Genesis 14:22

22 But Abram told the king of Sodom, "I swear to God, The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, this solemn oath,

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 And blessed be The High God, who handed your enemies over to you. Abram gave him a tenth of all the recovered plunder.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me back the people but keep all the plunder for yourself."
22 But Abram told the king of Sodom, "I swear to God, The High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, this solemn oath,
23 that I'll take nothing from you, not so much as a thread or a shoestring. I'm not going to have you go around saying, 'I made Abram rich.'
24 Nothing for me other than what the young men ate and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; they're to get their share of the plunder."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.