WHY "NEW COVENANT" CANNOT MEAN "RENEWED COVENANT"

Foreword.
The only reason for creating the idea of Ђrenewed covenantї instead of New Covenant is this: some messianic believers tried to defend necessity to keep the Torah commandments. They thought if the new covenant had superseded the old one, the old covenant had perished with the Torah and its commandments. So these believers perverted the text to defend their theology of keeping commandments. But I believe that even if their theology is correct, the end mustn't justify the means. Now I will show that they might not worry anyway: newness of the New Covenant has nothing to do with changing or nullifying commandments at all. Also I will show that the word CHADASH (in Hebrew) or KAINOS (in Greek) cannot mean Ђrenewedї.

I The word CHADASHA in Jer 31:31 means new and not renewed.
The form for renewed would be M'CHUDASHA or M'CHUDESHET (which of course is derived from the same root yet has different meaning). The word KAINOS used in any place of the New Testament in phrase "New Covenant" means new and not renewed. The word for renewed would be derived from the word ANAKAINIZO. There is no translation that has "renewed" instead of "new" in passages about the New Covenant.

The Hebrew word KARAT used in Jeremiah and usually translated as "to make [a covenant]" literally means "to cut", and always means establishing a brand new agreement.


II Even if these Hebrew and Greek words could mean "renewed", the contexts where they are used in the Scripture don't allow such an understanding. The only meaning that can be accepted for this word is "new" with meaning "different" in comparison to the Old Covenant.
The word "renewed" means:
1. Something started again (without changing it) or
2. Something old repaired to be LIKE new (as it was before its becoming old).

In both cases the idea is restoring of previous situation (status quo), and not improvement. I will not discuss the first meaning of the word УrenewФ (starting the same again) as one that evidently cannot be applied to covenants. All instances of renewing covenants in the Bible meant only repeating same things again for the next generation. Now I will try to show that the second meaning (making something old to be as good as new) doesnТt work also. Using the word "renew" in this meaning would mean that after some period of time (1500 years?) the Mosaic covenant became old and not as good as before. So G-d renewed it. Now that Old (now New again) covenant is good as if were just given on Sinai. But NOT BETTER. But it would be a strange understanding. The problem of the Old Covenant was not that it had become worse with time. It had faults from the beginning because of sinfulness of human nature: Heb 8:7:

"for if that first were faultless, a place would not have been sought for a second."

And only coming of the New Covenant made the Old obsolete: Heb 8:13:

"in the saying Сnew,Т He hath made the first old, and what doth become obsolete and is old is nigh disappearing".

So it is Old not because of its age, but because of existence of something newer.
It is not as if the first Covenant became old and G-d repaired it to be New, but He created a new covenant (maybe still having the Old Covenant working) because the first covenant had faults. Now that first covenant became Old.

So "renew" order is this: the Mosaic Covenant is too old, G-d renews it, now it is new.
"New" (biblical) order is this: the Mosaic Covenant has faults, G-d makes new Covenant without those faults, now the first covenant is Old and obsolete.

The newness or difference of the New Covenant is very evident in 2Cor 3:6:

"who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life".

Saying "the letter", Paul means ten commandments which is clear from the context of this passage. See also Ex 34:28 and Deut 4:13. The same idea is expressed in both Jeremiah and Hebrews: the Old Covenant just demanded obedience but couldn't help to overcome sinful human nature, so the sons of Israel broke that covenant. But later G-d made with Israel a new (different) covenant. Now G-d's commandments will be written on their hearts, so G-d Himself will provide obedience of Israel. G-d also will provide means for forgiveness of their sins. This is the essence of the New Covenant.

Appendix:

StrongТs Hebrew lexicon
02319. chadash khaw-dawshТ; from 02318; new:Чfresh, new thing

Online Bible Greek-English lexicon
1) new
1a) as respects form
1a1) recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn
1b) as respects substance
1b1) of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

Strong's Greek lexicon
2537. kainos kahee-nosТ; of uncertain affinity; new (especially in freshness; while 3501 is properly so with respect to age:Чnew.

See olso:
Any lexicon

ƒмитрий –езник