New Covenant? Really?

Matthew 26:28, New testament. (Also see notes at Heb 8:8.) Where did the terms New Testament or New Covenant came from? You will find these phrases in your English versions of the Testimony of Yeshua in exactly nine places (Matt 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; 2 Cor 3:6; Heb 8:8, 13; 9:15; 12:24), but does the English translation do justice to the Hebrew and Greek words behind them?

The confusion arises from the fact that English has one word for new, while Greek and Hebrew have more than one word. While English speakers are limited to one word, they nuance the meaning of new by adding qualifiers to the word new (e.g., brand new as opposed to used but it’s new to me) to differentiate between brand new versus new to me, or refurbished or repaired new. 

In the Testimony of Yeshua, there are two Greek for new: neos and kainos and each has a different connotation. Neos more often than not carries the idea of “brand new or numerically new,” while kainos means “renewed, refreshed or repaired or qualitatively new.” When you see the term New Covenant or New Testament used, in eight of nine time the authors use kainos. Only in Hebrews 12:24 is neos used in reference to the new covenant.

The usage of the word renewed over the use of the word new is exactly consistent with the author of Hebrew’s usage of the word in Hebrews 8:8, 

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the YHVH, when I will make a new [or renewed, kainos] covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…

The author is here quoting directly from Jeremiah 31:31,

“Behold, the days come, saith YHVH, that I will make a new [Heb. chadash] covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah… 

According to The TWOT, the Hebrew word chadash means “to repair, rebuild or renew.” Interestingly, the Jewish translators of the Septuagint (LXX) when translating Jeremiah 31:31 into Greek found the word kainos to be a match for the Hebrew chadash.

Based on this linguistic evidence it seems that the terms new testament or new covenant should be more accurately translated as renewed covenant instead of new (as in brand new) covenant.

Although David Stern in his Complete Jewish Bible still uses the term new testament and new covenant instead of renewed covenant, he does discuss the word kainos in his Jewish New Testament Commentary in his comments on Hebrews 8:8 (p. 690). There he gives the reasons why he translates kainos as new, but also explains why it means “renewed” in that “the New Covenant renews the Old Covenant” (his exact words). He then goes on to prove his point how the New Covenant is a renewed version of the Old Covenant (Ibid.).

Stern isn’t the only New Testament scholar to affirm the validity of “renewed” as an acceptable translation of Greek word kainos. So does Craig Keener in his The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the New Testament (p. 665) where he comments on Hebrews 8:8. He says of both Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8 (that quotes the former), “The phrase generally rendered ‘new’ covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 could also be translated ‘renewed’ covenant.” This likely explains why the LXX translators chose to use kainos in Jeremiah 31:31 instead of neos, and why the apostolic writers use kainos in all but one reference to the “new” covenant. Interestingly, the writer of Hebrews uses neos once (in Heb 12:24) in reference to the new covenant, which would seem to suggest that both terms “Renewed/Refreshed” and “New” Covenant were acceptable to the apostolic writers.

So what is the bottom line here? In reality, Yeshua the Messiah is not going to make a brand new covenant with his people when he returns to marry his spiritual wife, which is the spiritual body of believers of whom he is the head. Instead, he will repair or renew the former covenants (plural, see Eph. 2:12) that ancient Israel broke and that many are still breaking even today by not keeping his Torah-commandments. And what was wrong with the former covenants (the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants) you may ask? Was it the terms of the covenant, YHVH’s Torah-commandments which were evil and had to pass away or was it something else? Let’s let Scripture answer this question:

For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, [YHVH found fault with the people, not with the Torah-law] he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a [renewed] covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith YHVH. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith YHVH; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a Elohim, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know YHVH: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (Heb 8:7–11)

This renewed covenant, the same one that Jeremiah talked about in Jer 31, verses 31 and 33, will still have the Torah-law as the terms of the agreement, but this time, YHVH will pour out his Set-Apart Spirit onto his people to soften their hard hearts of rebellion and disobedience against his laws. With Yeshua, the Messiah, the Living Torah-word of Elohim living in their hearts via the power of the Elohim’s Spirit, this time they will be an obedient wife to YHVH instead of a rebellious one when they broke the terms of their marriage covenant which they made when they said, “I do” to him at Mount Sinai (Exod 19:8; 24:3, 7). This bride, who will be made up of both Jewish and non-Jewish believers in Yeshua the Messiah, which Scriptures refers to as “the one new man” (Eph 2:15) or as “the Israel of Elohim” (Gal 6:16).

 

12 thoughts on “New Covenant? Really?

  1. I can’t drink the living water fast enough! I’m just swimming in it! So glad we will have eternity with Them to keep learning. Continued thanks for your lifetime of study and service to the Body of Christ.

  2. I can’t argue against your post but I can’t help feel that something is missing and I see this missing something being symptomatic of the Messianic Hebrew roots movement. Yes the Rock of Torah and the Covenant are the same but the house / understanding that is built on that Rock within the Covenant is different and new. Quick example, somebody unjustly punches me in the face, according to Torah it is perfectly just and righteous for me to punch them in the face back. This is the old understanding or old house that was built on the Rock but Yeshua tells us that there is a way of life that is higher and more righteous than the perfect justice found in Torah and that is grace, mercy, forgiveness, and self sacrifice, all of which are part of Torah but unfortunately the understanding was not there hence our Master and Rabbi Yeshua’s need to show us how to build this new house or understanding on the Rock. So in conclusion, if someone punches me in the face unjustly, instead of punching them back, I forgive them and allow them to do it again without retaliation. We were once all dead mean and women walking but through the grace and mercy of Yahweh and washing of our flesh in the blood of the perfect Lamb we were born again, born anew. Our mission is to walk where Yeshua walked and live as He lived even to the point of our death. Our mission is to show the world the amazing grace, mercy, and forgiveness that is available to them through the blood and resurrection of Yeshua and then once they are brothers and sisters show them the walk of accountability that flows from the spirit living inside us searing the Torah on our minds and hearts and actions, viewed through the new eyes of our Messiah Yeshua’s new house / Understanding built on the Rock. Probably not dong the best job explaining myself but hopefully you will get my understanding. A beautiful Shabbat shalom to all!

    • Good comments. Thank you. Iron sharpens iron.

      There is no place in the Torah that says if someone hits you, you can hit them back. To say there is is a strawman argument. That idea is a Christian misconception of what the Torah really says. On the contrary, the Torah says to love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19:18). This is the golden rule! In fact, this is part of the shema statement of faith and is a summation of the Torah laws relating to man’s relationship with his neighbor.

      What Yeshua was doing when confronting the Pharisees was presenting them with the truth of the Torah that had been there all along, but which they had turned away from in favor of their own traditions and skewed ideas of what the Torah says. They were more concerned with money and power rather than love, mercy and grace. So now this is our problem: Yeshua is not correcting the old covenant as he is revealing the new covenant to the Jews. Rather, he is correcting the Jews who had a misconception of what the old covenant said. Now the Christians come along with their historical anti-Jewish and anti-Torah bias and say, see, our covenant is better because of this, this and this, and then they cite Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount as proof that the Torah never addressed these things. In reality, the Torah does, but religion had gotten away from those things by their traditions. This is what Yeshua is addressing in Matt 5–7.

      What Yeshua came to do was to take OT Torah principles that had been there all along that represented the heart of Elohim, and had gotten buried under years of men’s traditions and false teachings. He came to shine the light on these weightier matters of the Torah, bring them to the surface and highlight them. This was his revealing the heart of the Father to his people.

      I still stand by the Epistle to the Hebrews (along with a few other passages in the apostolic writings) which tells us clearly what the major difference are between the Old and New Covenants. They are these:

      (a) Yeshua came to fulfill the Levitical priesthood system.
      (b) Yeshua came to fulfill the sacrificial system.
      (c) Yeshua send us the Set-Apart Spirit to come on all people who seek it, so that they might have the inner capacity to live up to the Torah.
      (d) Yeshua took upon himself the penalty that is on us for violating the Torah-law.

      Other than these huge things, I fail to see much difference between the Old and New Covenant. This may be a shocking statement to those who have been conditioned by Christian church teaching——remnants of which still remain lodged in our gray matter after having walked away from this spiritual Babylon. But after having studied the Scriptures for all these decades, this is the conclusion I have come to—–to this point.

      Yeshua didn’t come to bring a new doctrine as I think you’re suggesting he did. He came, rather, to reveal the truth that was already there but had gotten buried or perverted. Even John said that the gospel message was old, but also new at the same time. This was the same message you have heard from the beginning, he says (1 John 1:5; 2:7–8).

      • The Old Covenant was the Ten Commandments.These were the only “words” God spoke directly to Israel, the other laws were spoken through Moses, being the covenant mediator.

        A careful reading of the first 4 commandments show they command Man to love God (not take name in vain, no other gods before Me, etc.) The 5th through 10th commandments command Man to love his fellow Man (do not steal, covet, false witness, etc.) Why? Because all Men were created in the “image of God”. So the 10 commandments really break down to a) loving God and b) our fellow Man.

        Israel, representing the corporate “people of God” in the OT could not meet the commandments by human will. It would require the Set-Apart Spirit, which had not yet been sent. This is an illustration of Man being a descendent of the 1st Adam (who fell), thus the “Old Man” is usually portrayed in the “Old Testament”.

        When Yeshua came, he stated that the sum of the OT Law was to love God and your fellow man. He also revealed the true intent of the moral law, as you both allude to.

        When He ascended to the Father, He sent the Set-Apart Spirit, which would dwell within Man and enable him to follow the commandments. This is an illustration of Man being “born again”, being a descendent of the 2nd or Last Adam (Yeshua), thus the “New Man”, part of the “New Creation” is portrayed in the “New Testament”.

        The Covenant (Love God and fellow Man) has not changed from the OT to the NT. I agree with Natan on this. The mediator of the Covenant HAS changed! (Moses in the OT and Yeshua in the NT)

        God’s plan of Redemption is to transform all men from the “Old Man” to the “New Man”!!

        This is my understanding.

      • Where does the Bible anywhere state the only the ten commandments were the Old Covenant? (Is this an SDA doctrine, per chance? Just wondering.) I’m not aware of such a verse. They were indeed a part of the Old Covenant.

        Also, where does the Bible say that the Israelites only agreed to the ten commandments. A covenant is a legally binding agreement between two parties. In Exod 19:8, the people promised to obey YHVH’s voice. Obeying his voice was the basis of their agreement (see Exod 19:5). It doesn’t say that they had to only obey his voice that they physically heard. Throughout the Scriptures, YHVH holds Israel accountable for not only YHVH’s audible words they heard at Sinai, but the words that he spoke to them through Moses as well. Furthermore, in Exod 24, Moses ratifies the covenant between the people and Elohim. Again, the people say twice that they will obey his covenant (vv. 3 and 7). No mention here that it was only the ten commandments. In fact, he had also given them additional commandments between Exod 21 and 23. Moreover, Moses went up to the mountain to receive the tablets of stone which had on them “the law AND commandments” (Exod 24:12), where do we get the idea that this includes only the ten commandments?

        No, I teach and believe that the ten commandments are the foundation or cornerstone of the Torah. They represent the whole Torah. I believe that a study of the full council of Scripture will bear this truth out. Therefore, the old covenant involves all the commandments. In fact, some have made the point that all the rest of the Torah commands can be extrapolated out of the basic ten. If the the ten are only the old covenant, then where do the rest of the commandments fall? Outside of the old covenant? When the new covenant comes, which laws will YHVH write on the people’s hearts? Only the ten commandments? If so, then what about those laws outside of the basic ten like incest, rape, witchcraft, clean and unclean meats, kidnapping, homosex, the feasts, etc., etc.? Will these not be written on people’s heart? Are these not part of the new covenant?

        Let’s please be careful when we begin to split up the word of Elohim and put into labeled boxes. This is what the Sunday church and some sabbatarian groups (SDA’s, 7th Day Baptists, etc.) has taught us to do . It is a divide and conquer tactic of the enemy to invalidate sections of Yah’s Word that don’t suit us. It started a the tree of knowledge. Not saying you’re doing that. Don’t think you are, but it’s a slippery slope.

        Blessings!

      • Natan,

        I am not trying to advocate any doctrine, just saying what I understand.

        Regarding your points, how do you reconcile Deuteronomy 4:13 with what you are saying ?

      • Also, if you love your neighbor, by default, you will not kill, commit adultery, incest, homosexuality, etc.

      • At the risk of stepping out too far on this thought….

        I believe that my train of thought is consistent with what Yeshua meant when He said ” I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it”.

        In other words, Man could not truly follow the Law of the Ten Commandments by himself (1st Adam descendent), only through the indwelling of the Set-Apart Spirit (Last Adam -Yeshua descendent).

        Therefore, Yeshua had to come first, so that He could send the Set-Apart Spirit after He ascended to the Father, thus enabling Man to fulfill the “Spirit, NOT Letter” of the Law (Ten Commandments).

        NOT my intent to cause controversy over this !!, just relaying my understanding of the issue. Apologize in advance if this understanding is WRONG!

      • Last, but not least….

        2 Corinthians 3:3 seems to confirm the link between following the Ten Commandments by human will (OT) or by the Set-Apart Spirit (NT) !!

  3. The average christian does not read the bible. This is the 1st problem. The Revelation of St. John states Blessed is he who reads it! Also to adhere to it!
    This is important to HIM.

    Now CONFUSION (revelations from man) on the Convenant, 10 commandments, HIS name, OT NT, accuracy of translation.

    If you are born again, holy spirit filled, bible believer, The Holy Spirit (as Jesus described) reading and understanding is all needed to understand The Inspired Word of GOD.

    EVERY person not filled with The Holy Spirit will be confused with their own understanding. The ANOINTED are closer to understanding the Bible than the man made ORDAINED.

    Only giving my opinion since we all have one.

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