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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Genesis 14:4

they served The five kings "served," i.e. were vassals, and paid tribute to, the king of Elam who was their over-lord.

rebelled Probably by omitting to pay tribute or to send gifts, as they had done for 12 years. The distance from southern Palestine to Elam was great. The five kings were doubtless petty princes, who took part in a wide-spread rebellion. Perhaps they took advantage of the decline of the power of Elam, and of the growth of the power of Babylonia. This is a justifiable conjecture if "Amraphel" be the same as Hammurabi. For Hammurabi threw off the yoke of Elam, united Babylonia, and founded the Dynasty of Babylon.

Compare the description in 2 Kings 24:1, "Jehoiakim became his [Nebuchadnezzar's] servant three years; then he turned, and rebelled against him."

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See also Genesis 14:4 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - Abram Rescues Lot 1. אמרפל _'amrāpel_, Amraphel; related: unknown. אלריוך _'aryôk_, Ariok, “leonine?” related: ארי _'arı̂y_, “a lion:” a name re-appearing in the time of Daniel Daniel 2:14....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 14 THE FIRST RECORDED WAR AND LOT'S DELIVERANCE _ 1. The battle of the confederacy (Genesis 14:1)_ 2. Sodom and Gomorrah spoiled (Genesis 14:11) 3. Abram's rescue (Genesis 14:14) 4. S

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    GENESIS 12:1 TO GENESIS 25:18. THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. In this section the three main sources, J. E, P are present. Gunkel has given strong reasons for holding that J is here made up of two main sources...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FOUR KINGS MAKE WAR WITH THE FIVE REBEL KINGS. The four kings of Lower Babylonia, Larsa, Elam, and (?) Guti, made war on the five kings of the cities of the Plain, who had formed a confederacy in...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    TWELVE. The No. of Government. See App-10. SERVED. had served, Genesis 14:4 goes back to the events leading up to the present war with Sodom. THIRTEENTH. The first occurance. Hence the number of Reb...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    _4. The Biblical Account (ch. 14)._ 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 Be...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _TWELVE YEARS THEY SERVED CHEDORLAOMER, AND IN THE THIRTEENTH YEAR THEY REBELLED._ Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer - i:e., were tributary to him (cf. 2 Kings 18:7). AND IN THE THIRTEENTH YEAR...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE BATTLE OF THE KINGS, AND THE CAPTURE AND RESCUE OF LOT Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, had subdued the Canaanites of the Jordan valley some years before the events narrated in this chapter. The latte...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THEY] i.e. the Canaanite chieftains. They refused to pay tribute. 5F. The Campaign of Chedorlaomer. Passing Hamath in Syria, and Damascus, the invaders first attacked the REPHAIM, a race of great stat...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Chedor-laomer had an agreement with the 3 kings that were with him. Together they forced the 5 kings to pay taxes to them. Perhaps these taxes were money or perhaps they were goods. They did that for...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 14 THE FIGHT BETWEEN 4 KINGS AND 5 KINGS V1 At this time there were 4 kings. One was Amraphel and he was the king of Shinar. Another king was Ari...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THEY SERVED. — That _is, paid a yearly tribute,_ that they might be exempt from Chedorlaomer’s marauding expeditions (see 2 Kings 18:7). There must, therefore, have been envoys going from time to time...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    שְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה עָבְד֖וּ אֶת ־כְּדָרְלָעֹ֑מֶר...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    ABRAM'S RESCUE OF LOT Genesis 14:1 THIS chapter evidently incorporates a contemporary account of the events recorded. So antique a document was it even when it found its place in this book, that the...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    ABRAM AT HEBRON; LOT TAKEN CAPTIVE Genesis 13:14; Genesis 14:1 Lot lifted up his eyes for himself, but when the last of Lot's followers had streamed out of the camp, God bade Abram lift up his eyes,...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In this chapter we see Lot and Abram in differing circumstances, resulting in the first case from personal choice, and in the second from the choice of God. Lot was involved in trouble through associa...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    The Bible is full of promises so great they stagger the imagination. Anyone would like to receive the blessings they contain, if he could only believe God is able to keep his word. Our purpose in this...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Served. Thus Noe's prediction began to be fulfilled, as Elam was the eldest son of Sem, to whose posterity Chanaan should be slaves, chap. ix. 26._...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. The Reader is desired to recollect, that the Sodomites were the descendants of Canaan; on whom that memorable denuncia...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    We have had hitherto God's account of that which He had made; then the trial and utter ruin of the creature, with the revelation of divine mercy in Christ the Lord. We have had in fine the judgment of...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 13 AND 14. After this (chap. 13) we have, in the conduct of Abram and Lot, the disinterestedness and self-renunciation of true faith on the one hand, and, on...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    TWELVE YEARS THEY SERVED CHEDORLAOMER,.... King of Elam, who was of the race of Shem, and so the prophecy of Noah began to be fulfilled, that Canaan should be servant to Shem, Genesis 9:26; for the ki...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 14:4. _Twelve years they served him_ The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan, whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended. Thus soon did that prophecy begin to be f...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 The battell of foure Kings against fiue. 11 Lot is taken prisoner. 14 Abram rescueth him. 18 Melchi-zedek blesseth Abram. 20 Abram giueth him tithe. 22 The rest of the spoile, his partners haui...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. Chedorlaomer at that time was the head of the northern confederacy, and therefore the rebellion of the southern kings a...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Rebellion of the Valley Kings...

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    THIRD SECTION _Abram and his War with the Heathen robber-bands for the rescue of Lot. The victorious Champion of Faith and his greeting to Melchizedec, the prince of peace. His conduct towards the Ki...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    THE WORLD'S CONFLICT We read now for the first time in scripture of war among nations of the ungodly world. Abram has no part in this. It is recorded mainly because of Lot. Four kings war against five...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-12 The wars of nations make great figure in history, but we should not have had the record of this war if Abram and Lot had not been concerned. Out of covetousness, Lot had settled in fruitful, but...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    He was their lord, either, 1. By inheritance, as the issue of Elam, Shem's son, GENESIS 10:22. Or, 2. By conquest, having subdued those people in a former war, which Josephus speaks of....

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    We are, here, presented with an historic record of the revolt of five kings from under the hand of Chederlaomer, and a battle consequent thereon. The Spirit of God can occupy himself with the movement...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 14:4 Twelve H6240 H8147 years H8141 served H5647 (H8804) H853 Chedorlaomer H3540 thirteenth H7969...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And it happened in the days of Amraphel, King of Shinar, Arioch, King of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, King of Elam and Tidal, King of Goiim, that they made war with Bera, King of Sodom, and with Birsha, Ki...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Abram delivers Lot. Abram's refusal to compromise with the King of Sodom. CHARACTERS: King of Sodom, Lot, Abram, Melchizedek. CONCLUSION: Genuine faith never wraps itself in fleece while a...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 14:1. _Amraphel king of Shinar,_ the plain on which Babylon was built. The Hebrew _melech,_ everywhere translated king, is equivalent, according to the Gothic etymon of the same word, to a fig...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _These made war_ THE FIRST WAR ON RECORD I. AS TO ITS MOTIVES. 1. Ambition. 2. Plunder. 3. The desire to recover lost sovereignty. II. AS TO THE CONDITIONS OF ITS SUCCESS. From the failure of hu...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 14:4 After TWELVE YEARS of being ruled by others, the kings of the Jordan Valley gain independence for one year. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 14:1 After separating from Abram and settling in Sodom, Lot is taken captive by an alliance of four kings who invade the Jordan Valley. Abram gathers a small army and recovers...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— Genesis 14:1. Arioch.] Probably signifies _lion-like._ The name re-appears in the time of Daniel, as applied to the captain of the king’s guard (Daniel 2:14).—CHEDORLAOMER.] “Upon the...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION GENESIS 14:1 AND IT CAME TO PASS. After the separation of Abram and Lot, the latter of whom now appears as a citizen of Sodom, and not merely a settler in the Jordan circle; perhaps about...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel the king of Shinar (Genesis 14:1), Now Shinar is Babylon. and Arioch the king of Ellasar [which is Babylonia], and Chedorlaomer the king of Elam [which is...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    they served. Genesis 9:25 Genesis 9:26 they rebelled. Ezekiel 17:15...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Twelve years they served him — The Sodomites were the posterity of Canaan, whom Noah had pronounced a servant to Shem, from whom Elam descended. Thus soon did that prophecy begin to be fulfilled. In t...

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