Genesis 14:16-24

16 And he brought again all the chattel, and Lot, (the son of) his brother, with his chattel, also (the) women, and the people./And he brought again all the cattle, and Lot, (the son of) his brother, with his cattle, also (the) women, and the people. (And he brought back all of the possessions that had been taken, and Lot, his kinsman, and all of his possessions, and all of the women, and the other prisoners./And he brought back all of the livestock that had been taken, and Lot, his kinsman, and all of his livestock, and all of the women, and the other prisoners.)
17 Soothly the king of Sodom went out into the meeting of him, after that he turned again from [the] slaying of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, in the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king. (And Sodom's king went out to meet him, after that he had returned from killing Chedorlaomer, and the other kings who were with him, in the Shaveh Valley, which is now called the King's Valley.)
18 And soothly Melchizedek, (the) king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the highest God (for he was the priest of the Most High God);
19 and he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of [the] (most) high God, that made heaven and earth of nought, (and he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, who made heaven and earth out of nothing,)
20 and blessed be [the] (most) high God, by whom defending (thee), (thine) enemies be betaken into thine hands. And Abram gave tithes of all things to him. (and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thy enemies into thy hands. And Abram gave him a tithe of all the things that he had recovered.)
21 Forsooth the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give thou the men to me; take thou (the) other things to thee. (And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give thou to me the people; and thou take the other things for thyself.)
22 And Abram answered to him, I raise [up] mine hand to the high Lord God, Lord of heaven and of earth, (But Abram answered to him, I raise up my hand, and swear to the Lord, the Most High God, the Maker of heaven and earth,)
23 that from the thread of [the] woof till to the lanyard of the hose, I shall not take (anything) of all things that be thine, lest thou say, I [have] made Abram rich;
24 except these things which the young men ate, and the parts of (the) men that came with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; these men shall take their parts. (except for those things which the young men have eaten, and a portion for the men who came with me, that is, for Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let these men take their portion, or their share.)

Genesis 14:16-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 14

This chapter gives an account of a war that was waged, and a battle fought between four kings on one side, and five on the other, and of the occasion and issue of it, who were the first kings, and this the first battle the Scriptures speak of, Ge 14:1-11; Lot and his goods being taken and carried off, with those of Sodom, by the conquerors, Abram hearing of it armed his men, and pursued after them, and overtook and overcame them, and rescued Lot and his goods, with others, and returned, Ge 14:12-16; when he was met by the kings of Sodom and Salem, who congratulated him on his victory, Ge 14:17-19; and what passed between him, and those great personages, is related, Ge 14:20-24.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.