ma.rad denotes acting against an acknowledged ruler or against the LORD, refusing the allegiance or obedience expected in that relationship.

The verb consistently marks opposition to an acknowledged authority: subjects withdraw service from kings, while Israel is described or warned as turning against the LORD. The surrounding clauses portray this opposition through refusing service, breaking a covenant, turning away, or rejecting instruction.

1. Acting against acknowledged authority · dominant

   In Genesis 14:4, the Qal perfect plural follows twelve years of service and marks the group’s action against Chedorlaomer; in 2 Kings 18:7, a Qal sequential imperfect is paired with refusal to serve the king of Assyria. The same opposition is directed toward the LORD in Daniel 9:5, where the Qal perfect first-person plural stands beside turning aside from commandments, and in Joshua 22:19, Qal jussives warn against building an altar in defiance of the LORD.

   Genesis 14:42 Kings 18:72 Chronicles 36:13Daniel 9:5Joshua 22:19Nehemiah 9:26

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the relevant clauses with “rebelled” or “rebel against,” whether the object is a king or the LORD. It also places the action beside refusal of service, turning away, covenant-breaking, or rejecting instruction; these are features of the verse contexts rather than definitions.