Genesis 14:1-24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:7

And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh ,.... Pursuing their victories as far as Elparan by the wilderness, they had passed by the country of the Amalekites; wherefore they "returned", or came back to fall upon them, and they came to a place called Enmishpat, or the "fountain of judgment"; which was not its future name, as Jarchi thinks, because there Moses and Aaron were to be judged concerning the business of that fountain, even the waters of Meribah, with which agrees... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:9

With Chedorlaomer king of Elam ,.... Who is here mentioned first, being the principal in the war, and against whom the kings of Sodom, &c.; had rebelled: and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar ; who were his allies, confederates, and auxiliaries: four kings with five ; those four last mentioned, with the other five before spoken of, that is, they fought with them; or rather four kings against five, as the Vulgate Latin and Tigurine... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:10

And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits ,.... Or "wells" or "fountains of slime" or bitumen F19 בארת בארת המר "putei, putei bituminis", Vatablus, Piscator, Cartwright, Drusius, Schmidt; so Jarchi. ; a liquid of a pitchy nature, cast out of fountains, and which was used for a cement in buildings; such fountains were near Babylon; see Gill on Genesis 11:3 ; so that this place was naturally prepared for what it was designed to be, a bituminous lake; and hence, when turned... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:11

And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah ,.... They entered these cities and pillaged them, and carried off everything valuable in them, that was portable or could be driven, as their cattle, &c.; they did not burn these cities, nor take possession of them, and leave garrisons in them, which shows them to be petty princes that came for plunder, and to get an equivalent for nonpayment of tribute to one of them: and all their victuals, and went away ; all the meat and drink... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:12

And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son ,.... The son of Haran, his elder brother, who was now, as the Jews say F24 Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 77. 1. , fifty years of age: who dwelt in Sodom , or near it, in the country adjacent to it, see Genesis 13:12 ; and so being a neighbour of the men of Sodom, and a sojourner among them, he partakes of their punishment; and this was a just correction of him for choosing to dwell among such a people: and they took his goods, and departed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:13

And there came one that escaped ,.... Both the sword of the enemy and the slimepits; either one of the inhabitants of Sodom, who had an acquaintance with Lot and a friendship for him, and knew his relation to Abram; or one of Lot's family, that might escape being taken and carried captive: for not Michael the prince, so called, because when the angels fell they would have drawn him with them, but God delivered him, and therefore his name was called פליט , or "one that escaped", as the Jews... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:14

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive ,.... That is, his brother's son Lot, as in Genesis 14:12 ; which was contrary to the law of nations; since Lot was only a sojourner, and not an inhabitant n Sodom, and therefore had no concern in the quarrel between the kings, and this justified Abram's taking up arms on his behalf: he armed his trained servants ; such as were trained up by him in religious exercises, see Genesis 18:19 ; in the affairs and business of civil... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:15

And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night ,.... Together with his confederates; and very probably their whole three was divided into four parts, under their four leaders; and this might be done in order to attack the four kings and their soldiers, who might be in four separate bodies; or to fall upon their camp in the four quarters of it, and to make a show of a greater army, thereby to intimidate the enemy: Abram seems to have understood the art of war, and the use... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 14:16

And he brought back all the goods ,.... Taken from Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 14:11 , and also brought again his brother Lot ; his brother's son, Genesis 14:12 , for whose sake chiefly he engaged in this enterprise: and his goods; money, cattle, &c.; and the women also, and the people ; not only that belonged to Lot, but to Sodom and Gomorrah, who had been taken and carried captive; these were all rescued and brought back by Abram, see Genesis 14:21 ; read more

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