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 nations;
Ver. 1. _In the days of Amraphel,_] i.e., Nimrod, as R. Salomon saith:
or Ninus, as others.
_ King of nations._] Of a people made up of sundry nations, saith
Ly... [ Continue Reading ]
Genesis 14:2 [That these] 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, which is Zoar.
Ver. 2. _That these made war._] War is the slaughter house of
mankind, and the hell of this present world. It hews i... [ Continue Reading ]
All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the
salt sea.
Ver. 3. _The salt sea._] So it was afterwards called. _See Trapp on "_
Gen 19:25 _"_ See Plin., lib. v. cap. 16.... [ Continue Reading ]
Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they
rebelled.
Ver. 4. _They rebelled._] Which they ought not to have done, if they
had promised fidelity, unless in case of extreme necessity: and then
also, at first, to have been on the defensive only. _a_
a Alsted.... [ Continue Reading ]
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that
[were] with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the
Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
Ver. 5. _Chedorlaomer._] King of Persia; he was commander in chief;
and upon his sword might have been written, a... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which [is] by the
wilderness.
Ver. 6. _And the Horites in their mount Seir._] Their Seir could not
secure them, when once they fell into the hands of these _Ardeliones_,
Eze 21:31 burning or "brutish men," skilful to destroy.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which [is] Kadesh, and smote
all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt
in Hazezontamar.
Ver. 7. _And smote all the country._] Great is the woe of war. _See
Trapp on "_ Gen 14:2 _"_ Great also was the goodness of God to Abram,
in g... [ Continue Reading ]
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;
Ver. 8. _And there went out the king of Sodom, &c._] These five
neighbouring kings were... [ Continue Reading ]
_With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations,
and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings
with five._
Ver. 9. _Four kings with five._] These five were but free princes of
cities, petty kings, such as we had here of old in this island; which
is therefor... [ Continue Reading ]
And the vale of Siddim [was full of] slimepits; and the kings of Sodom
and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the
mountain.
Ver. 10. _And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits._] Chosen
therefore on purpose by the five kings, who fled and fell there; or
(as some unders... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their
victuals, and went their way._
Ver. 11. _And all their victuals_] "Fulness of bread" Eze 16:49 was a
part of their sin; and now "cleanness of teeth" Amo 4:6 is made a
piece of their punishment, in God's just judgment.
“ _Per quod qu... [ Continue Reading ]
And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his
goods, and departed.
Ver. 12. _And they took Lot._] God passeth not by the sins of his
dearest saints, without a sensible check. Lot, for his affecting the
first choice, had soon enough of it. Strong affections bring strong
affli... [ Continue Reading ]
And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he
dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and
brother of Aner: and these [were] confederate with Abram.
Ver. 13. _And there came one that had escaped._] A Sodomite likely,
but a servant to God's good providence... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his
trained [servants], born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen,
and pursued [them] unto Dan.
Ver. 14. _He armed his trained servants._] Or, catechised; such as he
had painfully principled both in religion and military disc... [ Continue Reading ]
And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night,
and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which [is] on the left
hand of Damascus.
Ver. 15. _Smote them, and pursued them._] Abram came upon them as they
were, - secure, sleepy, and drunken, as Josephus writeth. So did David
upo... [ Continue Reading ]
And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother
Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
Ver. 16. _And he brought back all the goods._] The five kings were
deprived of the whole victory, because they sparest not a man whom
they should have spared. One act of inj... [ Continue Reading ]
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 king's dale.
Ver. 17. The king's dale.] So called here by way of anticipation. 2Sa
18:18... [ Continue Reading ]
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he
[was] the priest of the most high God.
Ver. 18. _Melehizedek king of Salem._] Who this Melchizedek was is
much controverted. Some would have him to be the Holy Ghost. Others,
the Lord Christ in the habit of a king and priest. The Je... [ Continue Reading ]
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth:
Ver. 19. _And he blessed him._] Lo, here an instance of the communion
of saints: Melchizedek doth all good offices to Abram (a believer,
though a stranger), not of courtesy only and humanity, but o... [ Continue Reading ]
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies
into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Ver. 20. _And he gave him tithes of all._] Not of the Sodomites'
goods, which he restored wholly, Gen 14:23 but of the other lawful
spoil he had taken from the four conquered kings; in... [ Continue Reading ]
And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take
the goods to thyself.
Ver. 21. _And the king of Sodom said._] He that a few days since faced
the heavens, and cared not for four kings, can now become suppliant to
a forlorn foreigner. Affliction will tame and take down the proude... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the
LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
Ver. 22. _I have lifted up my hand._] A swearing gesture. Dan 12:7 Rev
10:5-6 Neither doth he this rashly, but for very good reason first,
that by this oath, as by a bu... [ Continue Reading ]
That I will not [take] from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I
will not take any thing that [is] thine, lest thou shouldest say, I
have made Abram rich:
Ver. 23. _That I will not take from a thread._] Melchizedek, from God,
had made Abram heir of all things; for, saith he, I am the priest o... [ Continue Reading ]
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.
Ver. 24. _Let them take their portion._] In things indifferent, we may
abridge ourselves; we may not prescribe to others, as if they must
needs be just... [ Continue Reading ]