ABSTRACT
The Bible describes how God sets Israel aside for His religio-political purposes through covenant. Biblical covenants have three dimensions. They contain a theological dimension; a national-political dimension relating to Israel as a people or an organized body politic; and a normative dimension dealing with foundation or maintenance of justice, either tzedakah u'mishpat or hok u'mishpat which includes within it a framework of obligations and rights. In covenantal polities, justice is determined by the moral principle upon which the covenant is based. One's obligations are to one's covenant partners and one's rights are derived from and defined by the covenant itself. The Bible sets forth a comprehensive covenantal system, establishing a framework for both justice and rights in this world, one that offers the civil and social protections of contemporary rights theory without succumbing to the excesses of that theory.
