1 And it came to pass (always marks a period of trouble ending in blessing) in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar (= keeper of the gods, dated in reign of a king of Babylon: the united forces led by a king of Elam. The Assyrian Tablets show that Elam had conquered and overran Babylonia. Amraphel reigned in N. [Shinar]: Eri-Aku [arioch], an Elamite prince, in the S. at Larsa [Ellasar]. All the names are found on one tablet), Arioch king of Ellasar (= venerable, his mother was sister to Chedorlaomer), Chedorlaomer king of Elam (= servant of Loamer), and Tidal king of nations (= great son. The Assyrian Tablet says "he assembled the barbarian tribes" of the Kurdish mountains, and that he "did evil" to the land of Bel. The Tablets are therefore shown to be correct by their agreement with Genesis).
2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom (= son of evil), with Birsha king of Gomorrah (= son of godlessness), Shinab king of Admah (= splendor of the father) and Shemeber king of Zeboiim (= lofty flight), and the king of Beba (= destruction), which is Zoar (= smallness):
3 All these were joined together in the vale of the Siddim. (Afterward, the Salt [or Dead Sea], when Moses wrote.)
4 Twelve (= the number of government in Biblical numerics) years they had served Chedorlaomer (v.4 goes back to the events leading up to the war with Sodom), and in the 13th year they rebelled. (In Biblical numerics 13 = rebellion)
5 And in the 14th year came Chedorloamer,and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim (A branch of the Nephilim, superhuman beings, so called after one Rapha: as Anakim after Anak.) in Ashteroth Karnaim (= a star of the two horns, or peaks), and the Zuzims (also as Rephaims) in Ham, and the Enims (= terrors, same as above) in Shaveh Kiriathaim (= plain of the double city),
6 And the Horites (= descendants of cave dwellers, aborigines of same order as Rephaim) in their mount Seir (= hairy, shaggy), to El-paran (= God his deliverance), which is by the wilderness.
7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat (= the spring of judgment. Not yet Kadesh = the Sanctuary), which is Kadesh, and smote the whole field of the Amalikites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar (= pruning of palm trees).
8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela {the same is Zoar}; and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim.
9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellaser; four kings with five (= the #9 = the number of judgment).
10 And the vale Siddim was full of pits of bitumen (still a feature of the Dead Sea to this day); and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountains.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 And there came one that escaped, an told Abram the
Hebrew; for he (in contrast to Lot) dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these also having a covenant with Abram were confederates with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken
captive, he armed his initiated servants (or instructed, prob. in the worship of Yahaveh), and perused them into Dan. (Not the Dan of Judg. 18:29. Lot was actually Abraham's nephew, not his brother. Abraham wasn't about to stand still while one of his relatives was taken captive by those that raided Sodom.)
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them to Hobah (= hiding place), which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. (Abraham recovered everything that had been taken. Do you know why? The Most High was with him.)
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the kings dale (= the king of Salem).
{18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and He was the priest of Most High GOD (= El Elyon. Your Father is Supreme. There is none above Him. Melchizedec is Jesus Christ (Heb. 7:1-3).).
19 And he blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of the MOST HIGH GOD, possessor of heaven and earth: (God is in control of everything on earth and in heaven. Love and trust Father enough to understand He always has a reason and a purpose.)
20 And blessed be the MOST HIGH GOD, Which has delivered your enemies into your hand." and Abram gave Melchizedek tithes of all} (The fact the Abraham tithed to Melchizedec proves the he believed He represented the Most High.)
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons (nephesh, souls), and take the goods to yourself." (The king of Sodom only wanted the people taken captive returned to him. He was offering the spoil to Abram. After all, it was Abram that had defeated Chedorlaomer.)
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lift up my hand (=I swear an oath), to the Lord, the MOST HIGH GOD, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and will not take any thing that is
yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' (The blessing of Melchizedek, and the bread and wine, prepared him for this great renunciation. Abraham knew that he was blessed of the Most High. He was careful to give credit for his blessings to God, not the king of Sodom. God delivered the enemy into Abram's hand. The Most High will do the same today for those that love and serve Him.).
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."