rebel

Everyday

1. A rebel is a person who fights against the government or people in power. tree →
2. A rebel is someone who does not follow rules or what others expect. tree →
3. To rebel is to fight against or refuse to obey people in charge. tree →
4. (informal) To rebel against something like food can mean the body refuses it: «my tummy rebelled». tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons it is about uprisings and revolutions. In stories rebels can be heroes or villains. In everyday life teenagers are said to rebel against parents. Phrases: «rebel against», «a rebel without a cause», «rebel army».

Examples

• The rebels fought against the king. tree →
• My cousin is a bit of a rebel at school. tree →
• The people rebelled against the unfair tax. tree →
• Teenagers sometimes rebel against rules. tree →
• The rebel army hid in the hills. tree →
• The characters in the story rebel against the robots. tree →
• She rebelled by wearing odd socks. tree →
• My stomach rebelled after too much cake. tree →
• The Members of the Body once rebelled against the Belly. tree →

Note

Stress changes: noun/adjective REB-el; verb re-BEL. Verb doubles the l: rebelled, rebelling. Noun of the act: rebellion; adjective: rebellious.

In Jewish tradition

In Kings, Moab rebelled against Israel after Ahab died, and Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. In Lamentations, the people confess that they have transgressed and rebelled.

Interpretation. Tradition sees rebelling against God's commandment as a serious sin, as when the people refused to go up into the land after the spies' report. Zedekiah's rebellion is read as leading to the fall of Jerusalem, and Lamentations as the people's confession.

Examples

• Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (Torah GEN.14.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God; (Torah DEU.1.26, JPS 1917) tree →
• So I spoke unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. (Torah DEU.1.43, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (Prophets 2KI.24.20, JPS 1917) tree →
• AND MOAB rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. (Prophets 2KI.1.1, JPS 1917) tree →
• We have transgressed and have rebelled; Thou hast not pardoned. (Writings LAM.3.42, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Stress changes: noun/adjective REB-el; verb re-BEL. Verb doubles the l: rebelled, rebelling. Noun of the act: rebellion; adjective: rebellious.