Abram brings all these animals, cuts them in half, and arranges the halves opposite each other — but he does not cut the birds in half. The ceremony Abram is preparing is a 'cutting of covenant' (Hebrew: karath berit, literally 'cut a covenant') — the animals are cut apart, and the parties to the covenant walk between the pieces. The imagery declares what will happen to the party that breaks the covenant: they will be cut apart like these animals. Jeremiah 34:18–19 references this exact ceremony as the background for the covenant Israel violated. The dove and pigeon are not divided — a detail consistent with later Levitical practice where birds were not split for burnt offerings (Leviticus 1:17). The application: covenant-making in the biblical world was not casual. The ceremony Abram is preparing declares: may what happened to these animals happen to me if I break this covenant. The seriousness of covenant language in Scripture flows from this kind of ceremony.

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