What is the tribal confederacy and why is it important in the Old Testament?

Answer 1

The tribal confederacy was the organization of the twelve tribes. (Based on the descendents of Jacob.) Joshua established this at Schechem. If you were to read the Old Testament, you would see constant references to some tribe doing something or someone being from a particular tribe. This is important to Messianic prophecies, as the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. The tribal confederacy in particular was kind of like a pact, where the tribes bound themselves together as Israel. They would not act as individual families or city-states, but as one nation together, with a common ancestor and a common God. This confederacy is later broken when the people split into the Southern Kingdom of Judah (composed of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel (made up of everyone else).

Answer 2

The tribal confederacy in the Old Testament refers to the loose alliance of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was important because it represented the unity and collective identity of the Israelites, who saw themselves as God's chosen people. The confederacy played a key role in the historical and religious narratives of the Old Testament, including the establishment of the kingdom of Israel under King David.