Geneses Chapter 14- Abram in the North vs South War

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Geneses Chapter 14-

Abram in the North vs South War

The Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.14.NIV

Abram Rescues Lot

1 At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, 2 these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). (War between 4 north and 5 south.)(1, War of Nine Kings)(3, Map)

3 All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). (5 south kings rallied in the Valley of Siddim.)

4 For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (War broke off because south rebelled to north.)

5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim 6 and the Horites in the hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran near the desert.(North invaded south.)

7 Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar. (North conquered the part of south.)

8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goyim, Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar- four kings against five. (South resisted to north.)

10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the hills. (Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated due to the tar pits in their home ground.)

11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. (The northern 4 kings plundered the region.)

12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. (Lot, the nephew of Abram was one of them.)

13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.

14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (Abram allied with the locals to rescue Lot and chased the northern kings up to Dan.)

15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. (Abram attacked the 4 kings at night even in further north, Horbah, north of Damascus. 150-160 miles from Mamre.)

16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. (Abram rescued Lot and recovered what had been lost.)

17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). (The king of Sodom welcomed Abram.)

18 Then Melchizedek(2) king of Salem (Jerusalem?) brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” (Melchizedek offered food and blessings to Abram.) Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Abram replied Melchizedek with tithe.)

21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” (The king of Sodom offered recovered goods to Abram as a compensation.)

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me- to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” (Abram refused the offer but accepted the only expenses of the battle participants to keep his integrity.)

(1, War of Nine Kings) (AI)

Genesis 14 describes the Battle of the Vale of Siddim, or "War of Nine Kings," a coalition of four Mesopotamian/eastern kings who defeated five rebellious Levantine city-states (including Sodom and Gomorrah). The invading "Northern" alliance, led by Chedorlaomer of Elam, aimed to reclaim dominion over the region.

Key Aspects of the Conflict:

The Conflict: Four kings (Chedorlaomer of Elam, Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, and Tidal of Goiim) attacked the rebellious cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela.

The Battle: The rebellious five kings lost against the eastern alliance, fleeing into a valley filled with asphalt (bitumen) pits.

Outcome: The victors plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and captured Abram's nephew, Lot, who lived in Sodom.

Abram's Rescue: Upon hearing of Lot's capture, Abram armed 318 of his trained servants, chased the army north to Dan, and successfully recovered Lot, the people, and all the stolen goods.

Significance: This is considered the first major war recorded in the Bible, portraying Abram as a strategic and capable warrior in a regional conflict.

Following his victory, Abram was blessed by Melchizedek, king of Salem, and refused to take any spoils from the King of Sodom.

(2, Melchizedek) (AI)

Melchizedek (often spelled Melkisedek or Mekizedek) translates from Hebrew (Malkī-ṣedeq) as "King of Righteousness" or "My King is Righteousness". He is a mysterious biblical figure who appears in Genesis 14 as the King of Salem (Jerusalem) and a "priest of God Most High" who blesses Abraham.

Key details regarding Melchizedek:

Biblical Significance: Melchizedek serves bread and wine to Abraham and is identified as a king and priest, marking him as the first to hold the title Kohen (priest) in the Hebrew Bible.

Symbolism: He is interpreted as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus (a Christophany) or a prototype of Christ due to his role as an eternal priest in Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7. "Order of Melchizedek": Psalm 110:4 references a "priesthood forever after the order of Melchizedek," a phrase used to describe the higher, eternal priesthood mentioned in the New Testament.

Meaning of Name: The name is a compound of malk (king) and sedek righteousness/justice).

(3, Map of Nine Kings War)

https://truthsnitch.com/the-holy-bible-tiffsnotes/genesis/chapter-14/