1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar). 3 All these joined together in the vale of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat (the same is Kadesh), and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. 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 set the battle in array against them in the vale of Siddim; 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five. 10 Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain. 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 had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. 15 And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, 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. 17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of Shaveh (the same is the King’s Vale). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 and blessed be God Most High, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. 21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread nor a shoelatchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me; Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion.
Genesis · Revised Version with Apocrypha
Genesis 14 Revised Version with Apocrypha
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)