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διαθήκη

diathḗkē

G1242 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

An agreement or declaration established by one party, often a formal arrangement or settlement; in Hellenistic and New Testament Greek, especially denotes a unilateral disposition or will, but is also used to convey the idea of a solemn arrangement or covenant between parties. The word commonly refers to a legal testament or a binding arrangement, and, in specific contexts, to a covenant initiated by a deity with humans.

Semantic Range

a legal will or testament, a formal disposition, a pact or agreement, a divinely initiated covenant, an arrangement, testamentary disposition, declaration or pledge (esp. in religious context), solemn arrangement

Root / Etymology

Derived from the verb διατίθημι (to set out, to arrange, to make a disposition).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, διαθήκη primarily signifies a will or testament—an individual's disposition of his property posthumously. In the Septuagint, διαθήκη was used to render the Hebrew ברית (berith), expanding its sense to 'covenant,' especially in relation to agreements or solemn pacts, most prominently the covenant between deity and the Israelites. In Hellenistic Greek, the word retained its legal testamentary meaning but acquired this new religious connotation through the influence of Jewish translators. In the New Testament, διαθήκη functions with this dual legacy: emphasizing the unilateral character of the divine promise or arrangement but often translated in English as 'covenant' rather than 'testament.' The usage in Paul and Hebrews draws on both the Hellenistic legal background of a will and the scriptural tradition of divine promises. This sense differs from συνθήκη, which refers to a mutual compact or bilateral agreement. Thus, standard translations such as 'testament' and 'covenant' reflect aspects of the word's semantic field, but no single English term fully expresses its range in Koine usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "covenant" 33 occurrences

διαθήκη most commonly denotes a binding pact or solemn agreement in Biblical contexts (e.g., “new covenant”); while it can mean a legal will/testament, the dominant, natural English rendering across usages is “covenant,” which cleanly covers both divine agreements and formal arrangements.

✓ All renderings match approved senses

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from διατίθεμαι; properly, a disposition, i.e. (specially) a contract (especially a devisory will):--covenant, testament.

Root Family

τιθη- (diathḗkē) — to place, to set, to arrange

Root τιθη- to place, to set, to arrange
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G2698 κατατίθημι to deposit for oneself
G5087 τίθημι was placed

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G1242-04 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant 16
G1242-02 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant 9
G1242-03 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG covenant formal arrangement a covenant 5
G1242-01 διαθῆκαι diathekai N NOM F PL covenants solemn arrangements covenants 2
G1242-05 διαθηκῶν diathekon N GEN F PL covenants of formal arrangements covenants 1

Occurrences in Scripture

33 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G1242-04 Matthew 26:28 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Mark 14:24 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Luke 1:72 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-02 Luke 22:20 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-04 Acts 3:25 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-03 Acts 7:8 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG the covenant formal arrangement a covenant
G1242-01 Romans 9:4 διαθῆκαι diathekai N NOM F PL covenants solemn arrangements covenants
G1242-02 Romans 11:27 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-02 1 Corinthians 11:25 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-04 2 Corinthians 3:6 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 2 Corinthians 3:14 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-03 Galatians 3:15 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG covenant formal arrangement a covenant
G1242-03 Galatians 3:17 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG covenant formal arrangement a covenant
G1242-01 Galatians 4:24 διαθῆκαι diathekai N NOM F PL covenants solemn arrangements covenants
G1242-05 Ephesians 2:12 διαθηκῶν diathekon N GEN F PL covenants of formal arrangements covenants
G1242-04 Hebrews 7:22 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 8:6 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-03 Hebrews 8:8 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG covenant formal arrangement a covenant
G1242-03 Hebrews 8:9 διαθήκην diatheken N ACC F SG covenant formal arrangement a covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 8:9 διαθήκῃ diatheke N DAT F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 8:10 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 9:4 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 9:4 διαθήκης diathekes-2 N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 9:15 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 9:15 διαθήκῃ diatheke N DAT F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 9:16 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG a covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 9:17 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 9:20 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-02 Hebrews 10:16 διαθήκη diatheke N NOM F SG covenant solemn arrangement covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 10:29 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 12:24 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG of covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
G1242-04 Hebrews 13:20 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG of the covenant of a solemn arrangement of the covenant
G1242-04 Revelation 11:19 διαθήκης diathekes N GEN F SG covenant of a solemn arrangement of a covenant
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