Abram rescues Lot; Melchizedek
Patriarchs · Draft · BSB
Content revision: 074a3d793d259fce · No editorial review date recorded
Date: not assigned.
Four kings defeat the kings of Sodom and the cities of the plain and carry off Lot. Abram pursues with 318 trained men as far as Dan, defeats them and pursues them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Returning, he is met by Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who brings bread and wine and blesses him; Abram gives him a tenth of everything.
Primary Scripture
14:1 In those days Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim
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 The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
14:4 For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
14:5 In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
14:6 and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
14:7 Then they turned back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived 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) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim
14:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five.
14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men fell into the pits, but the survivors fled to the hill country.
14:11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on their way.
14:12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom.
14:13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.
14:14 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
14:15 During the night, Abram divided his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.
14:16 He retrieved all the goods, as well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the rest of the people.
14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
14:19 and he blessed Abram and said: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
14:21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”
14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
14:23 that I will not accept even a thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
14:24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.”
Related Scripture
Hebrews presents Melchizedek as a picture of Christ’s priesthood.
A priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Location evidence
Salem is usually identified with Jerusalem (Psalm 76:2). The route to Dan and Hobah is illustrative.
Event map marker: Identified site; [longitude, latitude] = [35.234167, 31.776667]. This is a teaching marker, not an exact event venue.
Sodom and Gomorrah: Approximate region. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.449223, 31.20849]. Classification source: editorial.
Illustrative regional extent: [[35.36,30.95],[35.62,31.3]]; not a measured confidence interval.
OpenBible · Sodom and Gomorrah
Dan: Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.652, 33.249]. Classification source: editorial.
Hobah: Proposed site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [37.066667, 34.25]. Classification source: editorial.
Salem (Jerusalem): Identified site. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.234167, 31.776667]. Classification source: editorial.
For the class
Why might Abram accept Melchizedek’s blessing but refuse anything from the king of Sodom?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: editorial (content/authored/patriarchs.json)
Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.
Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm