Genesis 14 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Around 2100 to 2000 BC, during the era of shifting Mesopotamian coalitions in the Middle Bronze Age
Location
The Dead Sea region and the cities of the plain, then north to Dan and Hobah near Damascus, and finally the Valley of Shaveh near Salem, an early name for Jerusalem
Audience
Israelites of the Mosaic era, hearing their ancestor act on an international stage
Situation
Four eastern kings defeat a rebel coalition of five city kings near the Dead Sea and carry off Lot among the captives. Abram arms three hundred and eighteen trained men from his household, pursues the raiders north, recovers everyone, and is then blessed by Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High.
Key Background
Small Canaanite city states routinely paid tribute to distant powers and were punished by punitive expeditions when they withheld it, which is exactly the pattern the chapter describes. That Abram fields more than three hundred fighting men from his own household shows he was a substantial chieftain, not a lone wanderer. Melchizedek combines the offices of king and priest in one person, normal in Canaanite city states but never permitted in later Israel, and his giving of a tenth and blessing establishes a figure that Psalm 110 and the letter to the Hebrews would return to centuries later.
Back when Amraphel was king of Arioch was king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer was king of and Tidal was king of
these kings went to war against Bera king of Birsha king of Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (which is Zoar).
All of these kings joined forces in the of which is now the Dead Sea.
For twelve years they had Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year, they
In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him came and defeated the in Ashteroth-karnaim, the in Ham, the in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
and the in their hill country of all the way to El-paran on the edge of the wilderness.
Then they turned back and came to (which is Kadesh), and they conquered the entire territory of the as well as the who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and drew up their battle lines in the Valley of Siddim
against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five.
Now the Valley of Siddim was full of and when the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some of their men fell into them, while the rest escaped to the hill country.
The four kings seized all the and food supplies of Sodom and Gomorrah, and they left.
They also captured — Abram's nephew — along with everything he owned, since he was living in Sodom.
Someone who had escaped came and told Abram the who was camped near the large trees of Mamre the Amorite. Mamre was an ally of Eshcol and Aner, and all of them were with Abram.
When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he mobilized the 318 born in his household and chased the kings all the way to
He during the night, attacked them, and routed them, chasing them all the way to Hobah, north of
He recovered all the goods, and he also brought back his nephew Lot and everything he owned, along with the women and the rest of the people.
After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the of Shaveh (which is the
Then king of brought out bread and wine. He was a of Most
and he Abram, saying, "May God Most High, of and out on Abram,"
and all to God Most High, who to you." Then Abram gave him a of everything.
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the and keep the for yourself."
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have my to God Most High, creator of heaven and earth, and made a solemn vow:
I won't take so much as a or a or anything that belongs to you. That way you can never say, 'I made Abram rich.'
I'll take nothing — except what my have But as for my Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre — let them take their