Genesis 14

Genesis 14 is an account of a regional war and Abram's rescue of his nephew Lot. Here's what happens:

1. Four kings wage war against five kings from the region of Sodom and Gomorrah.

2. The five kings had been subject to Chedorlaomer for 12 years but rebelled in the thirteenth year. In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and his allies attack and defeat several peoples in the region before confronting the five kings in the Valley of Siddim.

3. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee and fall into tar pits, while the rest escape to the hills. The victorious four kings plunder Sodom and Gomorrah, taking their possessions and food supplies.

4. Lot, Abram's nephew who was living in Sodom, is captured along with his possessions.

5. When Abram learns of Lot's capture, he gathers 318 trained men from his household and pursues the four kings, defeating them near Damascus and recovering all the captives and goods.

6. After Abram's victory, two significant encounters occur:

   • Melchizedek, king of Salem and "the priest of the most high God," brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
   • The king of Sodom offers Abram the goods while requesting the return of his people. Abram refuses to take anything except what his men have eaten and a share for his allies.

This chapter is noteworthy for introducing Melchizedek, a somewhat mysterious figure who appears briefly but is referenced later in the Bible as a symbol of the everlasting King and Priest.