Genesis 14:2 - Exposition

That these made war. The LXX . connect the present with the preceding verse by reading "that Arioch," &c.; Ewald interpolates "of Abram," before "that Amraphel." With Bera . "Gift— בֶּש־רַע (Gesenius). King of Sodom . "Burning, conflagration," as being built on bituminous soil, and therefore subject to volcanic eruptions; from סָדַם , conjectured to mean to burn (Gesenius). "Lime place," or "enclosed place;' from סָדָה , to surround (Furst). A mountain with fossil salt at the present day is called Hagv Usdum; and Galen also knew of a Sodom mountain. And with Birsha = בֶּן־רֶשַׁע "son of wickedness" (Gesenius); "long and thick" (Murphy); "strong, thick" (Furst). King of Gomorrah. Γομόῤῥα ( LXX .); perhaps "culture, habitation" (Gesenius); "rent, fissure" (Furst). Shinab. " Father ' s tooth" (Gesenius); "splendor of Ab" (Furst); "coolness" (Murphy). King of Admah. Fruit region, farm city (Furst). And Shemeber. "Soaring aloft" (Gesenius). King of Zeboiim. Place of hyenas (Gesenius); gazelles (Murphy); a wild place (Furst). And the king of Bela. "Devoured," or "devouring" (Gesenius). Which is Zoar. "The small," a name afterwards given to the city ( Genesis 19:22 ), and here introduced as being better known than the more ancient one.