Commentary - Genesis 14:1-12

Bird's-eye view

Genesis 14 plunges us into the middle of what appears to be a run-of-the-mill ancient near-eastern political squabble. A coalition of Mesopotamian kings marches west to crush a rebellion among their vassal kings in the Jordan Valley. On the surface, it is a story of power, tribute, and warfare. But Scripture never gives us bare history; it always gives us covenant history. This chapter is no exception. The historical details are the scaffolding for a profound theological lesson about God's covenant faithfulness, the folly of worldly entanglement, and the righteousness of faith in action.

The central conflict is not merely between the four kings of the East and the five kings of the plain. The real drama unfolds on the spiritual plane. This is another round in the long war between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). The kings of the world rage and plot, but God in heaven is working His purposes out. He is using this international incident to chasten his wayward nephew, Lot, and to elevate His chosen man, Abram. Lot, who chose the well-watered plains of Sodom with his eyes, now finds out what that choice really cost him. Abram, who walks by faith, is about to be shown as the true king, the true priest, and the true deliverer, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Genesis

This chapter follows directly on the heels of Abram and Lot's separation in chapter 13. That separation was not just a practical matter of managing herds; it was a spiritual watershed. Lot chose by sight, picking the land that "was like the garden of the Lord" but was spiritually toxic. Abram, on the other hand, deferred to Lot and trusted God, who then reaffirmed His covenant promise to him. Chapter 14 is the divine commentary on their respective choices. God immediately brings the consequences of Lot's decision to his doorstep. Lot wanted the world, and now he gets the world's wars, the world's defeats, and the world's captivity.

This event also serves as the setup for the second half of the chapter, where Abram the Hebrew will march out to rescue Lot, refuse the spoils of Sodom, and be blessed by Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God. This entire narrative is designed to contrast the man of faith with the man of sight, and to show that God's covenant man is the true source of blessing and deliverance in a world tearing itself apart.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 And it happened in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim,

The story opens with a formal, almost bureaucratic, list of kings. This isn't a fairy tale; it's history. These were real men ruling real places. Shinar is Babylon, Elam is to the east of Babylon, and the other locations are in that same Mesopotamian region. Moses, under the inspiration of the Spirit, is grounding this account in concrete historical reality. The world has its kings and its power structures, and God is the one who raises them up and puts them down. This impressive list of potentates from the East is assembled, not by their own grand designs, but by the providence of God who has a lesson to teach a man living in a tent in Canaan, and his nephew who thought he had made the shrewder deal.

v. 2 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 (that is, Zoar).

Here is the other side of the conflict. The names of these kings of the plain almost sound like a parody. Bera can mean "in evil" and Birsha "in wickedness." Whether these are their actual names or inspired commentary, the point is made. These are the rulers of the cities that would later be judged so thoroughly that their names became bywords for depravity. This is the company Lot has chosen to keep. He pitched his tent "toward Sodom" (Gen. 13:12), and now we find him living in the city itself (Gen. 14:12). He is yoked, not just geographically but politically and culturally, to these men and their corrupt cities.

v. 3 All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).

The five kings of the plain band together. The world knows how to make its alliances for its own self-interest. They meet in the Valley of Siddim, which we are told is now the Salt Sea, or the Dead Sea. This is a crucial geographical note. The place where they chose to fight would later be the very epicenter of God's fiery judgment. The landscape itself testifies to the end of all such worldly rebellion. They are mustering for battle in a place that will one day be their tomb.

v. 4 Now for twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled.

Here is the casus belli, the reason for the war. It was a tax revolt. For twelve years, the cities of the plain had been vassal states to Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, who was clearly the senior partner in the eastern coalition. They had been sending tribute, paying their dues. But in the thirteenth year, they got tired of it. They decided they wanted to be their own masters. This is the perpetual sin of man. We chafe under any authority. These cities, given over to every kind of license, could not stand being told what to do by a foreign king. Their rebellion is a microcosm of mankind's rebellion against God.

v. 5-6 So in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and struck the Rephaim...the Zuzim...the Emim...and the Horites...

Chedorlaomer doesn't mess around. The response to the rebellion is swift and brutal. But notice the strategy. Before they even get to Sodom and Gomorrah, the eastern kings conduct a sweeping campaign through the whole region, subduing all the surrounding peoples. The Rephaim, Zuzim, and Emim were tribes of giants, fearsome people. The Horites lived in Mount Seir, the region later known as Edom. This was a shock-and-awe campaign designed to isolate the five rebellious kings and remind everyone in the region who was in charge. God's providence is at work even in military strategy. The net is being drawn tightly around the cities of the plain, and around Lot.

v. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh). And they struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who were living in Hazazon-tamar.

The campaign continues. They swing south and west, mopping up any other potential resistance. Kadesh would be a significant place later in Israel's history, as would the territory of the Amalekites and Amorites. The point is that this invading army was overwhelmingly powerful and effective. No one could stand against them. The world's power, when it is unleashed, is a terrifying thing. And Lot had built his house right in its path.

v. 8-9 And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah...came out; and they arranged themselves for battle against them...four kings against five,

Finally, the main event. The five kings of the plain march out to face the four kings from the east. On paper, it looks like a fair fight, maybe even advantageous for the locals. Five against four. They are on their home turf. But the previous verses have already told us the outcome. The eastern coalition is a well-oiled military machine that has just steamrolled the entire region. The Sodomites are marching out full of pride and self-confidence, but they are walking into a buzz saw.

v. 10 now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell into them; but those who remained behind fled to the hill country.

The battle is a rout. The very thing that might have been a natural defense, the tar pits, becomes a trap for the local kings. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, Bera and Birsha, literally fall into their own muck. The irony is thick. These men, mired in moral filth, end up physically mired in filth. Their armies break and flee to the mountains. The worldly alliance collapses at the first sign of real pressure. There is no honor, no courage, just a mad scramble for self-preservation.

v. 11 Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply and departed.

The victors do what victors have always done. They plunder the cities. They take everything of value, all the goods, all the wealth, all the food. The prosperity that Lot saw with his eyes, the very thing that drew him to Sodom, is now being hauled away on the backs of Babylonian camels. The world gives, and the world takes away. Wealth that is not grounded in the covenant of God is always temporary and always vulnerable.

v. 12 They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed; now he was living in Sodom.

And here is the punchline of the whole affair. Lot, the nephew of God's covenant man, is swept up in the judgment. He chose to identify with Sodom, and so he gets to share in Sodom's fate. They took him, and they took his stuff. The text makes a point of telling us, "now he was living in Sodom." His compromise was complete. He was no longer just near Sodom; he was a resident. And when you throw your lot in with the world, you get what the world gets. This is a severe mercy from God. Lot is about to be disciplined for his foolish choice, but this discipline is also the instrument God will use to deliver him. God always delivers His people, which means He always has to get them into a jam first.