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in being in the “courts” of the temple, where the birds built their nests (Ps. 84:3); “For a
day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of
my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps. 84:10). God’s people looked
forward to the thronging together of all the people in God’s “courts”: “… In the courts of
the Lord’s house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem” (Ps. 116:19).
The Septuagint translations are:
$
(“courtyard; farm; house; outer court; palace”),
$
(“farm; homestead; residence”), and
(“village; small town”). The
KJV
gives
these translations: “court; village; town.”
COVENANT
(
"
, 1285), “covenant; league; confederacy.” This word is most probably
derived from an Akkadian root meaning “to fetter”; it has parallels in Hittite, Egyptian,
Assyrian, and Aramaic.
0
is used over 280 times and in all parts of the Old
Testament. The first occurrence of the word is in Gen. 6:18: “But with thee [Noah] will I
establish my covenant.”
The
KJV
translates
fifteen times as “league”: “… Now therefore make ye a
league with us” (Josh. 9:6). These are all cases of political agreement within Israel (2
Sam. 3:12- 13, 21; 5:3) or between nations (1 Kings 15:19). Later versions may use
“covenant,” “treaty,” or “compact,” but not consistently. In Judg. 2:2, the
KJV
has: “And
ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land.…” The command had been also
given in Exod. 23:32; 34:12-16; and Deut. 7:2-6, where the
KJV
has “covenant.”
The
KJV
translates
as “covenant” 260 times. The word is used of “agreements
between men,” as Abraham and Abimelech (Gen. 21:32): “Thus they made a covenant at
Beer-sheba.…” David and Jonathan made a “covenant” of mutual protection that would
be binding on David’s descendants forever (1 Sam. 18:3; 20:8, 16-18, 42). In these cases,
there was “mutual agreement confirmed by oath in the name of the Lord.” Sometimes
there were also material pledges (Gen. 21:28-31).
Ahab defeated the Syrians: “So he made a covenant with [Ben-hadad], and sent him
away” (1 Kings 20:34). The king of Babylon “took of the king’s seed [Zedekiah], and
made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him …” (Ezek. 17:13,
NIV
,
“treaty”). In such “covenants,” the terms were imposed by the superior military power;
they were not mutual agreements.
In Israel, the kingship was based on “covenant”: “… David made a covenant [
KJV
,
“league”] with them [the elders of Israel] in Hebron before the Lord …” (2 Sam. 5:3).
The “covenant” was based on their knowledge that God had appointed him (2 Sam. 5:2);
thus they became David’s subjects (cf. 2 Kings 11:4, 17).
The great majority of occurrences of
are of God’s “covenants” with men, as in
Gen. 6:18 above. The verbs used are important: “I will
my covenant” (Gen.
6:18)—literally, “cause to stand” or “confirm.” “I will
my covenant” (Gen. 17:2,
RSV
). “He
to you his covenant” (Deut. 4:13). “My covenant which I
them …” (Josh. 7:11). “I have
my covenant. Wherefore … I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Exod. 6:5-6). God will not