Bible Dictionary
Testament
The word “testament” is a traditional rendering of the Greek word usually translated “covenant.” Through later usage it became the name for the two major divisions of the Bible: the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Definition
“Testament” is a traditional rendering of the Greek word diatheke, which is generally translated “covenant.” Through this usage it became the name for the two major divisions of the Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Biblical Usage
In most New Testament passages diatheke means covenant, while in Hebrews 9:16–17 it was rendered “testament” in the sense of a will that takes effect after the maker’s death.
Historical Background
The Vulgate translated diatheke as testamentum, and this helped establish the names Old Testament and New Testament for the two divisions of the Bible.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Occurs twelve times in the New Testament (Heb. 9:15, etc.) as the rendering of the Gr. diatheke, which is twenty times rendered “covenant” in the Authorized Version, and always so in the Revised Version. The Vulgate translates incorrectly by testamentum, whence the names “Old” and “New Testament,” by which we now designate the two sections into which the Bible is divided. (See BIBLE.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>tes'-ta-ment: The word diatheke, almost invariably rendered "covenant," was rendered in the King James Version "testament" in Heb 9:16,17, in the sense of a will to dispose of property after the maker's death. It is not easy to find justification for the retention of this translation in the Revised Version (British and American), "especially in a book which is so impregnated with the language of the Septuagint as the Epistle to the Hebrews" (Hatch).</p><p>See COVENANT, IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.</p>