Day 266-267, September 23-24 Bible more

The Suzerain Treaty

We discussed this treaty in March when we studied the book of Deuteronomy, but it is profitable to review it here.

When a king (a suzerain) made a treaty with a vassal country, the treaty usually contained six elements: (a) a preamble, (b) a historical prologue (a history of the king’s dealings with the vassal), (c) a general stipulation (a call for wholehearted allegiance to the king), (d) specific stipulations (detailed laws by which the vassal state could give concrete expression to its allegiance to the king (e) divine witnesses (deities called to witness the treaty), and (f) blessings and curses for obedience or disobedience to the treaty.

Nehemiah 9:5b-6 constitutes a preamble; 9:7-37 a historical prologue; 9:38-10:29 a signed commitment to keep the covenant; and 10:30-39 specific stipulations. Devine witnesses were not needed because The LORD is the one and only God.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the O.T., edited by Walvoord and Zuck, © 1985, p. 260, 690)

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