1 And it comes to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 they have made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which [is] Zoar. 3 All these have been joined together to the Valley of Siddim, which [is] the Salt Sea; 4 [for] twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings who [are] with him, and they strike the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to El-Paran, which [is] by the wilderness; 7 and they turn back and come to En-Mishpat, which [is] Kadesh, and strike the whole field of the Amalekite, and also the Amorite who is dwelling in Hazezon-Tamar. 8 And the king of Sodom goes out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboim, and the king of Bela, which [is] Zoar; and they set in array [for] battle with them in the Valley of Siddim, 9 with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with the five. 10 And the Valley of Siddim [is] full of bitumen-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee, and fall there, and those left have fled to the mountain. 11 And they take the whole substance of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the whole of their food, and go away; 12 and they take Lot, Abram’s brother’s son (seeing he is dwelling in Sodom), and his substance, and go away. 13 And one who is escaping comes and declares to Abram the Hebrew, and he is dwelling among the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they [are] Abram’s allies. 14 And Abram hears that his brother has been taken captive, and he draws out his trained servants, three hundred and eighteen, and pursues to Dan. 15 And he divides himself against them by night, he and his servants, and strikes them, and pursues them to Hobah, which [is] at the left of Damascus; 16 and he brings back the whole of the substance, and he has also brought back his brother Lot and his substance, and also the women and the people. 17 And the king of Sodom goes out to meet him (after his turning back from the striking of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings who [are] with him), to the Valley of Shaveh, which [is] the king’s valley. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he [is] priest of God Most High; 19 and he blesses him and says, “Blessed [is] Abram to God Most High, possessing the heavens and earth; 20 and blessed [is] God Most High, who has delivered your adversaries into your hand”; and he gives to him a tenth of all. 21 And the king of Sodom says to Abram, “Give to me the persons, and take the substance to yourself,” 22 and Abram says to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up my hand to YHWH, God Most High, possessing the heavens and earth— 23 from a thread even to a shoe-strap I do not take of anything which you have, that you do not say, I have made Abram rich; 24 save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who have gone with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they take their portion.”
Genesis · Literal Standard Version
Genesis 14 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Amraphel
King of Shinar, one of four kings who made war on the five kings of the Valley of Siddim in Abram's day.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:9
Aner
An Amorite, brother of Mamre and Eshcol and bound by treaty to Abram, who went with Abram's men in the rescue of Lot.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:13; Genesis 14:24
Arioch
King of Ellasar, who joined Chedorlaomer in the war of four kings against five.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:9
Bera
King of Sodom, named first among the five kings who went to battle against the four kings in the Valley of Siddim.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:2
Birsha
King of Gomorrah, one of the five kings who fought the four kings in the Valley of Siddim.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:2
Chedorlaomer
King of Elam whom the kings of the Valley of Siddim served twelve years before rebelling; he carried off Lot, but Abram routed his army and rescued Lot.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:4–5; Genesis 14:9
Eshcol
An Amorite, brother of Mamre and Aner and bound by treaty to Abram, who went with Abram's men in the rescue of Lot.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:13; Genesis 14:24
Lot
Abraham's nephew who chose the plain of Jordan and settled near Sodom.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 11–14; 19
Mamre
An Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner and bound by treaty to Abram, near whose oaks Abram lived; Abram claimed a share of the rescue spoils for him.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:13; Genesis 14:24
Melchizedek
King of Salem and priest of God Most High, who brought out bread and wine, blessed Abram, and received a tenth of everything from him.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:18–20; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6
Shemeber
King of Zeboiim, one of the five kings who fought the four kings in the Valley of Siddim.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:2
Shinab
King of Admah, one of the five kings who fought the four kings in the Valley of Siddim.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:2
Tidal
King of Goiim (called king of nations in the KJV), who joined Chedorlaomer in the war against the five kings.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:9
Places
Damascus
An ancient Aramean capital where Saul (Paul) was converted and first preached. He later escaped over its wall in a basket.
Cited in the guide: Acts 9:3; Genesis 14:15; 2 Kings 5:12
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 10:10; Genesis 10:22; Isaiah 37:12; Genesis 11:2; Isaiah 11:11
- 2 Genesis 13:10; Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 10:19; Hosea 11:8; Isaiah 1:9–10
- 3 Numbers 34:12; Deuteronomy 3:17; Joshua 3:16; Genesis 19:24; Psalm 107:34
- 4 Ezekiel 17:15; Genesis 9:25–26
- 5 Deuteronomy 3:11; Deuteronomy 2:10–11; Genesis 15:20; Deuteronomy 1:4; Deuteronomy 3:22
- 6 Deuteronomy 2:22; Deuteronomy 2:12; Genesis 21:21; Numbers 12:16; Numbers 13:3
- 7 2 Chronicles 20:2; Genesis 16:14; Genesis 20:1; Numbers 20:1; 1 Samuel 27:1–12
- 8 Genesis 19:22; Genesis 19:20; Genesis 13:10; Genesis 14:10; Genesis 14:2–3
- 10 Genesis 19:17; Isaiah 24:18; Genesis 19:30; Jeremiah 48:44; Genesis 11:3
- 11 Genesis 14:21; Genesis 14:16; Deuteronomy 28:35; Genesis 12:5; Deuteronomy 28:31
- 12 Genesis 12:5; Genesis 11:27; Revelation 3:19; Genesis 13:12–13; Job 9:23
- 13 Genesis 13:18; Genesis 14:24; Genesis 40:15; 1 Samuel 4:12; Exodus 2:6
- 14 Judges 18:29; Genesis 15:3; Genesis 17:12; Ecclesiastes 2:7; Genesis 17:27
- 15 Acts 9:2; Deuteronomy 15:2; 1 Kings 15:18; Isaiah 41:2–3; Psalm 112:5
- 16 1 Samuel 30:18–19; 1 Samuel 30:8; Genesis 12:2; Isaiah 41:2; Genesis 14:11–12
- 17 2 Samuel 18:18; Hebrews 7:1; Proverbs 19:4; Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6
- 18 Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20–7:3; Hebrews 5:6; Hebrews 5:10; Psalm 76:2
- 19 Genesis 14:22; Hebrews 7:6–7; Ruth 3:10; Psalm 24:1; Numbers 6:23–27
- 20 Genesis 28:22; Nehemiah 13:12; Hebrews 7:4–9; Malachi 3:10; Deuteronomy 14:28
- 22 Daniel 12:7; Psalm 83:18; Revelation 10:5–6; Daniel 4:34; Judges 11:35
- 23 2 Kings 5:16; 2 Corinthians 11:9–12; Hebrews 13:5; Esther 9:15–16; 2 Kings 5:20
- 24 Proverbs 3:27; Matthew 7:12; Genesis 14:13; Romans 13:7–8; 1 Timothy 5:18
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For faith towards God justifies a man; and therefore he said, "I will stretch forth my hand to the most high God, who made the heaven and the earth." All these truths, however, do those holding perverse opinions endeavour to overthrow, because of one passage, which they certainly do not understand correctly.
… Lord's supper prefigured in the case of Melchizedek the priest, according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, where it says: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed Abraham.' Now, that Melchizedek was a type of Christ, the Holy Spirit declares in the Psalms, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Yea, the patriarch himself we admire for this, that in his own person he ran to the herd, and snatched up the calf, and that, when he had three hundred and eighteen servants born in his house. But now some are filled with so much pride, as to do these things by servants, and not to be ashamed.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
With bread and wine Melchisedek, the priest of the most high God, received Abraham on his return from the slaughter of the Gentiles.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)