Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar. The division of the blood — half on the altar, half in bowls for the people — creates the covenant bond. Blood was the life-substance in ancient Near Eastern thought; the sharing of blood created a relationship of binding obligation. The blood on the altar represents the offering to God; the blood retained for the people represents the coming of God's covenant life to the community. Hebrews 9:18–20 identifies this ceremony as the covenant ratification event, citing Moses' words in verse 8 as the prototype of the cup of the new covenant. The blood divided and then brought together in covenant bond is the grammar of every subsequent covenant ceremony.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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