Genesis 14:1-2

"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim (nations), that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar)."

This narrative is not "completely isolated,"[1] but it is vital to the whole Genesis record. (See the introduction above.) "These names are historical, and it is highly probable that they reigned over the countries assigned to them in this chapter."[2] In our view, "probable" is not the proper word in such a review of what is written here, the correct word is "certain." Without the little war related here, none of the events of this chapter could have taken place.

Students of this passage should avoid being deceived by the critical device of blowing this entire episode up to the status of an international war involving hundreds of thousands of men and the rulers of mighty nations. Such a device changes the name Shinar into Babylon. Also, Tidal "king of nations" is magnified into a ruler of some vast international confederacy; all of that fits perfectly into the scheme of blowing this whole incident up into such a preposterous conflict that only an unqualified miracle could have enabled Abram to overcome them. This synthetic doctoring of the story here is erroneous. Quite obviously, these were five petty kings, ruling over such small areas as a small city. "Shinar," of course, is a poetic name applied to Babylon, in the same manner as a little hamlet west of Henrietta, Texas, calling itself "New York City"! Dozens of examples of this are visible all over the United States - Boston, London, and Moscow - all in Texas, etc.!

Jewish Commentators have long stressed this: "Shinar must here refer to a location closer to Canaan."[3] As for Tidal's being "king of nations," the reference is probably to a small city that called itself Goiim (meaning nations), as indicated in the ASV rendition. Also, it could have referred merely to the title he had given himself, such as General Lopez De Santa Ana's styling himself the "Emperor of North America"! As Skinner put it, "The data here cannot possibly be a fabrication."[4]

The cupidity and avarice of such a gang of petty rulers are the only motivation needed for raiding the cities attacked by them. The vision, encouraged by some, of the whole Babylonian structure in the East being involved here in the protection of vital trade routes is totally unnecessary. Lot had moved into the type of world where such events might logically have been expected, another possible reason for the inclusion of this brutal little war in the Genesis account.