In this paper, mechanical reliability issues of copper through-wafer interconnections are investigated numerically and experimentally. A hermetic wafer level packaging for MEMS devices is developed. Au-Sn eutectic bonding technology is used to achieve hermetic sealing, and the vertical through-hole via filled with electroplated copper for the electrical connection is also used. The MEMS package has the size of $1mm{ imes}1mm{ imes}700{mu}m$. The robustness of the package is confirmed by several reliability tests. Several factors which could induce via hole cracking failure are investigated such as thermal expansion mismatch, via etch profile, and copper diffusion phenomenon. Alternative electroplating process is suggested for preventing Cu diffusion and increasing the adhesion performance of the electroplating process. After implementing several improvements, reliability tests were performed, and via hole cracking as well as significant changes in the shear strength were not observed. Helium leak testing indicated that the leak rate of the package meets the requirements of MIL-STD-883F specification.