διαθήκη, -ης, 7, (διατίθημι) ; 1. a disposition, arrangement, of any sort, which one wishes to be valid, (Germ. Verordnung, Willensverfiigung): Gal. iii. 15, where under the name of ἃ man’s disposition is meant specifically a testament, so far forth as it is a specimen and example of that disposition [cf. Mey. or Bp. Lghtft. ad loc.]; esp. the last disposal which one makes of his earthly possessions after his death, a testament or will (so in Grk. writ. fr. [Arstph.], Plat. lege. 11 p. 922 ¢. sqq. down): Heb. ix. 16 sq. 2. a compact, covenant (Arstph. av. 440), very often in the Seriptures for M3 (Vulg. testamen136 . tum). For the word covenant is used to denote the close relationship which God entered into, first with Noah (Gen. vi. 18; ix. 9 sqq. [ef. Sir. sliv. 18]), then with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their posterity (Lev. xxvi. 42 [ef. 2 Mace. i. 2]), but esp. with Abraham (Gen. xv. and xvii.), and afterwards through Moses with the people of Israel (Ex. xxiv.; Deut. v. 2; xxviii. 69 (xxix. 1)). By this last covenant the Israelites are bound to obey God's will as expressed and solemnly promulged in the Mosaic law; and he promises them his almighty protection and blessings of every kind in this world, but threatens transgressors with the severest punishments. Hence in the N.'T. we find mention of ai πλάκες τῆς διαθήκης (ST NIN, Deut. ix. 9, 15), the tables of the law, on which the duties of the covenant were inscribed (Ex. xx.); of ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθ. (37 7178, Deut. x. 8; xxxi. 9; Josh. iii. 6, ete.), the ark of the covenant or law, in which those tables were deposited, Heb. ix. 4 ; Rey. xi. 19; of ἡ διαθήκη περιτομῆς the covenant of circumcision, made with Abraham, whose sign and seal was circumcision (Gen. xvii. 10 sqq.), Acts vii. 8; of τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης the blood of the victims, by the shedding and sprinkling of which the Mosaic covenant was ratified, Hleb. ix. 20 fr. Ex. xxiv. 8; of αἱ διαθῆκαι the covenants, one made with Abraham, the other through Moses with the Israelites, Ro. ix. 4 [L txt. Tr mre. ἡ διαθήκη] (Sap. xviii. 22; Sir. xliv. 11; 2 Mace. viii. 15; Ep. of Barn. 9; [ef. W. 177 (166)])5; of ai διαθῆκαι τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, the covenants to which the promise of salvation through the Messiah was annexed, Eph. ii. 12 (συνθῆκαι ἀγαθῶν ὑποσχέσεων, Sap. xii. 21); for Christian salvation is the fulfilment of the divine promises annexed to those covenants, esp. to that made with Abraham: Lk. i. 72 sq.: Acts iii. 25; Ro. xi. 27; Gal. iii. 17 (where διαθήκη is God’s arrangement i. e. the promise made to Abraham). As the new and far more excellent bond of friendship which God in the Messiah’s time would enter into with the people of Israel is called DWAIN 173, καινὴ διαθήκη (Jer. xxxviii. (xxxi.) 31),—which divine promise Christ has made good (Leb. viii. 8-10; x. 16), — we find in the N. Τὸ two distinct covenants spoken of, δύο διαθῆκαι (Gal. iv. 24), viz. the Mosaic and the Christian, with the former of which (τῇ πρώτῃ διαθήκῃ, Heb. ix. 15, 18, ef. viii. 9) the latter is contrasted, as καινὴ διαθήκη, Mt. xxvi28; Mk. xiv. 24 (in both pass. in RGL [in Mt. in Tr also]) ; Lk. xxii. 20 [WH reject the pass.]; 1 Co. xi. 25; 2 Co. iii. 6; Heb. viii. 8; κρείττων διαθήκη, Heb. vii. 22; αἰώνιος διαθήκη, Heb. xiii. 20; and Christ is called xpetrTovos OY καινῆς or νέας διαθήκης μεσίτης : Heb. viii. 6; ix. 15; xii. 24. This new covenant binds men to exercise faith in Christ, and God promises them grace and salvation eternal. This covenant Christ set up and ratified by undergoing death; hence the phrases τὸ αἷμα τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης. (see αἷμα sub fin.), [Heb. x. 297; τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης. my blood by the sheddine of which the covenant is established, Mt. xxvi. 28 T WH and Mk. xiv. 24 T Tr WII (on two gen. after one noun cf. Matthiae § 380, Anm.1; Kiihner ii. p. 288 sq.; [Jelf § 543, 1, οἵ. § 466; W.§ 30,3 Note 3; Β. 155 (136)]). By metonymy of the contained for the container ἡ παλαιὰ διαθήκη is used in 2 Co. iii. 14 of the sacred books of the 0. T. because in them the conditions and principles of the older covenant were recorded. Finally must be noted the amphiboly or twofold use [οἵ. Philo de mut. nom. § 6] by which the writer to the Hebrews, in ix. 16 sq-, substitutes for the meaning covenant which διαθήκη bears elsewhere in the Ep. that of /estament (see 1 above), and likens Christ to a testator, — not only because the author regards eternal blessedness as an inheritance bequeathed by Christ, but also because he is endeavoring to show, both that the attainment of eternal salvation is made possible for the disciples of Christ by his death (ix. 15), and that even the Mosaic covenant had been consecrated by blood (18 sqq.). This, apparently, led the Latin Vulgate to render διαθήκη wherever it occurs in the Bible [i. e. in the New Test., not always in the Old; see B.D. s. v. Covenant, and B.D. Am. ed. 5. v. Testament} by the word ‘estamentum.

διαθήκη diathēkē 33x

a testamentary disposition, will; a covenant, Heb. 9:16, 17; Gal. 3:15; in NT, a covenant of God with men, Gal. 3:17; 4:24; Heb. 9:4; Mt. 26:28; the writings of the old covenant, 2 Cor. 3:14

διαθήκη, -ης, ἡ

(< διατίθημι), [freq. in LXX, and nearly always for בְּרִית ;]

as usually in cl., a disposition, testament, will (Plat., al.): Ga 3:15 (R, mg., but v. Lft., in l.), He 9:16, 17 (R, txt.; MM, Exp., xi,; Milligan, NTD, 75; Abbott, Essays, 107; Deiss., LAE, 341; but v. infr.).

As in LXX (for בְּרִית) = cl. συνθήκη, a convention, arrangement, covenant (exc. in the disputed cases mentioned above, always between God and man, "perhaps with the feeling that the δια- compound was more suitable than the συν- for a covenant with God---συνθ. might suggest equal terms," MM, Exp., l.c.): Ga 3:15 (R, txt., but v. supr., and cf. Thayer, s.v.), He 9:16, 17 (R, mg., Westc., in l.,; Hatch, Essays, 47; but v. supr.), Mt 26:28, Mk 14:24, Lk 1:72, Ac 3:25 7:8, Ro 11:27 (LXX), II Co 3:14, Ga 3:17, He 7:22 8:6, ib. 9, 10 (LXX) 9:4, 15-17 ib. 20 (LXX) 10:16 (LXX), 29 12:24 13:20, Re 11:19; καινὴ δ., Mt 26:28, and Mk 14:24 (R, mg.), Lk 22:20, I Co 11:25, II Co 3:6, He 8:8 (LXX) 9:15; pl. Ro 9:4, Ga 4:24, Eph 2:12.†

διαθηκη superfluous, P Petr III. 6 (ὁ)15 (c. B.c. 236) τὴ]ν διαθήκην καταλείπω will be about the earliest example: P Grenf I. 177 (c. B.C. 147 or 136) and 76. 214 (B.c. 126) also fall within the LXX period. So do such inserr. as OG/S 3387 (8.6. 133), of the instrument by which King Attalus of Pergamum devised his country to Rome, A/ichel 1001 ἷν- 8 (c. B.C. 200) κατὰ διαθήκαν (the testament of Epicteta, in Theran Doric), and one of iii/B.c. in ᾿Αθηνᾷ xx. p. 167 κατὰ τὰς διαθήκας, Sy 8279 (i/B.c.) might also be cited—houses and gardens bequeathed by a woman to Aphrodite Urania, κατὰ τὰς διαθήκας τὰς κειμένας ἐν τῶι ἱερῶι τῆς ᾿Αφροδίτης καὶ παρ᾽ Εἰὐνομίδει τῶι ἄρχοντι καὶ παρὰ τῶι θεσμοθέτει Κτησιφῶντι. We may also mention BGU IV. 11517 (B.c. 14) καθ᾽ ἣν ἔθετο διαθήκ(ην) διὰ τοῦ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ἀρχείου, if illustration is needed to show that the Jews used the word in this sense. Cagnat 1V. 804 (= C. and Δ. ii. p. 475, no. 330), a bilingual inscr. from Apamea, has heredes ex testamento vendered by κληρονόμοι κατὰ διαθήκην. On the verb διατίθεμαι see s.7. ; we may mention here that ἀδιάθετος = intestate, as in BGU IV. 118517 (end of i/B.c.) ἐὰν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν τελευτήσωσι ἀδιάθετοι, P Oxy IX. 12018 (A.D. 258) τῶν κατὰ διαδοχὴν κληρονομηθέντων ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀδιαθέτου τετελευτηκότος. Against this word stands συνθήκη (not in NT), which Aquila substituted in 4 Kings 2374 for LXX διαθήκη. It is to the last the word for compact, just as διαθήκη is always and only the word for τοῦ. The index to Sy// will sufficiently prove this for συνθήκη, for which we may add the ostracon in Chrest. 1. r10A!° (B.C. 110) (p. 141) εἶ μὴν ἅτε διενεκθέντες πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ δρόμου τοῦ ᾿Απολλωνιήου τῇ B τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς τὰς συνθήκας ἐδώκαμεν ἹΠεριγένῃ τῶι γραμματεῖ. Any thought of some special *‘ Hebraic ” flavour about the use, of διαθήκη for covenant is excluded by the isolated but absolutely clear passage in Aristophanes (δέγας 439), where compact is the unmistakeable meaning. This passage is enough to prove that διαθήκη is properly dzsPositio, an ‘‘ arrangement ” made by one party with plenary power, which the\other party may accept or reject, but cannot alter. A will is simply the most conspicuous example of such an instrument, which ultimately monopolized the word just because it suited its differentia so completely. But it is entirely natural to assume that in the period of the LXX this monopoly was not established, and the translators were free to apply the general meaning as a rendering of N73. For this course there was an obvious motive. A covenant offered by God to man was no ‘‘ compact”? between two parties coming together on equal terms. Ataθήκη in its primary sense, as described above, was exactly the needed word. Passing thus to the NT, we ask whether we are bound to keep to one rendering throughout. Westcott and W. F. Moulton in their commentaries on Ileb 916f., and formerly G. Milligan (Theology of the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 166 ff.) held that covenant must stand everywhere. Deissmann (52. Paz/, p. 152) insists on festament everywhere, if we may judge from an express reference to Lk 2239 compared with #°) and Gal 315 474, 1 Cor 1125, 2 Cor 3°, together with ‘‘ very frequent’ appearance in LXX. Now we may fairly put aside the idea that in LXX ‘‘ testament ” is the invariable meaning: it takes some courage to find it there at all. But on the other hand. a Hellenist like the

διαθήκη (diathēkē) — covenant. διαθήκη, ἡ, (διατίθημι) disposition of property by will, testament, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ διαθήκην by will, [Refs 1st c.BC+], etc.: in plural, διαθήκας διαθέσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]

II. αἱ ἀπόρρητοι δ. mystic deposits on which the common weal depended, probably oracles (compare διαθέτης), [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II.2. name of an eyesalve, because the recipe was deposited in a temple, [Refs 6th c.AD+]

III. compact, covenant, ἢν μὴ διαθῶνται διαθήκην ἐμοί [LXX+5th c.BC+]; καινή, παλαιὰ δ., [NT]; disposition (with allusion to [NT]

IV. ={διάθεσις}[Refs 3rd c.AD+]