As Waltke (2001: 136) puts it, ‘A covenant solemnizes and confirms a social relationship already in existence.’36 Hence our discussion throws important light on the precise relationship between creation and covenant. Rather than allowing creation to be subsumed under covenant,37 covenant must be understood in the context of creation. The priority of creation over covenant has important ramifications for redemptive or salvation history. The latter is concerned not merely with the restoration of the