Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

ALLIANCE

Close association of powerful individuals or nations for a common objective. Such alliances were ratified by various means, including gifts, oaths, dowries and marriages, and covenants.

In patriarchal times Israelites entered into alliances with foreign nations without hesitation. Abraham had an alliance with three Amorites: Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner (Gn 14:13, 24) and with Abimelech, king of Gerar (Gn 21:22-34). Isaac also made an alliance with Abimelech (Gn 26:26-31). Later, Moses forbade the Israelites to make alliances with the Canaanites (Ex 23:31-33; 34:12; Dt 7:1-4), primarily for religious reasons. In the time of the judges the Israelites were reminded of that command (Jgs 2:1-3), but Joshua 9 tells how Israel was tricked into making an alliance with the Gibeonites.

During the period of the monarchy, various kings formed alliances and intermarried with foreigners. David (before he was king of all Israel) made an agreement with Achish, king of Gath, under which he was expected to fight with the Philistines against the Israelite army of Saul (1 Sm 27:1; 28:2). Solomon made alliances for the purpose of trade with Hiram of Tyre (1 Kgs 5:1-18; 9:26-28) and with the king of Egypt (1 Kgs 9:16). After the division of the kingdom, Asa formed an alliance with the king of Syria, Ben-hadad (1 Kgs 15:18-20). Shortly thereafter, Ahab, King of Israel, joined Jehoshaphat in fighting Syria (1 Kgs 22:1-4; 2 Chr 18:1-13). About a century later, King Pekah of Israel formed an alliance with Rezin, king of Syria, to fight Ahaz, king of Judah (Is 7:1-9), and Ahaz in turn made an alliance with Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, to fight against Pekah and Rezin (2 Kgs 16:7-9). The last king of Judah, Zedekiah, made an alliance with Egypt against the Babylonians (2 Kgs 24:20; Ez 17:1-21). In general these alliances brought foreign cults into Jerusalem (2 Kgs 16:10-18) and led the prophets to cry out against them (Hos 8:8-10; Is 30:1-3, 15-16; Jer 2:18).