Genesis 14:1-24

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 10  they rebelled. 11  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 12  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. 13  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 14  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 15  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 16  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 17  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 18  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 19  but some survivors 20  fled to the hills. 21  14:11 The four victorious kings 22  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 23  Lot and his possessions when 24  they left, for Lot 25  was living in Sodom. 26 

14:13 A fugitive 27  came and told Abram the Hebrew. 28  Now Abram was living by the oaks 29  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 30  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 31  with Abram.) 32  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 33  had been taken captive, he mobilized 34  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 35  as far as Dan. 36  14:15 Then, during the night, 37  Abram 38  divided his forces 39  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 40  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 41  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 42  the people.

14:17 After Abram 43  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 44  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 45  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 46  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 47  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by 48  the Most High God,

Creator 49  of heaven and earth. 50 

14:20 Worthy of praise is 51  the Most High God,

who delivered 52  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek 53  a tenth of everything.

14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 54  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 55  14:23 that I will take nothing 56  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 57  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 58  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 59  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 12:1

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said 60  to Abram, 61 

“Go out 62  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. 63 

Genesis 12:1

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said 64  to Abram, 65 

“Go out 66  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. 67 

Deuteronomy 4:9-10

Reminder of the Horeb Covenant

4:9 Again, however, pay very careful attention, 68  lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. 4:10 You 69  stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he 70  said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands. 71  Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.”

Psalms 44:1

Psalm 44 72 

For the music director; by the Korahites, a well-written song. 73 

44:1 O God, we have clearly heard; 74 

our ancestors 75  have told us

what you did 76  in their days,

in ancient times. 77 

Psalms 78:3-8

78:3 What we have heard and learned 78 

that which our ancestors 79  have told us –

78:4 we will not hide from their 80  descendants.

We will tell the next generation

about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts, 81 

about his strength and the amazing things he has done.

78:5 He established a rule 82  in Jacob;

he set up a law in Israel.

He commanded our ancestors

to make his deeds known to their descendants, 83 

78:6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,

might know about them.

They will grow up and tell their descendants about them. 84 

78:7 Then they will place their confidence in God.

They will not forget the works of God,

and they will obey 85  his commands.

78:8 Then they will not be like their ancestors,

who were a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation that was not committed

and faithful to God. 86 

Isaiah 38:19

38:19 The living person, the living person, he gives you thanks,

as I do today.

A father tells his sons about your faithfulness.

Ephesians 6:4

6:4 Fathers, 87  do not provoke your children to anger, 88  but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.


tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

tn Heb “made war.”

sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.

tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.

tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.

sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

10 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

11 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.

12 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.

13 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.

14 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

15 tn Heb “against.”

16 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

17 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

18 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”

19 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).

20 tn Heb “the rest.”

21 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.

22 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

23 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

24 tn Heb “and.”

25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

26 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

27 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.

28 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).

29 tn Or “terebinths.”

30 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

31 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.

32 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.

33 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).

34 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.

35 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

36 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.

37 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

39 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

40 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

41 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

42 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

43 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

44 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

45 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

46 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

47 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

48 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

49 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”

50 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

51 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

52 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

54 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”

55 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

56 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the Lord deal with me] if I take,” meaning, “I will surely not take.” The positive oath would add the negative adverb and be the reverse: “[God will deal with me] if I do not take,” meaning, “I certainly will.”

57 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

58 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

59 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

60 sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

61 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

62 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

63 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

64 sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

65 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

66 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

67 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

68 tn Heb “watch yourself and watch your soul carefully.”

69 tn The text begins with “(the) day (in) which.” In the Hebrew text v. 10 is subordinate to v. 11, but for stylistic reasons the translation treats v. 10 as an independent clause, necessitating the omission of the subordinating temporal phrase at the beginning of the verse.

70 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

71 tn Heb “my words.” See v. 13; in Hebrew the “ten commandments” are the “ten words.”

72 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.

73 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.

74 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”

75 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.

76 tn Heb “the work you worked.”

77 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.

78 tn Or “known.”

79 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 5, 8, 12, 57).

80 tn The pronominal suffix refers back to the “fathers” (“our ancestors,” v. 3).

81 tn Heb “to a following generation telling the praises of the Lord.” “Praises” stand by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

82 tn The Hebrew noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to God’s command that the older generation teach their children about God’s mighty deeds in the nation’s history (see Exod 10:2; Deut 4:9; 6:20-25).

83 tn Heb “which he commanded our fathers to make them known to their sons.” The plural suffix “them” probably refers back to the Lord’s mighty deeds (see vv. 3-4).

84 tn Heb “in order that they might know, a following generation, sons [who] will be born, they will arise and will tell to their sons.”

85 tn Heb “keep.”

86 tn Heb “a generation that did not make firm its heart and whose spirit was not faithful with God.” The expression “make firm the heart” means “to be committed, devoted” (see 1 Sam 7:3).

87 tn Or perhaps “Parents” (so TEV, CEV). The plural οἱ πατέρες (Joi patere", “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.b).

88 tn Or “do not make your children angry.” BDAG 780 s.v. παροργίζω states “make angry.” The Greek verb in Col 3:21 is a different one with a slightly different nuance.