land of Canaan given by covenant to Abraham and his seed.
Derivation: Primitive word.
the LORD, Yahweh
The proper covenant name of the God of Israel, the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), revealing God as the self-existent, eternally active, and covenant-faithful Redeemer ('I AM WHO I AM', Exodus 3:14). BDB: proper name of God of Israel, denoting Him who is continually present to redeem and fulfill His promises.
Derivation: From הָיָה (H1961) to be, exist; lit. 'He who causes to be' or 'He who is'.
testimony, witness, covenant precept
Testimony, solemn covenant witness; Two Tablets of Decalogue placed inside Ark ('Ark of the Testimony', Aron Ha-Edut) testifying to God's holiness.
Derivation: From עֵד (H5707) witness.
to swear, bind oneself by oath
To swear an oath, seven oneself (from sheva); binding oneself irrevocably by solemn covenant pledge; used of God swearing by Himself.
Derivation: Primitive root; from שֶׁבַע (H7651).
an assembly, the assembly, congregation, community, (the) church
Primary meaning: an assembly, the assembly, congregation, community, (the) church. Strong's: a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both). Lexical nuances: prop., an assembly of citizens regularly convened (in Thuc., ii, 22, opp. to σύλλογος , a concourse ): Ac 19:32 , 39 , 41 . In LXX of the assembly, congregation, community of Israel (De 4:10 23:2, al.): Ac 7:38 , He 2:12 (LXX) . NT, esp. of an assembly or company of Christians, a (the) church ; of gatherings for worship: I Co 11:18 14:19 , 34 , 35 ; of local communities: Ac 8:3 , I Co 4:17 ; wi...
Derivation: from a compound of G1537 (ἐκ) and a derivative of G2564 (καλέω);
eternity, everlasting, forever
Antiquity, futurity, perpetual time, eternity; qualitative duration extending beyond human horizons, applied to God's eternal throne and everlasting covenant.
Derivation: From עָלַם (H5956) to conceal, hide.
birthright, primacy of inheritance
Right of firstborn; sacred covenant inheritance traded by Esau for stew, obtained by Jacob (Genesis 25:31).
Derivation: From בָּכַר (H1069).
congregation, sworn community, company
Congregation, company gathered by appointment; technical designation of Israel as a structured religious assembly.
Derivation: From יָעַד (H3259) to appoint, assemble.
to seal, to hide
Primary meaning: to seal, to hide. Strong's: to stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication, to keep secret, to attest. Lexical nuances: to seal ,
Derivation: from G4973 (σφραγίς);
God, the Mighty One
God, the Strong One; archaic Semitic designation of deity highlighting divine omnipotence, supremacy, and transcendence. Frequently in compound names (El Shaddai, El Elyon).
Derivation: From אַיִל (H352) or אוּל (H193) denoting strength, might.
a priest
Primary meaning: a priest. Strong's: a priest (literally or figuratively). Lexical nuances: a priest : ἱ. τ. Διός , Ac 14:13 ; of Jewish priests, Mt 8:4 12:4 , 5 , Mk 1:44 2:26 , Lk 1:5 5:14 , Jo 1:19 , He 8:4 , al.; of Christ, He 5:6 (LXX) He 10:21 ; of Christians, Re 1:6 5:10 20:6 (Cremer, 293; on the acc. pl., ἱερεῖς , v. Thack., Gr. , 147 f.; Bl., § 8, 2).
Derivation: from G2413 (ἱερός);
seed, offspring, descendants, posterity
Seed, human posterity; paramount theological theme tracing promised lineage: seed of woman (Genesis 3:15), seed of Abraham, and royal seed of David.
Derivation: From זָרַע (H2232) to sow.
an heir, a possessor
Primary meaning: an heir, a possessor. Strong's: a sharer by lot, i.e. inheritor (literally or figuratively); by implication, a possessor. Lexical nuances: (as in cl.) an heir : Mt 21:38 , Mk 12:7 , Lk 20:14 , Ga 4:1 ; of those who as sons of God inherit the privileges of the Messianic Kingdom; of Christ himself, He 1:2 ; of Abraham, Ro 4:13 , 14 ; of Christians, Ro 8:17 , Ga 3:29 , Tit 3:7 , Ja 2:5 .
Derivation: from G2819 (κλῆρος) and the base of G3551 (νόμος) (in its original sense of partitioning, i.e. (reflexively) getting by apportionment);
righteousness, teaching of, justice
Primary meaning: righteousness, teaching of, justice. Strong's: equity (of character or act); specially (Christian) justification. Lexical nuances: the character of ὁ δίκαιος (q.v.)
Derivation: from G1342 (δίκαιος);