Page 14 - Old Testament Survey

East because of the patriarchal cultural system, especially concerning privileges and responsibility.
Privileges and responsibilities were only reserved for the members of the household/family. Thus, the
significance of kinship lies in its power to make it possible for an individual (non-kin) to establish a
relationship of privilege and responsibility to another household by means of an oath. It is this concept
that made the outsider be considered and treated as part of the family. For example, the widows and
orphans would greatly benefit because of this concept. Belonging to a family in this culture was very
important because of the privileges and responsibilities, but the opposite was not good.

Parity Treaties and Suzerain/Vassal Treaties

The concept of covenant, as mentioned earlier, was not just between families or tribes, but it was also
between kingdoms. The covenants between kingdoms can be categorized into two: the parity treaty and
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the suzerain/vassal treaty. The parity treaty can also be called a “military alliance” because it was
basically between two superpowers or even between petty kingdoms that wanted to defend each other
in case of a war. The suzerain/vassal treaty, on the other hand, was between the weak and the strong
kingdoms. Oftentimes, the less powerful would seek help and sometimes be forced to submit to a
superpower (suzerain). This meant that the weaker (vassal) nation would submit and pay tribute to the
superpower in exchange for protection from enemies. The superpower was thus responsible for
protecting the vassal in case of a war. Rebellion from the vassal was considered an act of treason and
punishable sometimes by wiping out the entire people group.

The amazing part of this concept is that God used this very concept to communicate to His people,
Israel. Israel, in this case, would be considered a vassal nation to God, and God as the Suzerain. The
vassal nation was supposed to submit to the suzerain nation. Thus, the nation of Israel was supposed to
submit to God after he rescued them from Egypt. God, as the suzerain, had the responsibility of
watching over His vassal. The beauty, however, about this story of God and the Nation of Israel is that
God proved himself better and different from the “suzerain” nations because he rescued Israel even
before they were obedient to him. Thus, Israel was supposed to be obedient because of what God had
already done. He still promised blessings if they continued to obey and curses if they disobeyed. The
Biblical and the Near Eastern concepts of a covenant were always sealed by an oath and sacrifice.

The practice of making covenants was very common in Israel, especially when initiating and defining
international relations. Joshua’s relationship with the Gibeonites is an example of international
relations of covenant-making in the Near East. (Joshua 9:23-27 and 1 Kings 5:15) In this case, the
Gibeonites were a vassal nation to Israel. Israel would protect them when war broke out. As mentioned
earlier, the covenant was always sealed by an oath and sacrifice. And oftentimes the one making an
oath would pass between the sacrificed animals while swearing, “May what has happened to these
animals happen to me if I do not keep this oath.”

Validating a Covenant in the Bible

Today, when two people want to agree, there are various ways to ensure that both parties will perform
in their agreement. Years ago, they used to shake hands on the terms. But since today, many people are
not totally honest, other means have developed to verify integrity. For example, if you purchase some
land or a home, normally both parties will sign a document that transfers ownership from one to
another. The document is notarized by witnesses and normally signed by both parties in an attorney’s

4 https://thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp?file=49026

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