covenantal inauguration? Both biblical and extra-biblical evidence combine to confirm a specific significance for this ritual. The animal-division symbolizes a “pledge to the death” at the point of covenant commitment. The dismembered animals represent the curse that the covenant-maker calls down on himself if he should violate the commitment which he has made. This interpretation finds strong support in the words of the prophet Jeremiah. As he recalls Israel’s disloyalty to their covenant commitments,