Genesis 14:8

8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea.

Genesis 14:8 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 14:8

And there went out the king of Sodom
With his armed men to meet the four kings, and give them battle, being so near him, and in so much danger from them, that if they could not stand their ground, they might flee to the mountains, and not perish in the city: and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the King of
Zeboiim;
whose names are before given, ( Genesis 14:2 ) : and the king of Bela, the same [is] Zoar:
as in ( Genesis 14:2 ) : and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
where the five Canaanitish kings met, of which see ( Genesis 14:3 ) ; and fought the four kings that were come forth against them, and whose names are repeated, and are as follow:

Genesis 14:8 In-Context

6 and the Horites at Mount Seir, as far as El-paran at the edge of the wilderness.

7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (now called Kadesh) and conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites living in Hazazon-tamar.

8 Then the rebel kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (also called Zoar) prepared for battle in the valley of the Dead Sea.

9 They fought against King Kedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Babylonia, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five.

10 As it happened, the valley of the Dead Sea was filled with tar pits. And as the army of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into the tar pits, while the rest escaped into the mountains.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew Siddim Valley (see 14:3 ); also in 14:10 .