Event Old Testament
The covenant with Abraham
Also known as Abrahamic covenant
God bound Himself by covenant to Abram: descendants as many as the stars, a land for them, and an everlasting relationship in which God would be their God. Abram believed, and it was credited to him as righteousness. God later gave him the name Abraham and the sign of circumcision.
Why it matters. Paul builds his account of justification by faith on Genesis 15:6, and Luke's infancy narrative twice describes the coming of Jesus as God remembering this covenant.
- Primary passages
- Dates
- 2100 to 1800 BC (approximate) (low confidence, Broad range covering the main proposals for the patriarchal period)
As with the call of Abraham, no external anchor dates the covenant; the span covers the usual proposals for the patriarchs.
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: low
Genesis records the covenant in stages: the promise of offspring and land sealed by a sacrifice in chapter 15, the sign of circumcision and the new name in chapter 17, and the oath after the binding of Isaac in chapter 22. FaithGraph treats these as one covenant unfolding.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The call of Abraham precedes The covenant with Abraham
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe covenant ceremonies of Genesis 15 and 17 follow the call and the settlement in Canaan.
Evidence:The covenant with Abraham precedes The Passover and the exodus
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceGenesis 15 already foresees the descendants' servitude and rescue, and Exodus opens with the family in Egypt generations later.
Abraham participates in The covenant with Abraham
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceGod makes the covenant with Abram, credits his faith as righteousness, and renames him Abraham.
The covenant with Abraham develops the theme Covenant
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceGenesis calls this an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants, sealed by circumcision.
Evidence: