Bible Study Genesis Verse By Verse

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● Gen 13:18b . . and he built an altar there to The Lord.

Abram's altars testify to the fact that his worship wasn't restricted to a special
location. Later; Moses' law would do that very thing; but Abram wasn't under its
jurisdiction so he was at liberty to sacrifice whenever, and wherever, it pleased
him. This is an important Bible axiom; viz: law cannot be broken where it doesn't
exist. (Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13, Gal 3:17)

● Gen 14:1 . . Now, when King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King
Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of nations.

Shinar was the whole of Babylonia; Ellasar was the leading tribe in its southern
part; and Elam was the original kingdom of Persia.

* The Hebrew word for "nations" is gowy (go'-ee) a word wielded by some Jews as
a racial epithet to indicate non-Jewish peoples, i.e. Gentiles. But gowy isn't really all
that specific. The people of Israel are called gowy at Gen 18:18, and Jacob, the
father of the twelve tribes, is called a gowy at Gen 25:23. Gowy really just simply
indicates a congregating; e.g. a herd of animals and/or a horde of locusts; which when
extended, indicates a particular people; e.g. Iroquois, Maya, Inuit, Chinese, Pacific
Islanders, Japanese, and/or Arabs, et al.

Mr. Tidal was probably the chief of a large confederacy consisting of mongrel, multi
racial people; possibly a tribal area in northeastern Babylonia. America is a perfect
example of Tidal's confederacy because it's a melting pot of assimilation,
intermarriage, and diverse races, cultures, languages, and nationalities. The only
true Americans in America are its indigenous peoples. Everybody else is either an
immigrant or the posterity of an immigrant.

● Gen 14:2 . . made war on King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King
Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar,

None of these men were "kings" in the fashion that we today think of royalty. They
were more like mayors, sheiks, or chieftains. And they didn't actually have
extensive realms; nor very much jurisdiction beyond the very community each one
dominated.

Canaanite cities weren't really serious municipalities; but rather more like fortified
hamlets-- much like the strategic villages in Viet Nam; except that just about all
Canaanite towns were enclosed within stone walls made of rough boulders about six
feet in diameter. Archaeologists call this type of wall a Cyclops wall. The boulder
walls were usually combined with an escarpment and reinforced with earthen
revetments.

Canaanite towns doubled as forts; places of refuge in time of danger, whether from
sudden attack by nomadic bands or from civil wars among the Canaanites
themselves. Towering perimeter walls invariably enclosed small areas, not much
bigger than Ste. Peter's Square in Rome. Each of these town-forts had a water
supply, but weren't really suitable for housing large populations in permanent
homes.

Inside the walls lived only the chieftain, the aristocracy, wealthy merchants, and
even sometimes Egyptian representatives. The rest of the inhabitants of the
township-- the ranchers and farmers, the vassals and the servants and the serfs--
lived outside the walls; often in tents or simple mud hogans or wattle huts.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived in tents; viz: pavilions.

In Tell el-Hesi, probably Eglon, the town proper was just over an acre. In Tell es
Safi, formerly Gath, it was twelve acres. In Tell el-Zakariyah, formerly Megiddo, the
same amount. Gezer, on the road from Jerusalem to Jaffa, occupied just over
twenty acres. Even in the more built up area of Jericho, the inner fortified wall, the
Acropolis proper, enclosed a space of little more than five acres; yet Jericho was an
important city and one of the strongest fortresses in the country.

So the five cities of the Plain were nothing to brag about-- well, maybe in their day
they might have been notable enough amongst their contemporaries.

● Gen 14:3 . . all the latter joined forces at the Valley of Siddim, now the Salt Sea.

In its early geological history; the valley was home to the Sedom Lagoon. Back
then, water from the Red Sea was able to ebb in and out of the lagoon because the
region hasn't always been land-locked like it is today. At one time the Jordan River
had an easy outlet to the gulf of Aqaba. But over time, tectonic forces altered the
region; preventing drainage into the gulf and trapping water in a huge basin from
which they cannot now escape.
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● Gen 14:4a . .Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer,

Apparently El Ched was the instigator behind the extortion scheme holding Sodom
and its neighbors economically hostage. The other kings who came along with him
to Canaan were just reinforcements to back his play. You have to wonder how The
Ched ever found the Valley of Siddim in the first place and what in the world
motivated him to travel so far from home.

Ched's home turf, Elam, is a well-known tract, partly mountainous, whose western
boundary, starting on the northeast side of the Persian Gulf, practically followed the
course of the lower Tigris. It was bounded on the north by Media, on the east by
Persia and on the west by Babylonia. The Assyro-Babylonians called the tract
Elamtu, expressed ideographically by the Sumerian characters for Nimma or
Numma, which seems to have been its name in that language. As Numma, or Elam,
apparently mean height, or the like, these names were probably applied to it on
account of its mountainous nature.

Another name by which it was known in early times was Ashshan-- or Anshan --or
Anzan, (Anzhan) --one of its ancient cities. The great capital of the tract, however,
was Susa (Shushan), whence its Greek name of Susiana, interchanging with
Elymais, from the semitic Elam. Shushan is famous for its stories of Esther and
Nehemiah.

The modern-day city of Ahvaz Iran is a pretty good locator for the region of Elam. If
there's a map handy it can be readily see just how far The Ched traveled to reach
the Jordan Valley. Even if he came straight over by helicopter, it's at least 780
miles.

It's amazing the distances that conquerors traveled on foot and the backs of
animals in ancient times. Hannibal crossed the Pyrenees and the Alps, with
elephants no less, to attack northern Italy. (The Alps have so eroded since then
that Hannibal would have difficulty following the same track today.) But even just
getting to the far sides of those mountain ranges from Carthage was itself an
arduous journey sans mechanical conveyances. It's no surprise then that the
Second Punic War lasted nigh unto seventeen years.

In the past; it took armies a long time just to get to the battlefields before they
even did any fighting. Invaders from China thought nothing of skirting the
Himalayas and entering India via the Khyber Pass in order to conduct campaigns in
the Ganges River Valley. I really have to wonder sometimes how commanders kept
their armies from becoming discouraged by all that travel and by all that time away
from home.

That situation actually befell Alexander the Great. After eight years and 17,000
miles, his weary army refused to campaign anymore in India and mutinied at the
Hyphasis River (today's Beas). Abandoning his ambition to conquer lands and
peoples more distant to the east of Greece than any man before him, including his
father Philip, the young commander had no choice but to turn back.

● Gen 14:4b . . and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

El Ched wouldn't get wind of that right away of course. There was no email, no
radio, no sat-com, no land line, no snail mail, no cells, nor television, nor telegraph,
nor aircraft, nor motorized conveyances in that day so it would take some time for
an overland caravan to return and tell him how the federation of five towns in the
Valley refused to cough up their payments.

Meanwhile the local sheiks had some time to prepare themselves for attack while
The Ched organized an expeditionary force.

● Gen 14:5-7 . . In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with
him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the
Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim, and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El
paran, which is by the wilderness.

. . On their way back they came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and subdued all
the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar.

Ched took no chances that any nearby clans would come to the aid of the Valley
people. So before launching his attack against the Siddim folks, he first subdued
everyone in the region roundabout who might be sympathetic to their cause. Only
then did Ched turned his full attention to the five communities in the Plain. And woe
and behold, Abram's nephew Lot was right smack in the middle of it all.

● Gen 14:8-9 . .Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah,
the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went forth and engaged
them in battle in the Valley of Siddim: King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of
Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar-- four kings against
those five.

That was probably a wise move. If each town had remained behind its own walls,
defending against El Ched individually on its own, he could have conquered them
very easily one at a time. By combining their forces, and meeting him in the open,
they stood a much better chance. But valley dwellers were no match for a seasoned
expeditionary force. The men from Babylonia were battle-honed veterans.
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● Gen 14:10 . .The Valley of Siddim was full of slime pits. The kings of Sodom and
Gomorrah fled and fell into them while the rest fled to a mountain.

The Hebrew word translated "slime pits" is everywhere but maybe three places
translated "well" as in water wells and/or cisterns. Some Bibles translate it
"bitumen pit" but bitumen and slime are interpretations rather than translations.
The pits apparently were natural features in the valley; viz: random sink holes.

The Hebrew word for "fell" is very ambiguous and could just as easily be translated
"got down". Compare Gen 17:3 where Abraham fell on his face. In other words: the
chieftains of Sodom and Gomorrah jumped down into some of those naturally
occurring pits like Army fox holes for cover and concealment.

NOTE: The level of the Dead Sea dropped a record five feet in 2012; and in the
years between 1939 and 1999 it dropped eighty feet. The Sea's shrinkage has been
a major problem for decades, with its shoreline retreating as much as a mile in
some spots. The process destabilizes the ground surrounding it, causing massive
sink holes that have actually devoured whole villages.

● Gen 14:11-12 . . The invaders seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and
all their provisions, and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abram's
brother, and his possessions, and departed; for he had settled in Sodom.

Talk about riches to rags! Lot went from a prosperous cattle baron to a slave in
sixty minutes (so to speak).

The word translated "provisions" basically pertains to food. Victuals were an
important spoil of war in those days when supply lines were totally nonexistent.
There were no heavy-drops from cargo planes, nor helicopters to ferry in MRE's,
medicine, FNG's, ammo, potable water, and things of that nature. When El Ched's
army needed re-supply, they had to take it from their vanquished-- ergo: they were
highly motivated; because if they wanted to eat, then they had to fight; and they
had to win.

● Gen 14:13a . . A refugee brought the news to Abram

It was a trek from Sodom to Abram's camp. He was way up in Mamre; and a goodly
portion of it uphill-- very uphill. At any rate, news of Sodom's overthrow meant that
Lot was captured; or maybe even dead. One way or the other, Abram had to find
out if his nephew was still alive-- kind of like John Wayne looking for his two nieces
in The Searchers.

● Gen 14:13b . . the Hebrew,

This is very first appearance of the word "Hebrew", which is 'Ibriy (ib-ree') and
means: an Eberite; viz: a descendant of Eber. It can also mean "the other side"
which implies that Abram may have been known as one who came from the other
side of the Euphrates river-- sort of like Mexican, Central, and South American
immigrants who cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. But more likely he
was called Eberite because of his family's lineage. Eber was first mentioned back in
Gen 10:21.

NOTE: Hebrews weren't Jews in Abram's day; no they were Gentiles. It was
Abram's eventual progeny who became Jews-- specifically people paternally and/or
religiously, associated with Judah: Jacob's fourth son: patriarch of the Messianic
tribe. (Gen 49:8-12, Heb 7:14)

The Hebrew word for "Jew" is yehuwdiy (yeh-hoo-dee') which means Judah-ite; and
doesn't appear in the Bible until 2Kgs 16:6; many, many years after the Exodus.

● Gen 14:13c . . who was dwelling at the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, kinsman
of Eshkol and Aner, these being Abram's allies.

Abram had become a shrewd sheik. The best way to survive on the frontier is to
team up-- especially with someone that all the others knew and feared. That way
most everyone will leave you alone because they don't want to deal with your
friends. The terebinths (oaks) belonged to Mamre, a well known Amorite in that
region. His kin, Eshkol and Aner, were Abram's friends too.
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● Gen 14:14a . .When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he
mustered his retainers, born into his household, numbering three hundred and
eighteen,

The Hebrew word translated "retainers" basically means initiated; i.e. practiced.
This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where that word is
located so it's difficult to know precisely what Genesis means by it; but seeing as
how the retainers' origin is mentioned, it possibly refers to their unusual degree of
loyalty and dependability.

Abram was their sheik by birth, rather than by conscription. So these particular
men weren't mercenaries; but rather more like his very own sons. They were men
of deep gratitude for their master's providence; and every one of them, to a man,
were loyal and more than willing to risk their lives for him.

Though Abram was by nature a man of peace, he was prepared to fight in the event
it became necessary. In the wild untamed land of Palestine 4,000+ years ago, men
without mettle didn't survive very long. And even today, it's still true that a strong
man armed, keeps his goods. (cf. Luke 11:21)

● Gen 14:14b . . and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

At this early date, there was neither a region, nor a town, in Canaan colonized and
named after Jacob's son Dan. There wasn't even one in Moses' day. It wasn't until
Joshua 19:40-48 that Dan's tribe received their portion of Canaan. So Dan's name
is likely a scribal edit.

It's unthinkable that Abram would leave his camp and his wife, and all the women
and children unprotected while he and his warriors traveled miles from home. So
it's reasonable to expect that some of his Amorite allies remained behind to
reinforce Abram's camp while he was out of town.

● Gen 14:15a . . At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated
them;

Very commendable for a former city slicker. Abram, no doubt coached by Mamre,
employed excellent Bedouin guerrilla tactics against a well-armed, seasoned foe of
superior numbers. After his scouts located The Ched's caravan, Abram dogged him,
waiting for an opportunity to attack in circumstances to his advantage. When the
time came, he did it under cover of darkness, rather than in daylight; and came at
them from more than one direction, which would help to create confusion, chaos,
and panic amidst Ched's army.

El Ched's men were probably laid back, stuffed full of stolen food and sleepy with
booze; and proud of themselves for their victories; totally unsuspecting anyone
remaining in Canaan would have the moxie to take them on. Lacking flares,
Claymores, barbed wire, mines, flashlights, night vision capability, motion
detectors, or early warning systems of any kind; Ched's forces were easily
surprised and routed.

● Gen 14:15b . . and he pursued them as far as Hobah,

Unfortunately this is the only place in the entire Old Testament where Hobah is
mentioned; and archaeologists have had no luck so far in discovering its exact
location.

● Gen 14:15c . .which is north of Damascus.

Many, many years later, in 1918, the Hejaz Arab Army led by T.E. Laurence
(Laurence of Arabia) would fight the Turks in this very region and drive them out of
Damascus.

Ol' Abram sure didn't want those guys to forget Canaan none too soon. It wasn't
enough to beat them at Dan; no, he ran them all the way out of the country. The
survivors of the invading army no doubt straggled back to their homelands as best
they could, amazed at this sudden, unexpected humiliating end to what had been
up till then a mighty wave of victory and conquest.

No mention of this battle has ever yet been found on any of the Babylonian or
Elamite inscriptions-- which is understandable. Ancient kings were accustomed to
boast only about their victories since defeat usually left them dead or in slavery.
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