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Texts -- Genesis 14:1-19 (NET)

Context
The Blessing of Victory for God’s People
14:1 At that time Amraphel king of Shinar , Arioch king of Ellasar , Kedorlaomer king of Elam , and Tidal king of nations 14:2 went to war against Bera king of Sodom , Birsha king of Gomorrah , Shinab king of Admah , Shemeber king of Zeboiim , and the king of Bela (that is , Zoar ). 14:3 These last five kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea ). 14:4 For twelve years they had served Kedorlaomer , but in the thirteenth year they rebelled . 14:5 In the fourteenth year , Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim , the Zuzites in Ham , the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim , 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir , as far as El Paran , which is near the desert . 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh ) again, and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites , as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar . 14:8 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 ) went out and prepared for battle . In the Valley of Siddim they met 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam , Tidal king of nations , Amraphel king of Shinar , and Arioch king of Ellasar . Four kings fought against five . 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits . When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled , they fell into them, but some survivors fled to the hills . 14:11 The four victorious kings took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left . 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions when they left , for Lot was living in Sodom . 14:13 A fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew . Now Abram was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite , the brother of Eshcol and Aner . (All these were allied by treaty with Abram .) 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive , he mobilized his 318 trained men who had been born in his household , and he pursued the invaders as far as Dan . 14:15 Then, during the night , Abram divided his forces against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah , which is north of Damascus . 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property . He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions , as well as the women and the rest of the people . 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley ). 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine . (Now he was the priest of the Most High God .) 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying , “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God , Creator of heaven and earth .

Pericope

NET
  • Gen 14:1-24 -- The Blessing of Victory for God's People

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Twelve Tests of Abraham; Genesis 13-20; Ten Biblical & Practical Reasons to Give to the Lord’s Work; Why Give 10% or More of Your Income to the Lord's Work; Meaning of Tithe; God’s Names

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • Verse 22 shows that man's happiness (good) does not consist in his being likeGod as much as it depends on his being withGod (cf. Ps. 16:11).221"Like one of us"may mean like heavenly beings (God and the angels; cf. 1:26).222Ch...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • A powerful coalition of kings from Mesopotamia invaded Canaan and in the process took Lot captive. Abram retaliated with a surprise attack at night and recovered Lot and the possessions those kings had taken. Upon his return ...
  • A major significance of this literary unit is that it describes two more challenges to God's faithfulness and Abram's faith. So far Abram had had to contend with several barriers to God's fulfilling His promises to him. His w...
  • This section records an important decision Abram had to make after he returned victoriously from his battle with the Mesopotamian kings.14:17 The "valley of Shaveh"was near Jerusalem (the Salem of verse 18). It may have been ...
  • Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously ob...
  • Chapters 18 and 19 "paint a vivid contrast between the respective patriarchal ancestors, Abraham and Lot, with an obvious moralistic intent (i.e., a demonstration that human initiatives--Lot's choice--always lead to catastrop...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • God prevented Isaac from leaving the Promised Land and renewed the covenant with him, but then He had to protect Rebekah when Isaac lied about his relationship with her to Abimelech."In the short span of one chapter, the writ...
  • Moses included this relatively short genealogy (toledot) in the sacred record to show God's faithfulness in multiplying Abraham's seed as He had promised. He also did so to provide connections with the descendants of Esau ref...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • Whereas the Israelites had feared the possibility of having to battle the Egyptians (14:10) they now did engage in battle with the Amalekites."The primary function of this section in its present location is the demonstration ...
  • As a Midianite, Jethro was a descendant of Abraham as was Amalek. Both were blood relatives of the Israelites. Nevertheless the attitudes of the Amalekites and Jethro were very different, though Midian as a nation was hostile...
  • 13:1-2 When the people arrived at Kadesh the Lord told them to go up and take possession of the land He had promised them (Deut. 1:19-21). Kadesh stood in the Desert of Zin, which was a section of the great Paran wilderness. ...
  • This account fits chronologically after 21:13. It records two great victories that God gave His people over two of the mighty Amorite kings."The term Amorite has various meanings in the OT: Canaanites generally (e.g., Gen. 15...
  • After receiving the reminder of his death and as one of his final official acts as Israel's leader, Moses pronounced a prophetic blessing on the tribes of Israel (cf. Gen. 49)."In the ancient Near East, a dying father's final...
  • Israel's continuing success led her enemies to exert increasing opposition against the people of God. This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.10:1-5 The Jebusites lived in and aroun...
  • Micah gathered some of his neighbors and pursued the Danites hoping to force them to return what they had taken from him. However the Danites proved stronger than he anticipated, and he had to withdraw without a fight (cf. Ge...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • In 1004 B.C. David became king of all Israel and Judah.50This was his third anointing (cf. 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4). The people acknowledged David's previous military leadership of all Israel as well as God's choice of him t...
  • David closed his psalm with a vow to thank and praise God for His righteousness. Even though God had not yet vindicated him, his reflection on the character and activities of the Lord encouraged him to believe that He would d...
  • God made His great name known in Israel by defeating an enemy of His people. Salem is Jerusalem (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 7:1-2). Evidently Asaph composed this song after an enemy attacked Jerusalem unsuccessfully....
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • 110:3 When Messiah comes to rule over His enemies His people will willingly join in His reign (cf. Judg. 5:2). They will be holy in contrast to the unholy whom Messiah will subdue. They will be as youthful warriors, namely st...
  • This pericope concludes the section begun at 56:1 dealing with the need for humility and holiness in the redeemed people of God. Isaiah explained that the basis of God's acceptance and blessing of His redeemed people was righ...
  • Elam was the land of the Elamites who lived in Mesopotamia somewhat east of the Babylonians (in modern southwest Iran). We know little about the history of the Elamites, and their inclusion in a collection of judgments agains...
  • 1:1 The book opens with a synopsis of the first Jewish deportation in 605 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 21:35; 2 Chron 28:2-3).25Daniel and his three friends were part of the nobles and royal families taken from Jerusalem as captives the...
  • As previously, a series of messages assuring Israel's judgment (6:4-11:7) ends with assurance of future restoration. God would definitely bring devastating judgment on Israel, but His compassion for the nation and His promise...
  • The preceding vision described the future removal of individual sinners from the land through divine judgment, and this one pictures the eventual removal of all wickedness from the future "holy land"(2:12; cf. 3:9)."In line w...
  • Even though Mark had already reported that Jesus had exorcized many demons, this case was extraordinary.5:1 Mark and Luke called this area the country of the Gerasenes, but Matthew called it the country of the Gadarenes. Gerg...
  • 1:28 The fact that Gabriel greeted Mary as he did and did not greet Zechariah the same way shows Mary's favored position. Gabriel's greeting was customary: Hail! or Greetings! (Gr. chaire). Mary was highly "favored"(Gr. kecha...
  • The raging of this demoniac was even worse than the raging of the waters of Galilee (cf. Ps. 65:7). Demonic power was evident in the Hellenistic world of Luke's original readers. The fact that this incident happened in predom...
  • This incident followed the preceding one immediately (v. 21). The subject of joy continues, and the section on the responsibilities and rewards of discipleship reaches its climax here. Jesus expressed His joy to the Father in...
  • The writer began by explaining the significance of Melchizedek since understanding him is foundational to appreciating Jesus Christ's high priestly ministry.213"The dominant text in 7:1-10 is Gen 14:17-20, but in chap. 7 as a...
  • Having shown the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham and Levi, the writer proceeded to point out the superiority of Melchizedek's priesthood and Jesus' priesthood. He did so to clarify for his readers the inferiority of the...
  • "The present vv, 3:4-9, form six strophes, each of which divides . . . roughly into half. The two halves of the strophes balance one another; for the second part of the v provides a development of the first part (vv 4, 5, 7),...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The first characteristic of it is its continual wandering. This is the feature which the Epistle to the Hebrews marks as significant. There was no reason but his own choice why Abram should continue to journey, and prefer to ...
  • Genesis 14:13This is a singular designation of Abram as The Hebrew.' Probably we have in its use here a trace of the customary epithet which he bore among the inhabitants of Canaan, and perhaps the presence of the name in thi...
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