9 Bible Verses about Alliances
Most Relevant Verses
Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. {They were allies with Abram}.
And it happened [that] at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God [is] with you, in all that you do. So now, swear to me here by God [that] you will not deal with me falsely, or with my descendants, or my posterity. According to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall [pledge] to do with me and with the land where you have dwelled as an alien." And Abraham said, "I swear."read more.
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that servants of Abimelech had seized. And Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing, neither did you tell me, nor have I heard [of it] except for today." And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave [them] to Abimelech. And the two of them {made} a covenant. Then Abraham set [off] seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What [is the meaning of] these seven ewe-lambs that you have set [off] by themselves?" And he said, "You shall take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand {as proof on my behalf} that I dug this well." Therefore that place is called Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they {made} a covenant at Beersheba. And Abimelech, and Phicol his army commander stood and returned to the land of the Philistines. And he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, {the everlasting God}. And Abraham dwelled as an alien in the land of the Philistines many days.
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander. And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you." And they said, "We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought let there be an oath between us--between us and you--and let us {make} a covenant with youread more.
that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You [are] now blessed by Yahweh." So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other, and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace. And it happened [that] on that same day the servants of Isaac came and told him about the well that they had dug. And they said, "We have found water!" And he called it Sheba. Therefore the name of the city [is] Beersheba unto this day.
So now, come, let us {make} a covenant, you and I, and let it be a witness between me and you." And Jacob took a stone and set it up [as] a stone pillar. And Jacob said to his kinsmen, "Gather stones." And they took stones and made a pile of stones, and they ate there by the pile of stones.read more.
And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Then Laban said, "This pile of stones [is] a witness between me and you today." Therefore its name is called Galeed, and Mizpah, because he said, "Yahweh watch between me and you when {we are out of sight of each other}. If you mistreat my daughters, and if you take wives besides my daughters, [when] there is no man with us, see--God [is] a witness between me and you." And Laban said to Jacob, "See, this pile of stones, and see the pillar that I have set up between me and you. This pile of stones [is] a witness, and the pillar [is] a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile of stones to you, and that you will not pass beyond this pile of stones and this pillar to me intending harm. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father judge between us." Then Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob sacrificed a sacrifice on the hill, and he called his kinsmen to eat the meal. And they ate the meal and spent the night on the hill.
When Israel dwelled in Shittim, the people began to prostitute [themselves] with the daughters of Moab. And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and worshiped their gods. So Israel was joined together to Baal Peor, and {Yahweh became angry} with Israel.
But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and Ai, and they acted on their part with cunning: they went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and old wineskins [that were] torn and mended. The sandals on their feet [were] patched and old, their clothes [were] old, and their food was dry and crumbled.read more.
And they went to Joshua at the camp [at] Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far land; so then {make a covenant with us}." And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you [are] living among us; how can we {make a covenant} with you?" They said to Joshua, "We [are] your servants." And Joshua said to them, "Who [are] you, and from where do you come?" And they said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far land because of the name of Yahweh your God; we have heard of his reputation, of all that he did in Egypt, and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who [were] beyond the Jordan--to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who [was] in Ashtaroth. So our elders said to us and all the inhabitants of our land, 'Take in your hand provisions for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, "We [are] your servants; so then {make a covenant with us}." ' This [is] our bread; [it was] hot [when] we took it from our houses as provisions on the day we set out to come to you. But now, look, it is dry and crumbled. These [are] the wineskins that we filled new, but look, they have burst; and these [are] our clothes and sandals that have worn out from the very long journey." So the leaders took from their provisions, but {they did not ask direction from Yahweh}. And Joshua made peace with them, and {he made a covenant with them} to allow them to live happily, and the leaders of the congregation swore [an oath] to them. And it happened that at the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that {they were their neighbors} and living among them. And the {Israelites} set out and went to their cities on the third day (their cities [were] Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim). But the {Israelites} did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured {against their leaders}. But all the leaders of the congregation said, "We have sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel, and so we cannot touch them. This we will do to them: [we will] let them live so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them." And the leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said to them. And Joshua summoned them and said, "Why have you deceived us saying, 'We [are] very far from you' when you [are] living among us? Therefore you [are] cursed; some of you will always be slaves as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." And they answered Joshua and said, "Because it was told with certainty to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and so we did this thing. So then, look, we [are] in your hand; do with us whatever seems good and right in your eyes." So he did this to them: he saved them from the hand of the {Israelites}, and they did not kill them. And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who [were] with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. David settled with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his household. David [took along] his two wives Ahinoam {from Jezreel} and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And it was reported to Saul that David had fled [to] Gath, so {he no longer searched for him}.read more.
Then David said to Achish, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let them give me a place in one of the {country towns} that I can live there. Why should your servant live in {the royal city} with you?" So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (Therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this day.) The number of days that David lived in the countryside of the Philistines [was] one year and four months. Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites, for they had been living [in] the land for a long time {in the direction of} Shur and {as far as} the land of Egypt. So David struck the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive; he took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. And Achish said, "Against whom have you raided today?" David said, "Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites." And David did not leave alive a man or a woman to bring [them back] to Gath, thinking, "So that they will not report about us, saying, 'David did thus and so.'" Thus was his practice all the days that he lived in the countryside of [the] Philistines. And Achish trusted David, saying, "{He has made himself utterly hated} among his people in Israel, and he will be my servant forever."
From Thematic Bible
Alliances » Evil » Examples of heathen nations uniting in
And the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered [together] and went up, they and all their forces, and {they laid siege to Gibeon} and made war against it.
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he left no survivor behind.
And all these kings joined forces, and they came and camped together by the waters of Merom to fight with Israel.
He gathered to himself the {Ammonites and Amalekites}, and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms.
Alliances » Evil » Examples of God's people seeking
And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
Restrain your foot from [being] barefoot, and your throat from thirst. But you said, '[It is] hopeless. No! For I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.'
"[Let there be] a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel that he may go up [away] from me."
Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab.
Who go to go down [to] Egypt, but they do not ask [of] my mouth, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
Alliances » Political » With idolaters forbidden
and Yahweh your God will give them {over to you} and you defeat them, you must {utterly destroy them}; you shall not make a covenant with them, and you shall not show mercy [to them].
And Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. And he said to King Jehoshaphat, "Should you [be] a help to the wicked and love those who hate Yahweh? On account of this, wrath [has come] against you from Yahweh.
Who go to go down [to] Egypt, but they do not ask [of] my mouth, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
Ah! Those who go down [to] Egypt for help! They rely on horses and trust in chariots because [they are] many, and in horsemen because they are very numerous, and they do not look to the holy one of Israel, and they do not consult Yahweh.
Ephraim herds [the] wind and [is] pursuing [the] east wind all day long; he multiplies deception and violence and he {makes a treaty with Assyria}, and oil is brought to Egypt.
Alliances » Ratification of » By oaths
So now, swear to me here by God [that] you will not deal with me falsely, or with my descendants, or my posterity. According to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall [pledge] to do with me and with the land where you have dwelled as an alien."
And they said, "We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought let there be an oath between us--between us and you--and let us {make} a covenant with you that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You [are] now blessed by Yahweh." So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. read more.
And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other, and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace.
And Joshua made peace with them, and {he made a covenant with them} to allow them to live happily, and the leaders of the congregation swore [an oath] to them. And it happened that at the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that {they were their neighbors} and living among them. And the {Israelites} set out and went to their cities on the third day (their cities [were] Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim). read more.
But the {Israelites} did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured {against their leaders}. But all the leaders of the congregation said, "We have sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel, and so we cannot touch them. This we will do to them: [we will] let them live so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath we swore to them."
So Jonathan {made a covenant} with the house of David, [saying,] "May Yahweh {call the enemies of David to account}." And Jonathan again made David swear an oath, because he loved him; for with the love of his soul he loved him.
Alliances » Instances of » Zedekiah and pharaoh
And king Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had made king, reigned as king in the land of Judah in place of Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim. But he and his servants and the people of the land did not listen to the words of Yahweh that he spoke by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet. And king Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, {saying}, "Please pray for us to Yahweh our God." read more.
Now Jeremiah [was] coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him [in] the house of imprisonment. And the army of Pharaoh had come out from Egypt, and the Chaldeans, who were laying siege to Jerusalem, heard their report and they withdrew from Jerusalem. And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, {saying}, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'This is what you shall say to the king of Judah, who sent you to me to inquire [of] me, "Look, the army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, [is] going to return to his land Egypt. And the Chaldeans will return, and they will fight against this city, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire." '
But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers [to] Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these [things], and can he break [the] covenant and escape? {As I live},' {declares} the Lord Yahweh, '{surely} in the place of the king {who made} him king, who despised his oath and who broke his covenant with him--in the midst of Babylon he will die. And not with a great army and with a great crowd will Pharaoh work with him in the war, at the pouring out of a siege ramp and the building of siege works to destroy many lives.
Alliances » Instances of » Ahaz and tiglath
for Ahaz took a portion [from] the house of Yahweh and the house of the king and the princes, and he gave [it] to the king of Assyria, but it was no help to him.
Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I [am] your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel who are rising up against me." Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the palace of the king, and he sent a gift to the king of Assyria.
Alliances » Instances of » Asa and benhadad
Asa took all of the silver and gold remaining in the storerooms of the house of Yahweh and in the treasury rooms of the house of the king, and he gave them into the hand of his servants; so King Asa sent them to Ben-Hadad the son of Tabrimmon the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, "[Let there be] a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel that he may go up [away] from me."
"[There is] a covenant between me and you, [as there was] between my father and your father. Look, I am sending you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha, king of Israel, that he might withdraw from me."
Alliances » Instances of » Jehoshaphat and ahab
Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab.
Alliances » Instances of » Solomon and hiram
Yahweh gave wisdom to Solomon as he promised to him, and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them {made} a covenant.
Thus says Yahweh: "For three transgressions of Tyre and for four I will not revoke [the punishment], because they delivered up a whole community to Edom and they did not remember the covenant of brotherhood!
Alliances » Instances of » Isaac and abimelech
Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol his army commander. And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and sent me away from you." And they said, "We see clearly that Yahweh has been with you, so we thought let there be an oath between us--between us and you--and let us {make} a covenant with you read more.
that you may not do us harm just as we have not touched you, but have only done good to you and sent you away in peace. You [are] now blessed by Yahweh." So he made a meal for them, and they ate and drank. And they arose early in the morning and each one swore to the other, and Isaac sent them away. And they left him in peace.
Alliances » Instances of » Abraham and abimelech
And it happened [that] at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God [is] with you, in all that you do. So now, swear to me here by God [that] you will not deal with me falsely, or with my descendants, or my posterity. According to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall [pledge] to do with me and with the land where you have dwelled as an alien." And Abraham said, "I swear." read more.
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that servants of Abimelech had seized. And Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing, neither did you tell me, nor have I heard [of it] except for today." And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave [them] to Abimelech. And the two of them {made} a covenant. Then Abraham set [off] seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What [is the meaning of] these seven ewe-lambs that you have set [off] by themselves?" And he said, "You shall take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand {as proof on my behalf} that I dug this well." Therefore that place is called Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they {made} a covenant at Beersheba. And Abimelech, and Phicol his army commander stood and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Alliances » Instances of » Moabites, amalekites, and ammonites
And again the {Israelites} did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. So Yahweh strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. He gathered to himself the {Ammonites and Amalekites}, and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms.
Alliances » Instances of » Canaanitish nations against israel
Now when all the kings who [were] beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the Shephelah, and on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon--the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites--heard of [this], they gathered themselves together to fight with one accord against Joshua and Israel.
Alliances » Instances of » Jehoshaphat and ahaziah
And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
Alliances » Instances of » Between abraham and mamre, eshcol, and aner
Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew. And he was living at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. {They were allies with Abram}.
Alliances » Instances of » Rezin and pekah
Then Rezin the king of Aram went up [with] Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel against Jerusalem for battle, and they besieged Ahaz but were not able to {defeat} him.
Alliances » Ratification of » By giving the hand
We have made a deal with Egypt [and] Assyria to be satisfied [with] food.
Alliances » Instances of » Joshua and the gibeonites
Evil » Alliances » Examples of heathen nations uniting in
And the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered [together] and went up, they and all their forces, and {they laid siege to Gibeon} and made war against it.
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he left no survivor behind.
And all these kings joined forces, and they came and camped together by the waters of Merom to fight with Israel.
He gathered to himself the {Ammonites and Amalekites}, and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of palms.
Evil » Alliances » Examples of God's people seeking
And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly.
Restrain your foot from [being] barefoot, and your throat from thirst. But you said, '[It is] hopeless. No! For I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.'
"[Let there be] a covenant between me and you, between my father and your father. Look, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel that he may go up [away] from me."
Now Jehoshaphat had much wealth and honor, and he became son-in-law to Ahab.
Who go to go down [to] Egypt, but they do not ask [of] my mouth, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
Topics on Alliances
Political Alliances, By Oaths
1 Samuel 20:16-17So Jonathan {made a covenant} with the house of David, [saying,] "May Yahweh {call the enemies of David to account}."
