Old Testament Commentary - Genesis 14

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 14 Lot captured in battles of the kings—He is rescued by Abram— Melchizedek administers bread and wine, and blesses Abram—Abram pays tithes—He declines to accept spoils of conquest.
1 AND it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of ^aShinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; 2 That these 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, which is ^aZoar. 3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt ^asea.		1^a TG Creation ^b Isa. 45:12; D&C 29:36; D&C 38:1; D&C 45:1; Moses 3:1; Abr. 5:1 2^a OR done ^b HEB stopped, ceased; from the verb shavat, the noun shabbat (Engl. Sabbath) means a stopping of cessation; D&C 77:12; Moses 3:2; Abr. 5:2 (1-3); TG Rest ^c TG Industry 3^a TG Sabbath ^b Ex. 20:11; Mosiah 13:19 (16-19); D&C 77:12; Moses 3:3 (1-3); Abr. 5:3 (1-3); TG Sacred ^c Ex. 31:17 ^d OR created through working
4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the ^aRephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the ^bZuzims in Ham, and the ^cEmims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 And the ^aHorites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.		1^a TG Creation ^b Isa. 45:12; D&C 29:36; D&C 38:1; D&C 45:1; Moses 3:1; Abr. 5:1 2^a OR done ^b HEB stopped, ceased; from the verb shavat, the noun shabbat (Engl. Sabbath) means a stopping of cessation; D&C 77:12; Moses 3:2; Abr. 5:2 (1-3); TG Rest ^c TG Industry 3^a TG Sabbath ^b Ex. 20:11; Mosiah 13:19 (16-19); D&C 77:12; Moses 3:3 (1-3); Abr. 5:3 (1-3); TG Sacred ^c Ex. 31:17 ^d OR created through working
8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; 9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of ^aslimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.		1^a TG Creation ^b Isa. 45:12; D&C 29:36; D&C 38:1; D&C 45:1; Moses 3:1; Abr. 5:1 2^a OR done ^b HEB stopped, ceased; from the verb shavat, the noun shabbat (Engl. Sabbath) means a stopping of cessation; D&C 77:12; Moses 3:2; Abr. 5:2 (1-3); TG Rest ^c TG Industry 3^a TG Sabbath ^b Ex. 20:11; Mosiah 13:19 (16-19); D&C 77:12; Moses 3:3 (1-3); Abr. 5:3 (1-3); TG Sacred ^c Ex. 31:17 ^d OR created through working
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took ^aLot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 ¶ And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the ^aHebrew; for he dwelt ^bin the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, ^ahe armed his trained servants, ^bborn in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the ^aleft hand of Damascus. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his ^abrother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 ¶ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the ^aking's dale.
Abraham Pays Tithes to Melchizedek
18 And ^aMelchizedek king of ^bSalem brought forth ^cbread and wine: ^dand he was the ^epriest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, ^aBlessed be Abram of the most high ^bGod, ^cpossessor of heaven and earth: 20 And ^ablessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him ^btithes of all.
Abraham Refuses Spoils of War Per Oath Unto God
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the ^agoods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD^a, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth^b, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram ^arich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their ^aportion.	21^a I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD Raising the right hand to the square is a part of taking an oath unto God. The oaths and covenants entered into by the Saints who attend the temple are so made in this fashion. It is a part of the Priesthood symbol of authority in performing the ordinance and covenant of Baptism. The early Elders of the Church would even so pray with their hands raised to the square making of their prayers a form of covenant offerings unto the Lord. Today in the Church we still raise our hands to the square in a covenant promise unto God when we do so in sustaining support of those who are placed in positions in the Church, that we will sustain and support them in their positions that they are called to. Even some societal evidence remains of the ancient process of oath and covenant making, such as swaring in of the President and the oath to tell the truth in a Court of Law 21^a possessor of heaven and earth The 'owner', the 'ruler' of heaven and earth is the LORD. It is given Him of the Father. We often loose track of this fact in our daily life and even in our courses of affairs in the Church. The truth that the earth is the LORD and the fulness thereof implies that all the earth's land is the Lord's land. It is his vineyard. And while we take special significants in the promised covenant governing the Land of America, that who so ever posses this land must serve the LORD, it is a covenant and promise that can be inforced upon any and all lands of the earth. It was so enforced in the days of Adam when the land was all one land. It has been enforced upon the land of Palestine in relation to the House of Israel. And certainly it has been enforced upon the land of America as central in that land is where Adam did dwell, the Jaredites did dwell, the Nephites have dwelled and where we now do dwell and that covenant has be and will ever be so enforced upon this land the choicest land of the LORD.