A Covenant

A covenant, in its most general sense, is a solemn promise to do or not do something specified.

More specifically, a covenant, in contrast to a contract, is a one-way agreement whereby the covenantor is the only party bound by the promise. A covenant may have conditions and prerequisites that qualify the undertaking, including the actions of second or third parties, but there is no inherent agreement by such other parties to fulfil those requirements. Consequentially, the only party that can break a covenant is the covenantor.

In the biblical context, covenants have been made by God with humanity. This sort of covenant is an important concept in Judaism and Christianity, derived in the first instance from the biblical covenant tradition. An example of a covenant relationship in Judaism and Christianity is that between Abraham and God, in which God made a covenant with Abraham that He would bless Abraham's descendants making them more numerous than the stars. God made an additional covenant with Jesus Christ, called the "new covenant", in which Christ's sacrifice on the cross would atone for the sins of all mankind.

A marriage is also a covenant, sealed with the vow with an object (the ring, for example to signified everlasting with no broken link), that both shall live together for better and for worst.