covenant

Covenant is a formal agreement or promise between two or more parties that imposes obligations and confers rights. The term comes from Old French covenaunt and Latin convenire, meaning to come together or agree. In modern usage it spans legal, religious, and cultural contexts, from binding contracts to sacred promises.

In law, a covenant is a clause in a deed or contract that imposes duties or restrictions on one or more parties or on property. Real covenants often bind future owners “to run with the land,” meaning the obligation applies to successors. Covenants may be positive (requiring action) or negative (restricting behavior), and they can be enforceable by damages or injunctions. Distinctions exist among covenants, contracts, and conditions in formal agreements.

Religious traditions use the concept of covenants to describe binding commitments between the divine and humanity. In Judaism and Christianity, covenants range from Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants in the Hebrew Bible to the New Covenant in Christian theology. These covenants vary in perceived promises and conditions, and they are interpreted differently across denominations. Signs and rituals, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, Passover, and baptism, are often linked to covenants.

In popular culture and discourse, covenant is sometimes used more broadly to denote any binding alliance or agreement. A well-known fictional use is the Covenant, a theocratic alliance of alien species in the Halo video game series, representing a major fictional polity. The term also appears in literature, treaties, and organizational charters as a descriptor of formal, enduring commitments.