Genesis 14:22

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I promised the LORD, El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth,

Genesis 14:22 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 14:22

And Abram said to the king of Sodom
In reply to his request:

I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord;
which was both a gesture of praying and of swearing, and both may be intended here; when he set out on his expedition, it is very probable he prayed to God for success, and swore that if he prospered him, that he would receive no profit or advantage from it to himself; or now in the presence of Melchizedek he lift up his hands and swore that he would take none of the goods he had recovered to his own line; and in this form of praying or swearing, he makes use of the same epithets of God Melchizedek had just used:

the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth:
having his heart struck with those just and glorious representations of God, and awed with a sense of such a glorious Being, and being forward to learn and retain everything that tended to make for the glory of God.

Genesis 14:22 In-Context

20 bless El Elyon, who gave you the victory over your enemies." Abram gave Melchizedek one-tenth of everything.
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and take the property for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I promised the LORD, El Elyon, creator of heaven and earth,
23 that I wouldn't take even a thread or a sandal strap from anything that was yours so that you couldn't say, ‘I'm the one who made Abram rich.'
24 The only exception is that the young men may keep whatever they have taken to eat, and the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—may keep their share."
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