Hosea 6:7 Did God make a covenant with Adam? How do we know?

Question

Is the comparison, Hosea makes between Adam and the people of Israel, that they both transgressed a covenant with God or simply that they both transgressed?

Hosea 6:7 (ESV): But like Adam they transgressed the covenant;
there they dealt faithlessly with me.

If it is clearly implied that what Adam trangressed was a covenant with God, what are the indicators from the Genesis account that the relationship between God and Adam was covenantal?

Answer 1

Great question! We should first observe that the word for "covenant" בְּרִית (berith) is never used in connection with Adam. Its first appearance in the Biblical text is Gen 6:18 in connection with the Noahide covenant.

However, a number of scholars have observed "covenant language" in Gen 1 & 2. Generally, covenants, in their complete form, had a structure shown in the appendix. Most of this can be seen in the promises and instructions given to Adam and Eve, and thus is often termed the "Edenic Covenant" specifically:

Bible References: Gen 1:26, 28-30, 2:16, 17.

This covenant is not as explicit as those which follow because the word “covenant” is not used. However, following the general principle that laws are never given without a being in the context of a covenant, there appears to be a clear implication of one. This covenant consists of:

• God blessed mankind, Gen 1:28
• God gives the gift of all seed-bearing plants as food, including fruit trees and green plants, Gen 1:28, 2:16
• Command to “be fruitful”, Gen 1:28
• Command to “multiply”, Gen 1:28
• Command to “fill the earth”, Gen 1:28
• Command to “subdue the earth”, Gen 1:28
• Command to “rule/have dominion over all the creatures”, Gen 1:26, 28
• Command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil else they would die, Gen 2:17. [This was, unfortunately, disobeyed and then fulfilled in Gen 3.]

Thus, many have argued that there was a prevailing divine covenant applying to Adam and Eve as broadly listed above.

APPENDIX - Covenant Structure

All divine covenants in the Bible contain the following six elements:

• Statement of pre-amble and/or purpose of the covenant
• Promise of benefits given by God. This shows that such divine covenants are the initiative of God alone. In no case were such covenants initiated by humans.
• Promise of curses/consequences if the covenant is not kept
• Requirements of people on whom the benefits are bestowed. This is sometimes also call the associated “law” of the covenant.
• A sign of the covenant to remind the people of their responsibilities
• A ceremony, usually consisting of a “cutting”, always a sacrifice or similar.

Answer 2

A covenant doesn't necessarily have to be formed in the ritual manner of ancient middle east, by sacrificing animal etc. Whenever God commands and you agree or accept, it becomes a contract, mutual agreement, a covenant.

When you work for your master, you are working under a covenant of agreement, even though you may not have done the ritual of sacrifice.

God has written his laws in the heart (conscience) of men (Romans 2:6-12) and they are thus in a covenant with God by virtue of basic moral conscience. That moral conscience itself indicates the reality of the allegorical account of Adam. Transgression necessarily implies a law to be transgressed. No law, no covenant: no transgression of that covenant.

The following is from an answer from Judaism-SE on the same question on Hosea 6:7.

Rashi says

like Adam: Heb. כְּאַדָם, like the first man. there they betrayed Me: In a good land where I settled them, there they betrayed Me, like Adam, whom I brought into the Garden of Eden, and he transgressed My commandment. [from Gen. Rabbah 19:9]

Medrash Rabbo Hamevuor explains (abridged):

Just like HKB”H introduced Adam into Gan Eden with a commandment (which the Medrash understands to be a covenant, bris), he transgressed and was exiled, so too Adam's children were introduced to Eretz Yisroel, commanded with the Torah (also a bris) transgressed and were exiled.