The Abrahamic covenant
The covenant between Abraham and God consisted of three separate parts:
- the promised land
- the promise of the descendants
- the promise of blessing and redemption
The promised land
The first part of the covenant is known as the promised land and can be found in Genesis 12:1, where Abraham is called by God to leave Ur and go to a place known as Canaan. The land of Canaan then became known as Israel. Israel was named after Abraham's grandson and is often referred to as the promised land because the belief is that God promised to give the land to the descendants of Abraham.
The promise of the descendants
The second part of the covenant is known as the promise of the descendants and can be found in Genesis 12:2. This is where God promised Abraham that he would make a great nation out of him – I will increase your numbers very, very much, and I will make you into nations...
. This is when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham meaning ‘father of many nations’.
The promise of blessing and redemption
The third and last part of the Abrahamic covenant is known as the promise of blessing and redemption. It can be found in Genesis 12:1-3, where God promises to bless Abraham and all of his descendants. As part of this last covenant, God asked Abraham to remove his foreskinA roll of skin which covers the end of a penis. and the foreskin of all Jewish boys after him. This process is known as circumcision (Judaism)The removal of the foreskin from the penis performed by a qualified mohel on all Jewish boys, usually on the eighth day after birth. Also known as Brit Milah. and is a sign of the Abrahamic covenant.
