Genesis 14:17 - Exposition

And the king of Sodom —Bera, or his successor ( vide Genesis 14:10 )— went out to meet him ( i.e. Abram) after his return from the slaughter (perhaps too forcible an expression for mere defeat) of Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him (the entire clause from "after" is parenthetical), at the valley of Shaveh. A valley about two stadia north of Jerusalem (Josephus, 'Ant.,' 8.10), supposed to be the valley of the Upper Kedron, where Absalom's pillar was after. wards erected ( 2 Samuel 18:10 ); which may be correct if the Salem afterwards mentioned was Jerusalem ( vide infra ); but if it was not, then the exact site of Shaveh must be left undetermined. Which is the king's dale . Or valley ( emek ); so styled because suitable for kingly sports or military exercises (Onkelos); because of its beauty (Poole); because Melchisedeck had his camp and palace there (Malvenda); or most likely because of the interview between him and Abram which there occurred (Keil, Lange), with which agrees the rendering τὸ πεδίον τῶν βασιλέων , ( LXX .).