What was a blood covenant?
Genesis 15:9 - 21
ESV - 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
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Asked July 01 2013
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The scene would look quite ominous to modern-day observers-five bloody animal carcasses on the ground, three of them split in half, with the halves separated a short distance from each other. But i...
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Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
I am reading through the Bible in a year, and one of the videos that Bible Recap suggests as a supplement to her Genesis 12-15 podcast was one by Tim Keller. It's excellent. In it he puts forth: Parties cut animals like heifers, goats, rams, birds, and doves in half, laying the halves opposite each other to create a pathway. Those making the covenant walked this path, pledging: "May I be torn apart and devoured by scavengers if I break my word." God told Abraham to ready these animals (Genesis 15:9-11), preparing for the covenant. In deep darkness, symbols of God's presence, a smoking firepot and flaming torch, moved between the pieces solo (Genesis 15:17), sparing Abraham the walk. God alone assumed the covenant's curse for both sides, guaranteeing Abraham's blessings even amid human shortcomings. This previews Christ's gospel fulfillment, dying under darkness (Mark 15:33) so God's eternal nature embraced death, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:8. Assisted by perplexity.ai and God's Covenant with Abraham | Genesis 15 The Study of Christianity
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