“Genesis 14:1-12”

Friday, November 22, 2019

“And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). Twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who lived in Hazazon-tamar. And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arrayed for battle against them in the valley of Siddim, against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Mini World War One – This is the first record of warfare recorded in the Bible. After Lot chose to dwell in the Jordan valley, he moved his tents as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:12). The king of Sodom was part of a political alliance with four other kingdoms in the land of Canaan that paid tribute money to a coalition of four eastern kings. After twelve years the tribute-paying alliance rebelled and refused to pay the extortion money. The kings of the east then waged war against the rebel kings and thwarted them, as well as the people of other territories that lie in their path along the way. The vassal forces were defeated, and in the course of their defeat, the retreating armies of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into tar pits as they fled through the valley of Siddim. In this epic battle lives were lost, captives were taken, and Abram's nephew Lot and his family were among the prisoners of war.

“And it came about in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim.” (verse 1) This list of the four eastern kings appears to be recorded in alphabetical sequence, and not in order of importance. Although Amraphel is king of Shinar, or Babylon, they had not yet become the dominant power and empire that would later arrive from that province. It is also likely that he was more of a provincial leader and not king of the entire realm of Babylon. Cherdolaomer is obviously the most prominent power in this coalition of four kings, as indicated by verses 4, 5 and 9. He is the “king of Elam,” “a country east of the lower Tigris, and separated by it from Shinar. He is probably a Shemite, as the country over which he ruled received its name from a son of Shem (Genesis 10:22). He is the lord paramount of the others, and commander-in-chief of the united forces. Hence, the Hamite seems to have already succumbed to the Shemite.” (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

“They made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).” (verse 2) “Each of the five cities has its own king. This is the classic Canaanite city-state system that prevailed in Canaan before the Israelite conquest (cf. Josh. 12). The names of the kings were recognized early in Jewish exegesis as lending themselves to midrashic elaboration, each being taken as a reflection of the character or reputation of the possessor. Thus, Bera = 'in evil' (be-ra'); Birsha = 'with wickedness' (be-resha'); Shinab = 'who hated his father' (Sone' 'av); and shemeber = 'the voluptuary' (sam'ever). (Nahum Sarna)

“All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).” (verse 3) The Dead sea has the highest salt content of any other body of water. While the world's oceans average 3% salt content, the Dead sea is 32% saline. “This remark implies that the valley no longer existed at the time of the Narrator... The only explanation is that the valley lay below the southern bank of the Dead Sea. As a matter of fact, the great disproportion between the 1,300-foot...water depth in the north end and the mere 20-foot...average in the far south proves that the basin below the Lisan, that tongue-shaped peninsula that protrudes into the sea, is of far more recent formation than the upper part. The Vale of Siddim was what existed before the area was submerged by the encroaching waters of the Dead Sea in historical times.” (Nahum Sarna)

Verses 5-7 - “Detail the invasion route followed by the kings from the east. It shows that they traversed the entire length of the 'king's highway' (Num. 21:22) that ran practically in a continuous straight line through the hill country east of the Jordan from north to south. When they reached El-paran they turned west (or northwest?), crossing the Negeb until they arrived at Kadesh-barnea. Here they made another abrupt turn, this time to the northeast, finally reaching the Valley of Siddim. All along the way they struck at various peoples and their settlements. Apparently, before attacking the pentapolis itself, the invaders sought to secure their flanks, protect their supply lines, and ensure their retreat route by neutralizing the hostile forces in the area.” (Nahum Sarna) The word “pentapolis” simply refers to the five city-state coalition headed by the five vassal kings.

“Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them.” (verse 10) “Bitumen and asphalt are native to the Dead Sea, which Josephus actually calls the Asphalt Sea. Asphalt is found in heavy liquid form in the southern part of the sea.” (Nahum Sarna) “Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply, and departed. They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom.” (verses 11-12) Lot was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We see that his choice of settling near to the wicked city quickly turned sour for him and his family, and God did not shield him from the consequences of his choices. If it were not for the heroic efforts of his uncle Abram recorded in the next few verses, all would have been lost. The worst was yet to come for Lot (Genesis 19), but here is the first hint that things were not going to end well for him because of his poor decision-making.

Please read Genesis 14:13-16 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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