CONFEDERATE; CONFEDERACY

kon-fed'-er-at, kon-fed'-er-a-si: "Confederate" as an adjective in the sense of united or leagued is twice the translation of berith "covenant," in several instances translated "league" (Genesis 14:13, ba`al berith, "lord or master of a covenant," "an ally," "these were confederate with Abram"; compare Psalms 83:5; once of nuach, "to rest," "Syria is confederate with Ephraim" (Isaiah 7:2, the Revised Version, margin "resteth on Ephraim"; also 1 Macc 10:47).

As a noun "confederate" occurs in 1 Macc 10:16, summachos, "confederates" (1 Macc 8:20,24,31; 14:40; 15:17).

Confederacy, as a "league," occurs as the translation of berith, "the men of thy confederacy" (Obadiah 1:7); as a conspiracy it occurs in Isaiah 8:12 twice, as translation of qesher from qashar, "to bind": "Say ye not, a confederate." Compare 2 Sam 15:12; 2 Kings 12:20, etc.

W. L. Walker

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.