Genesis 14 - ''War'' and Peace
War, kidnapping, rescue, and mystery
Here's another chapter with the skeleton of what could be a pretty stirring epic--except that it's never really fleshed out. War, kidnapping, rescue, and a mysterious figure would all make for a blockbuster (if we ever have blockbusters again).
The Story
Abraham Makes the Enemies Flee Who Hold His Nephew (1613), etching by Antonio Tempesta (1555–1630) (Wikipedia)
So, there were these four Mesopotamian kings, one of whom has been identified as the famous Hammurabi, he of the Law Code, and they made war on a Canaanite coalition that included the "kings" of the infamous Sodom and Gomorrah. These five cities, it seems, "the Cities of the Plain," had been vassals to one of the Mesopotamians, Chedorlaomer of Elam (we'll deal with names and places in the footnotes), and after suffering this for 12 years declared their independence.
The Mesopotamians marched on them, wreaking havoc on other petty kingdoms along the way and looting them for provisions and supplies. (It should be noted here that control of the region was essential to the trade between Mesopotamia and Egypt, which this rebellion would have disrupted.) At last they met the Canaanites in the valley where the Dead Sea is located, and gave them a shellacking. While (sensibly) running away, some of the soldiers of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah got stuck in tar pits; others quite literally headed for the hills.
The Mesopotamian kings took everything the two petty kings had--including Lot, Abram's nephew, and his family and possessions.
One man escaped "to tell the tale," and when Abram heard, he set out with his army of loyal, trained servants, as well as some of his neighbors and their men, and chased the Mesopotamians as far as Dan, today the very northern tip of modern Israel, where the four kings apparently made camp. Dividing his men into two forces, Abram launched a night attack and chased the enemy for another maybe 40 or 50 miles, to a now-unidentified place north of Damascus. There he recovered the loot they had taken, and rescued his nephew Lot.
The King of Sodom, he who had been whupped by the four kings, greeted Abram and his party on their way home in Shaveh, a valley somewhere north of Salem, which is now Jerusalem. And the mysterious king of Salem, one Melchizedek, who was also a priest, brought out for them bread and wine, and blessed Abram and his god. So Abram, being a pious sort, gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had.
Now the king of Sodom said that he wanted Abram's captives, but not his material loot. And Abram said no, "I have sworn not to profit from this," etc., and gave him everything--except what his men had eaten, and the shares of the neighbors who had helped him.
Abram and Historicity
The True Believer takes every word of the Bible as--well--gospel. As many have put it, "Not only do I believe Jonah was swallowed by a whale and lived; if the Bible says Jonah swallowed a whale and lived, I'd believe that, too!"
The Skeptic believes that virtually not one single word of the Bible is true, or if he does believe some of it, it is only because it has been proven to his satisfaction.
The truth, I believe, lies somewhere in the middle.
With Abram/Abraham, we have moved from the realm of pure myth (Eden, the Flood, Babel) to something more like legend. There seems to be an historical kernel in there, but the details are a bit far-fetched. The process is like the game we used to call "Operator," where one player whispers a sentence to another, and so on around the circle until it emerges transformed.
So, I guess, it's possible that this now-settled former nomad leader had one of his kin snatched, and set out with his household to right the wrong. But leading his hardy band of proto-Bedouins against one of the mightiest empires of his day? Not bloody likely, I say.
Look, the book specifically states that Abram led 318 "trained servants," along with (it seems) the households of three Amorite neighbors, all brothers: Mamre, Eschol, and Aner. No one knows how many men this alliance had, but let's go wild and say that Abram's servants and family members totaled 500, and the others had the same. So 2,000 men.
Hammurabi (standing), depicted as receiving his royal insignia from Shamash (or possibly Marduk). Hammurabi holds his hands over his mouth as a sign of prayer (relief on the upper part of the stele of Hammurabi's code of laws). (Wikipedia)
Conservative scholars like Rev. Halley figure that "Amraphel" is Hammurabi, knowing that Shinar is another name for Babylon. Hammurabi is known to have conquered Elam, listed here as an ally, among others. Now, I don't know what the population of the First Babylonian Empire under Hammurabi, but Wikipedia calls it "the major power in the region."
And I am to believe that a crafty night attack on this army--which, by the way, had just conquered a coalition of five kings--sent them running for cover? And then Abram and his men effected "the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him"? Less and less likely.
This one is a head scratcher on a number of levels. What is this "newspaper account" doing in a holy book, anyway? The simple answer is that here is an encounter between historical and religious traditions: the god's Chosen One (and his nephew) here participate in the "news of the day," lending him for the first listeners some kind of legitimacy--however unlikely it may seem to us.
It also seems that we are being set up to meet the Man, the Mystery, the Melchizedek!
Melchizedek, Man of Mystery
If I had to choose my favorite Biblical character, this guy would be a contender. Here's everything--everything--we know about him:
He was king of Salem (presumed to be Jerusalem). Salem (shalom) means "peace," making him also "King of Peace."
He brought out bread and wine for Abram.
He was the priest of the most high God--not a priest, but the priest. This is a priesthood that precedes that of Aaron, which we'll learn about in the next book, Exodus.
He blessed Abram and his god.
Abram gave him ten percent of his booty.
That's it. Oh, he's mentioned again, to be sure. Psalms 110:4 says, "Thou art a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek," referring, presumably, to King David, to whom most of the Psalms are attributed. And the same verse is applied in the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews in a bid to co-opt that priesthood for Jesus. (Hebrews Chapter 7 milks Melch's story pretty thoroughly; we'll get to it in about a zillion years at this rate--actually, just 22 years from now at a chapter a week, but we'll move faster in some books!)
The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek (between 1464 and 1467), by Dieric Bouts the Elder. In the Church of Saint Peter, Leuven, Belgium (Wikipedia)
But before we go much further, let's examine that name. What we're seeing as a proper name may in fact be a title and a name: it can be broken down as Malki-sedeq (or variations thereon), the first part being from melek of "king" or "king of," and the second being either "righteousness" or the proper name "Zedek."
Which just happens to be the name of a Canaanite god! This hypothesis is on shaky ground, though, as this "god's" name is only attested in texts from much later, like the Roman period.
More likely, the name means something like "My King is Righteousness" or "My Lord is Righteousness," and not "My Lord is Zedek." Because after all, one of the few things we know about him is that he was "the priest of the most high God" (El Elyon), and not some stinking heathen.
Much later books, especially in the Jewish tradition, fabricate an entire backstory around Melchizedek, including that he was born of a virgin (Noah's sister-in-law) fully developed, clothed, and speaking, and that when he was forty days old an archangel (in some manuscripts Gabriel, in others Michael) took him to the Garden of Eden to escape the Flood without being locked in the stuffy (and probably stinky) ark of his uncle.
Another theory is that Melchizedek was the god himself, his name meaning "Lord of Righteousness," and his blessing for Abram was the god's own blessing. This would explain Abram giving him the tithe (ten percent), but see below.
A similar wild thought: a mysterious "king" offers bread and wine to a faithful follower in Jerusalem. Sound familiar? Some claim that Melchizedek is a pre-incarnational appearance of the second person of the Trinity himself, who would later be born as Jesus. If not actually Jesus, some say, he is a "type" of Jesus, as the Flood was a type of baptism, etc. (See the lesson on Genesis 6 for more about "types.")
But perhaps the most common "explanation" of Melchizedek started in Jewish tradition--and is popular among conservative Christian scholars--and that is that Melchizedek is none other than Shem, the most righteous of Noah's sons. (Quite contrarily, some claim Melchizedek is a Gentile--that is, a non-Jew, outside of Abram/Abraham's lineage.)
If this were so, Shem would be around 465 years old by some reckonings--not impossible for an antediluvian patriarch.
Anyway, reputable scholars say these few verses about Melchizedek are a later insertion into the story. (Amusingly, it's speculated that they may have had something to do with a fundraising campaign for the Second Temple: "Abram tithed, and so should you!")
Melchizedek is holding up his hands and blessing Abraham (published 1897) (Wikipedia)
But strictly in terms of story, what we get is this: Abram is about to meet Bera, King of Sodom, who is going to start negotiating for the disposition of people (presumably, slaves) and booty. Just then, Melchizedek swoops in and goes all holy on Abram. Once that's over, and Abe is put in his place, as it were, the discussion with Bera continues, and Abram is a bit more high-minded about it all: "I have vowed before God not to profit from this..." (Others read Abram's response as one of pride, maintaining the image that he is a "self-made"--or "God-made"--man.)
There's one more thing to say about Melchizedek: The sentence about the tithe is completely ambiguous. The King James Version actually reads, "And he gave him tithes of all."
Who tithed to whom? It's almost universally interpreted to mean that Abram tithed to Melchizedek. But what if Mel gave ten percent of his substance to Abe? A blessing indeed! And it would ease the pain of giving back the King of Sodom's stuff. It would also be the god's way of underwriting the whole enterprise, sort of hedging his bets.
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And now, the Text and the Footnotes.
The Text: Four against Five (14:1-4)
14:1 In the days when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch was king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer was king of Elam, and Tidal was king of [Goyim];
14:2 These [four] made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (which is [also called] Zoar).
14:3 These [five] joined together in the valley of Siddim, which is the Dead Sea.
14:4 They had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
14:1 The four kings and their kingdoms:
Amraphel was king of Shinar: As mentioned, this is believed to have been Hammurabi, and certainly Shinar was Babylon (perhaps cognate to Sumer).
Arioch was king of Ellasar: otherwise unknown; perhaps a place in Asia Minor, or possibly Larsa, an important city state of ancient Sumer. Larsa had a king named Eri-Aku.
Chedorlaomer was king of Elam: Elam was well-known, to the west and southwest of modern-day Iran. Chedorlaomer (under many spellings) seems to be unknown outside of this account, though it has been posited that he was one Kudur-Lagamar.
Tidal was king of [Goyim]: Tidal may be Tudhaliya, a name associated with kings of the Hittites. The word I have given as "Goyim" here (following the original Hebrew, as do the NIV and others) is "nations" in the KJV, a word used to designate non-Jews. (Goy and goyim are still commonly used for this purpose.)
14:2 Five more kings and their "kingdoms" (actually merely cities): Little or nothing is known of any of these "kings" outside of these verses; while Sodom and Gomorrah are well known (and we will address them anon), the remaining three are not. Together these five constituted the "Cities of the Plain," four of which were destroyed in Chapters 18 and 19; Bela, later named Zoar, alone was spared (oddly, as Bela means "destruction"). It is the only city of the five whose king goes unnamed.
14:3 the valley of Siddim: Siddim means simply "plain," so this is the "valley of the plain" where the "Cities of the Plain" were located. It's also where the Dead Sea is located; the event described in this chapter is often called "The Battle of Siddim."
14:4 They had served Chedorlaomer: That is, they were vassals, an essential component in keeping clear the trade route between Mesopotamia to Egypt.
The Text: Marching towards Siddim (14:5-7)
14:5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and conquered the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzims in Ham, the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
14:6 And the Horites in Mount Seir, all the way to El-paran, which is by the desert.
14:7 Then they returned, and came to En-mishpat (which is [also called] Kadesh), and conquered all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that lived in Hazezon-tamar.
14:5 In the fourteenth year: I don't know why, but several sources say this is the "fourteenth year of Chedorlaomer's reign"; it makes more sense to me that after twelve years, in the thirteenth the five kings rebelled, and in the fourteenth the four kings responded.
14:5 and 7 conquered: KJV "smote"
14:5-7: The smitten. This seems to describe a line across a desert now occupied only by tells (mounds were towns or cities were formerly located).
the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim: "Rephaim" can mean "giant" or "very tall person," so this is perhaps an ethnic group distinguished by its height. Ashteroth Karnaim is named for the goddess Astarte (a form of Ishtar); the city was much later given to Manasseh, a king of Judah.
the Zuzims in Ham: The Zuzims are "an ancient people of uncertain origin" (Strong's Concordance); Ham, meaning "sunburnt," is otherwise unknown.
the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim: meaning "terrors," they were "ancient inhabitants of Moab" (Strong's); Shaveh Kiriathaim means "plain of the double or two city" (Strong's) and is otherwise unknown.
the Horites in Mount Seir: Horites means "cave dwellers," perhaps in caves on (in?) "Mount Seir," the name of a mountain range.
El-paran: a strong tree (e.g. palm, oak, terebinth), which seems to lend its name to a place
En-mishpat (which is [also called] Kadesh): En-mishpat means "spring of judgment," which is at (or also called) Kadesh, a city in the extreme south of Judah.
the country of the Amalekites: the Amalekites are descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, who is Abraham's grandson and thus not yet born. Perhaps "the country of the Amalekites" is where they would settle sometime after this, but before the text was written, like us talking about "America" before Columbus.
the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar: the Amorites were another group indigenous to Canaan; Hazezon-tamar is the name of one of their cities.
14:6 the desert: KJV "the wilderness"
14:7 conquered: See Footnote at 14:5
[DANG I'm glad that's over! Aren't you?]
The Text: The Battle of Siddim (14:8-12)
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (which is [also called] Zoar) battled in the valley of Siddim
14:9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, Tidal king of [Goyim], Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar--four kings against five.
14:10 The valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and [some of their men] fell there; the rest fled into the mountain.
14:11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food supplies, and went their way.
14:12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son--who lived in Sodom--and his goods, and departed.
14:10 tar pits: KJV "slimepits." To this day the Dead Sea coughs up asphalt; the ancient Greeks called it "Lake Asphaltites." Fun fact: The Egyptians used asphalt imported from the Dead Sea region in their mummification processes.
14:11 food supplies: KJV "victuals," more familiar to viewers of old cartoons as "vittles"
14:12 Lot... who lived in Sodom: Note that Lot is no longer in a "tent near Sodom," as in Chapter 13. He is now lock, stock, and barrel committed to life in the wicked city.
The Text: Abram to the Rescue (14:13-16)
14:13 One who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who lived near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol and Aner, all of whom were Abram's allies.
14:14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he armed the 318 trained servants who had been born in his own house, and pursued the four kings as far as Dan.
14:15 He divided his force against them during the night, and attacked them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
14:16 So he brought back all the goods, and also his relative Lot and his goods, and the women and other people.
14:13 Abram the Hebrew: It would appear that by this time Abram's ethnic identity had been clarified. The word may derive from a root originally meaning "migrant" or "one who has traveled," specifically "from across the river" (perhaps the Euphrates). This would mark him off from the local populations.
14:13 near the great trees of Mamre: KJV "in the plain of Mamre"
14:13 Mamre, … Eschol and Aner: This seems to be the proper name of an Amorite neighbor of Abram's; he and his brothers, Eschol and Aner, "were confederate with Abram" (KJV); verse 24 confirms that they received a portion of the booty. All three men's names are also place names in the area.
4:14 and 16 his relative: KJV "his brother." Strong says the word is "used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance." Translations can include notions of relative, kin, or members of the same tribe.
4:14 trained servants: KJV supplies the word "servants" (you can always tell when this happens, as the supplemented word is printed in italics). The adjective can become a noun (as in "lifestyles of the rich and famous"), and be translated "trained [one]," "instructed [one]," experienced [one]," etc.
4:14 Dan: not by that name, as Dan was named for a tribe which in turn was named for Abraham's great-grandson who had not yet been born.
14:15 attacked: KJV "smote"
14:15 the left hand of Damascus: Strong gives possibilities such as "dark (as enveloped), i.e. the north; hence (by orientation), the left hand:—left (hand, side)." That is, if your map is properly "oriented" (which in the old days meant putting east at the top, as if one were traveling to Jerusalem), north would be on the left side of the map. NIV uses "north of Damascus."
14:16 his relative: See Footnote at 4:14
The Text: Melchizedek (14:17-20)
Note: This passage is discussed at length in the mini-sermon "Melchizedek, Man of Mystery" above.
14:17 The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, meeting him at the valley of Shaveh (which is the King's Valley).
14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem, priest of the most high God, brought out bread and wine.
14:19 He blessed Abram, and said, "Blessed be Abram by the most high God who possesses heaven and earth:
14:20 "And blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had.
14:17 the slaughter of Chedorlaomer: See my skepticism in the mini-sermon "Abram and Historicity" above.
14:17 the valley of Shaveh: Shaveh, like Siddim, means "plain," so this place name is also the "valley of the plain." It's also called "the King's Valley," and seems to be just north of Jerusalem. Which king? I don't know. Maybe Melchizedek?
14:18 Melchizedek: See the mini-sermon "Melchizedek, Man of Mystery" above.
14:18 priest: This is a unique, one might say almost shamanic, office. Much is made in conservative circles of the question: "Who are Melchizedek's parents?" I would ask, "Who ordained him a priest?" The formal priesthood was still generations in the future, though Cain, Abel, and Noah all offered sacrifices (the first two to mixed effect!), and Abram will do so in the next chapter.
14:18 the most high God: El Elyon, one of numerous names for the god in the Hebrew Scriptures (Wikipedia gives nearly 20 pieces which can be mixed and matched). This one is made up of two such pieces, "God" and "Most High," signifying a god above all others. This may hark back to a Canaanite usage, proclaiming one polytheistic god above the rest of the pantheon. Other than in this chapter, it is found only once in the Bible, in Psalms 78:35.
14:18 bread and wine: Though it seems like a ritual to us now, it was probably just a meal then.
14:19 "who possesses heaven and earth": the verb could also be "creates"; here Melchizedek expands on the attributes of El Elyon.
14:20 "who has delivered your enemies into your hand": The god gives victory--and apparently condones slaughter resulting from a night attack.
14:20 And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all he had: KJV has only "And he gave him tithes of all." See discussion in the mini-sermon "Melchizedek, Man of Mystery" above.
The Text: Splitting the Loot (14:21-24)
Note: The implications of this passage are discussed in the mini-sermon "Melchizedek, Man of Mystery" above.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people [you have taken], and take the goods for yourself."
14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have vowed with my hand upraised to the LORD, the most high God who possesses heaven and earth,
14:23 "That I will not take anything of yours, not a thread or a sandal strap, so you cannot say, 'I have made Abram rich';
14:24 "I will take only that which the young men have eaten, and the rewards for the men who came with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share."
14:22 "I have vowed with my hand upraised to the LORD": KJV "I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD." It is assumed this is a vow or oath.
14:22 "the most high God who possesses heaven and earth": Abram parrots Melchizedek's words.
14:23 "a sandal strap": KJV "a shoelatchet"
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Phew! Had enough? I have! Next time: some truly mantic shiznit.
'Til soon!