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  What the Bible Really Says
about the
"New Covenant" A verse taken out of the context of the whole of Scripture can put the wrong "spin" on what the passage actually means, even making it seem to contradict the rest. Here is a prime example:

"In that he says 'A new covenant', he has rendered the first old. Now what is wearing out and growing old is ready to be destroyed." (Heb. 8:13)

Many misconstrue this to be saying that the "New Testament" conflicts with the "Old". While there are some important differences, this is quite the wrong approach to take. In the original Greek, the word here for "new" means "fresh", in contrast to what is now "lack-luster" in comparison. (2 Cor. 3:7-11.)

But the phrase quoted is from Jeremiah 31 (written in Hebrew), so it is much more fruitful to study the meaning in Hebrew than in Greek. The Hebrew word for "new" is chadashah. Let's look at how this term is used most often:

The "new moon" is called Rosh Chodesh ("head of the month"). Chodesh is related to chadashah, and actually means "renewing one". There is not actually a different moon there each month, but a "renewal" of the same one.

An often-repeated Hebrew prayer found in Lamentations 5:21 says, "Chadesh yamenu k'qedem". Again, the first word shares the same root as chadashah; here it is a verb. The rest of the phrase reads "our days, as of old" or "like the ancient time". If you want something to be "new" in the sense of "never seen before", you hardly want it to be just like something ancient! But "renew our days [to be] like those of old" makes sense. It is another occurrence of the same kind, which fills the same role or position. So B'rith Chadashah can just as properly be translated "Renewed Covenant" as "New Covenant".

Does this hold true in the way ancient covenants actually worked? Yes. In ancient suzerainty treaties, if the situation changed for one party, a covenant could be amended (or renewed) to adapt to the new circumstance. But only what no longer fit would be revised; everything else remained in effect exactly as before.

If a covenant is to be renewed, there must be a prior relationship between the two parties. With whom does our theme verse say the New Covenant is to be made?

"'Behold, the days are coming', declares Yahweh, 'when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah." (Jeremiah 31:31)

It is specifically to be made with both segments or "houses" of Israel! So to even be a participant in the New Covenant, we have to fit one of these categories, Israel or Judah. If we are not, why even bother to argue about covenants that have nothing to do with us? The sins the New Covenant addresses had to have been committed by someone who had been included in the first Covenant.

Once a covenant is violated, it is considered nullified. That's why a replacement was needed: because they had no covenant anymore! The covenant itself was not faulty, but because one of the participating parties, Israel, had broken it, and it could no longer remain in effect and thus had to be renewed. Yahweh had promised certain curses would
come upon Israel if they violated the agreement they'd made with Him.

Two curses in particular were put on the House of Israel (not the Jews, who are Judah, but the Northern Kingdom) in Hosea 1 for having considered Yahweh's Torah (the substance of the Covenant as set down in writing) a "strange thing". (8:12). The first was “no mercy”; the second was no longer being “a people”—an identifiably distinct, unified ethnic group. But...

"The days are coming ...when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of Egypt', but rather, '...who brought the descendants of Israel up...out of all the lands to which He had driven them... I will send for many fishers, and they will fish them out...because My eyes are on all their journeyings; they are not hidden from My presence. But neither is their guilt hidden from My eyes, so first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, for they have defiled my land [with idols].” (Jer. 16:14-18)

The key to this "doubling" is in Ezekiel 4: the prophet lay on his side for 390 days to symbolize the 390 years of punishment the House of Israel had earned. Doubled, it is 780 years. From the final defeat of the Northern Kingdom (722 B.C.), this comes to A.D. 58—just when Paul was setting his sights on the Gentiles. Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom) had mixed with the Gentiles (Hos. 7:8). So the focus in Yahshua's sending
"fishers of men" to all nations was for the sake of the "lost sheep of the House of Israel" hidden among them. Others could respond, which is one reason He scattered them. Outsiders have always been able to join in if they keep the Covenant. But then they are no longer Gentiles, but Israel as well.

Being from the tribe of Judah, Yahshua was still in covenant, and was therefore qualified to restore His relatives to the inheritance they had forfeited, according to the laws of the Kinsman Redeemer (Numbers 27:8-11) as illustrated in the Book of Ruth.

"He is the mediator of the new covenant, so that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called might re-ceive the promise of an eternal inheritance." (Heb. 9:15)

So the New Covenant does specifically address those who were party to the first. "Those who are called" refers to those whose "gifts and calling are irrevocable", that is, Israel. (Rom. 11:29)

Yahshua initiated the renewal of the Covenant at His last Passover, and set it on a firmer foundation—the heavenly Altar instead of the earthly copy (Jn. 20:17; Heb. 7-9), and His untainted blood:

"This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. 26:28)

So the sentence of “no mercy” was now up. Individuals, descendants of the very tribes who had once been in covenant, but left it, could now be brought back into covenant with Yahweh. This began to happen. The term usually translated "church" really means, "called-out ones".

James addressed his epistle to "the twelve tribes in exile". Some differences in the renewed version of the covenant are there because we are still in exile and cannot do everything quite correctly. But many took advantage of this grace period. Leviticus 26:18 also says that if they would still not obey, Yahweh would not only increase the sentence
seven times. And indeed, the Church eventually forsook the Torah again and created a new religion. Of course, some degree of righteousness has been preserved. But seven times 390 years comes out to 2,520 years, which brings us right up to the present. It's time for the second sentence to be up and for Israel to become a "people"—His unified
group—once again. Only when the House of Israel house is fully regathered from among the Gentiles can He fully ratify that covenant with us as a whole “house”.

A "house" in Hebrew has the sense of being a "household"—a family. Israel broke the covenant "though I was a husband to them.'" (Jer. 31:32) The word for "husband" here is Ba'al—which has the connotation of a taskmaster, an overlord. But "in that day", says Yahweh, "you will no longer call Me 'My Ba'al', but rather 'my Ish'—another way of saying "husband", but a much more affectionate way. (Hosea 2:16) It's the same legal relationship, but the change in perspective makes a world of difference!

Yahweh is again calling out for Israel to not just be "saved", but to become all she is meant to be:

"Listen to me, you who ardently pursue righteousness [what is right], who seek after YHWH! Look back to the rock from which you were quarried... Pay attention to Avraham your father." (Isaiah 51:1-2)

Those who want to take the next step into further righteousness need to recognize that they are Israel. The gateway to each of the Temple's courts, as one went inward toward greater holiness, had the same level of sanctity as the court into which it led. We are on the threshold of the Kingdom, so we need to live according to its higher level of holiness.
The New Jerusalem is entered only through gates bearing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. So to really fulfill our whole calling, we must become Hebrews—“those who cross over” out of “Babylon” (Rev. 18), the "world system” that the Church has so deeply bought into as well. If we belong to Messiah, we have to see ourselves as Abraham's children, not Gentiles. (Gal. 3:29; Eph. 2:11) Yahweh scattered us into all the world,
but has reclaimed us, and will snatch us back out:

“After all these things... you will bring [My commandments] back to mind among all the nations into which Yahweh your Elohim has cast you out, and ...return to Yahweh ...and obey His voice ...with all your heart and all your soul. At that time Yahweh will recover those who were taken away ...and withdraw and assemble you from all the nations into which Yahweh your Elohim has dispersed you... Yahweh your Elohim will
circumcise your heart... so that you will love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and all your soul... You will turn back and listen to Yahweh's voice, and carry out all His commands." (Deut. 30:1-8)

The Torah (the Law of Moses) is the written substance of the covenant that the people of Israel took on as a never-ending agreement with Yahweh:

"This is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel: ...I will put My Law on their innermost parts, and write it on their hearts. No longer will everyone teach his fellow..., saying, 'Know Yahweh', because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Jer. 31:33-34a)

Yahshua said, "Not one stroke of the Torah will pass away until all is fulfilled" (Mat. 5:18), so this new covenant must be another of the same kind. Unless we have gotten to the point yet of needing no one to teach us, the Torah is still in effect. All Scripture must be interpreted to agree with it. (Isaiah 8:20) Yahweh does not change His mind. The
confusion lies in seeing the Torah as a means of justification. But "it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin." (Heb. 10:4) That was never its purpose. Galatians tells us it is meant to be our trainer until we see that Yahweh Himself is really all we need; after that it is to bring us to full maturity:

"Our sufficiency is from Yahweh, Who has also made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit..." (2 Cor. 3:5-6)

The "spirit" behind the letter is what is meant by the Torah being written on our hearts. But we don't therefore forsake the vehicle that got us to that point! When we say something is "on our heart", we mean it preoccupies us. It is all but an obsession! So if the Torah is on our hearts, it hardly can mean it is something we no longer practice! It
means we obey not because we have to, but because we long to.

"I will make a new covenant... not like the covenant that I had made with their ancestors on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—which covenant they broke. (Jeremiah 31:32)

This time the Covenant will not be broken! Let's not leave that privilege only to a later generation.

  Some Keys to Interpreting the Scriptures

The Bible is unique. It was written by at least 40 different authors over a period of at least 1,600 years, yet it is in agreement and the many authors utilize the same idioms and symbolism in the same way. This is an evidence that YHWH's hand was guiding it and safeguarding His message.

Probably the most common way in which Scripture is misinterpreted is by taking particular verses out of context.

Next, we should also start with the ways the ancient Jews--those who received YHWH's word directly in their own language and interacted with the prophets--interpreted Scripture. They speak of four basic principles:

(1) The literal, straightforward meaning. When Daniel saw that the years decreed for captivity were almost up, he expected it to mean literally 70 years, and it was--to the very day; when Y’shua rode into Jerusalem the exact day Daniel himself had said the Messiah would be revealed, He held Jerusalem responsible for not recognizing the specific day He was due to visit. So unless it is clearly meant to be poetic (as in Song of Solomon's "your neck is a tower..."), none of the secondary interpretations prevent us form also taking a passage literally.

(2) Allusions to deeper truths hinted at by certain features of the text. The place Jacob had his dream was the same place Abraham had offered Isaac. He "saw it afar off"--geographically, yes, but also chronologically (Heb. 11:13). After YHWH stopped his hand, Abraham saw a ram (a male Lamb) "behind him"--a phrase that in Hebrew also means "in the future"! 2,000 years later YHWH would sacrifice His own Son at that very spot: Golgotha, the highest point of Mt. Moryah. Jacob declared this place to be "Elohim's house", and anointed with oil the stone on which he'd slept. "Messiah" means "anointed one", so YHWH was saying something more about Jacob's resting place; later speaks of a glorious "resting place shall be glorious", referring to the Messiah's still-future reign from that same place. Y’shua said He Himself was the ladder to heaven in Jacob's dream (Jn. 1:51).

(3) Interpretations drawn from searching other parts of scripture, sacred traditions, or daily life, with allegorical value as ethical precedents. And though "context is king", the whole Bible does have links much like the ones you use on the internet. But instead of clicking on a mouse, the means it uses to string together common threads of ideas is the particular words in the original languages. Even though they may be used in different ways in different contexts, the use of the same word often points to a connection that throws light on other passages.

(4) "Mysteries"--not things that can't be understood, but deeper meanings, like Jeremiah's 30 pieces of silver, or David's suffering in Psalm 22.

The names of these four forms of interpretation for an acrostic of the Hebrew word for "Paradise"!
The last major principle I will highlight is: "To the Torah and to the testimony! If they do not speak in agreement with this word, they have no light..." (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 8:20) If an interpretation of the New Testament does not agree with the earlier Hebrew Scriptures (sometimes called the Old Testament), then it is mistaken or the emphasis is at least misplaced. The New Covenant fulfills the former one, and improves on it in some ways, but it never contradicts it. The context for understanding so much of the New is a thorough knowledge of what YHWH gave to Israel first. This web site attempts to give you many keys in this regard.

Always keep in mind that the number one overarching theme which forms the context for all of Scripture is the redemption of the Man with whom YHWH spoke face to face in the Garden through the nation of Israel, including the restoration of the lost sheep of Israel. Thus, although there are no scientific inaccuracies in the Bible when the language is understood properly, the style in which it is written is more directly intended to point us to a symbol of the Messiah than, say, an astronomical fact. Prophesying about the Messiah, who accomplished our redemption, David said, "In the volume (scroll) of the book it is written about Me". (Psalm 40:7) All of the details in the Bible somehow point to a characteristic of the Messiah or some event that will accompany His first or second coming. If it doesn't seem to relate to this, you may have the wrong interpretation --or at least are missing the main point.

  What was that name I read?

 KEY TO THE SPELLINGS AND ABBREVIATIONS IN THE BIBLE TRANSLATION:

In Order after each book name:
Book Title, Traditional English Name, Abbreviation(s) Used

(Titles which are named after particular people are spelled as close to the Hebrew pronunciation as possible, or the Greek, where the Hebrew was not available.)

Part I: The Tenach (Old Testament/First Covenant Tnch., F.C.)

The Torah (The Law of Moses) Tor.
Genesis (B'Reyshith, Beginnings) Genesis, Gen. 1
Exodus (Shemoth, The Words) Exodus, Ex.
Leviticus (WaYiqra, And He Said) Leviticus, Lev.
Numbers (BaMidbar, In the Wilderness) Numbers, Num.
Deuteronomy (Devarim, Rep. of the Covenant) Deuteronomy, Deut.

The Nevi'im (Prophets) Prophetic Books, Nev., Proph.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) Yesh., Ysh., Yeshay.
Yirmyahu (Jeremiah) Yir., Yirm.
Lamentations of Yirmyahu (Eychah) Lamentations, Lam.
Book of the Prophet Yechezqel (Ezekiel) Ychzql., Ych.
Book of the Prophet Daniel, Dan.
Book of the Prophet Hoshea (Hosea) Hos., Hosh.
Book of the Prophet Yoel (Joel) Yo.
Book of the Prophet Amos, Am.
Book of the Prophet Ovadyah (Obadiah) Ov., Ovad.
Book of the Prophet Yonah (Jonah) Yon.
Book of the Prophet Micha (Micah) Mic.
Book of the Prophet Nachum (Nahum) Nach.
Book of the Prophet Havaqquq (Habakkuk) Hav.
Book of the Prophet Tsefanyah (Zephaniah) Tsef., Tsf.
Book of the Prophet Haggay (Haggai) Hg., Hag.
Book of the Prophet Zecharyah (Zechariah) Zech., Zch.
Book of the Prophet Malachi, Mal.

The Ketuvim (Writings) Historical/Poetical Books, Ket., Ktvm.
Yehoshua (Joshua) Yeh., Yehosh.
Judges (Shoftim), Jdg., Judg.
Ruth, Ru.
Books of the Prophet Shmu'el (I & II Samuel) I Shm., 2 Shm.
Books of the Kings (Melachim), I K., 1 K., 2 Kgs.
Chronicles of Israel/Yehudah (Dibri HaYamim), I & II Chronicles, I Chr., 2 Chron.
Book of the Prophet Ezra, Ez.
Book of Nechemyah (Nehemiah) Nech.
The Magillah of Hadassah (Esther), Had.
The Story of Iyov (Job) Iy.
The Psalms (Tehillim) Ps.
Proverbs of Solomon (Mashley Shlomo) Pr., Prov.
Qoheleth Ecclesiastes (The Preacher) Qoh.
Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim), Song of Solomon, Song/S., S/S

Part II: The Renewed Covenant (New Testament), R.C.
(B'rit Chadasha)
The Good News as Recounted by The Gospels G.N.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) Mat., Matt.
Markos (Mark) Mk., Mark.
Lukas (Luke) Lk., Luk.
Yochanan (John) Yoch.
Deeds of the Holy Spirit through the Envoys (Acts of the Apostles) Env.
Letters from the Envoys (Apostolic Epistles) Ltrs.
Letter from Rav Shaul (Paulos/Paul) to the Romans, Rom.
Letters from Shaul to the Korinthians (I & II Corinthians) I. Kor., 2 Kor.
Letter from Shaul to the Congregations in Galatia (Epistle of Paul to the Galatians) Gal.
Letter from Shaul to the Congreg. in Efesos (Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians) Ef., Efes.
Letter from Shaul to the Congreg. in Filippi (Epistle of Paul to the Philippians) Fil.
Letter from Shaul to the Congreg. in Kolossae (Epistle of Paul to the Colossians) Kol.
Letters from Shaul to the Cong. in Thessaloniki (I & II Thessalonians) I Thess., 1 Thes.
Letters from Shaul to Timotheos (I & II Timothy) I Tim., 2 Tim.
Letter from Shaul to Titos (Titus) Tt.
Letter from Shaul to Filemon (Philemon) Flmn.
Letter to the Hebrews (Messianic Jews) Heb.
Letter from Yaakov (James) Ykv.
Letters from (Shim'on) Kefa (I & II Peter) I Kf., 2 Kf.
Letters from Yochanan (I, II, & III John) I Yoch., 2 Yo., 3 Y.
Letter from Rav Yehudah (Jude) Yeh., Yhd. .
Prophecy:
Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah (Revelation to St. John the Divine) Rev.

Other Common Proper Names and their meanings:
Persons
Andreas (Andrew)
Avimelech (Abimelech) = My father is a king
Aviyah (Abijah) = Yahweh is my Father
Avraham (Abraham) = Father of Many Nations
Avram (Abram) = Exalted Father
Bar-Abbas (Barabbas) = Son of Abbas
Binyamin (Benjamin) = Son of my right hand/son of many days
Cham (Ham)
Chananyah (Hananiah, Ananias)
Chanokh (Enoch) = Teaching
Chavvah (Eve) = Living
Dawid (David) -- from teh word for "beloved"
D'vorah (Deborah) = Bee
El'azar (Eleazar) = Elohim helped
Elisheva (Elizabeth) = My Elohim promised
Elohim -- Emphasizes that Yahweh is a judge (a plural word with singular grammatical usage)
Ever (Eber > Hebrew) = crossing over
Filippos (Philip) = Horse-lover
Gid'on (Gideon)
HaSikkaryoth (Iscariot) = Cut-throats
Hevel (Abel)
Hizqiyahu (Hezekiah) = Yahweh is my strength
Kayafa (Caiaphas)
Kefa (Cephas, Peter, Petros) = A stone
Lavan (Laban) = white one
Levi = My heart
Manoach (Manoah) = Comfort, Strengthening
Mashiach (Messiah) = The Anointed One
Menashe (Manasseh) = Forgetting
Methushelach (Methuselah) = With his death, it [the deluge] will come
Miryam (Mary, Miriam)
Nachor (Nahor)
Noach (Noah) = Rest, Comfort
Pinchas (Phinehas, Phineas)
Qayin (Cain)
Rechav'am (Rehoboam)
Reuven (Reuben) = Look, a son!
Rivqah (Rebekah)
Sheth (Seth) = Appointed
Shim'on (Simon, Simeon) = Really, truly hearing
Shlomo (Solomon) = His peace
Stefanos (Stephen) = Crown
Terach (Terah)
Tsadoq (Zadok > Sadducees) = Righteous
Ts'daqyah (Zedekiah) = Yahweh is (my) righteousness
Ya'aqov (Jacob) = Heel-grabber, supplanter
Yafeth (Japheth)
Ya'ir (Jairus)
Yarav'am (Jeroboam)
Yared (Jared) = Shall come down
Yehoshafat (Jehoshaphat) = Yahweh is watching/looking
Yehudah (Judah, Judas > Jew) = Praise
Yisrael (Israel) = One who struggles with Elohim/Prince with Elohim
Y'shua, Yeshua (Jesus) = Yahweh is salvation
YHWH (Yahweh, Jehovah) = I will be what I will be
Yishai (Jesse)
Yishmael (Ishmael) = Elohim will hear
Yissaschar (Issachar) = There is recompense
Yitzhaq (Isaac) = Laughter
Yochanan (John) = Yahweh is gracious
Yoseyf (Joseph) = Yahweh will add
Yoshiyahu (Josiah) = Yahweh is my salvation
Zakkai (Zacchaeus)
Zavdi (Zebedee)
Zecharyah (Zechariah, Zacharias) = Yahweh remembered
Places
Amarah (Gomorrha)
Bavel (Babel) = Gate of Elohim
Beyth Anyah (Bethany) = House of unripe figs
Beyth Fagey (Bethphage) = House of ripe figs
Beyth Lechem (Bethlehem) = House of bread (food)
Beyth Tsaydah (Bethsaida)
Eilat (Elath)
Ferath (Euphrates)
Galil (Galilee) = The circle
Giv'ah (Gibeah)
Giv'on (Gibeon)
Hatzor (Hazor) = The Rock
Kanaan (Canaan)
Karmel (Carmel)
Kaysria (Caesarea) = Caesar's place
K'far Nachum (Capernaum) = Village of Consolation
Moav (Moab) = From the father
Moryah (Moriah) = Myrrh of Yahweh
Natzereth (Nazareth) = Branch
S'dom (Sodom)
Shiloah (Siloam)
Shomron (Samaria)
Soreq (Sorek)
Tsarfath (Zarephath, Sarepta)
Tsi'on (Zion)
Tsiydon (Sidon)
Tsoraa (Zorah)
Yafo (Joppa, Jaffa) = Beautiful
Yarden (Jordan) = Runs downward from Dan
Yehudah (Judea) = land of the Jews
Yericho (Jericho)
Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) = Light and peace, or He sees (two kinds of) peace
Yizre'el (Jezreel) = Elohim will help
Tribes and National groups
Chittites (Hittites)
Chiwites (Hivites)
Yevusites (Jebusites)

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