In Hebrew, Brit, meaning a pledge or alliance and had the root of “cutting,” like “cutting a deal,” though animals were literally split in half and it was stated “let me be as these animals if I break this deal.”
In Greek, it is diathakay, meaning more or less “will” as in the arrangements called a “last will and testament,” but is also translated as a covenant. The idea is the things which you would like to have completed, which is similar to the English concept of a contract.
This is also translated “testament,” as in “New Testament.”
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