*H And it came to pass at that time, that Amraphel, king of Sennaar, and Arioch, king of Pontus, and Chodorlahomor, king of the Elamites, and Thadal, king of nations,
Ver. 1. Sennaar, or Babylon. — Pontus, Heb. Ellasar, perhaps Thalassar, as Jonathan writes, not far from Eden. — Elamites, or Persians. — Nations in Galilee, east of the Jordan, whither the conquered kings directed their course. Josue xii. 23. mentions the king of the nations (foreigners) at Galgal. C.
*H All these came together into the woodland vale, which now is the salt sea.
Ver. 3. Now, in the days of Moses. — Salt sea; called also the vale of salts, and the dead sea.
*H For they had served Chodorlahomor twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they revolted from him.
Ver. 4. Served. Thus Noe's prediction began to be fulfilled, as Elam was the eldest son of Sem, to whose posterity Chanaan should be slaves. C. ix. 26.
*H And in the fourteenth year came Chodorlahomor, and the kings that were with him: and they smote the Raphaim in Astarothcarnaim, and the Zuzim with them, and the Emim in Save of Cariathaim.
Ver. 5. Raphaim, Zuzim, and Emim, were all of the gigantic race, robbers, like the Arabs. D. — These dwelt in the land of Basan, or of giants. Deut. iii. 13.
*H And the Chorreans in the mountains of Seir, even to the plains of Pharan, which is in the wilderness.
Ver. 6. Chorreans, or Horreans, who dwelt in one part of that extensive range of mountains, which took their name from Seir; perhaps about mount Hor, where Aaron died. C. — These also were auxiliaries of the five kings, and hence experienced the fury of the four confederates; who cut off all their opponents, before they made their grand attack upon Sodom. H.
*H And they returned, and came to the fountain of Misphat, the same is Cades: and they smote all the country of the Amalecites, and the Amorrhean that dwelt in Asasonthamar.
Ver. 7. Misphat, or of judgment and contradiction, because there the Hebrews contended with Moses and Aaron: it was afterwards called Cadez. Num. xx. 11. — Amalecites, that is which they afterwards possessed; for as yet Amelec was unborn. C. xxxvi. 16. M. — Amorrheans, to the west of Sodom. C.
*H Now the woodland vale had many pits of slime. And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha turned their backs, and were overthrown there: and they that remained, fled to the mountain.
Ver. 10. Of slime. Bituminis. This was a kind of pitch, which served for mortar in the building of Babel, Gen. xi. 3. and was used by Noe in pitching the ark. Ch. — Moses does not make this remark without reason. This bitumen would easily take fire, and contribute to the conflagration of Sodom. C. — Overthrown, not all slain, for the king of Sodom escaped. v. 17.
*H And behold one, that had escaped, told Abram the Hebrew, who dwelt in the vale of Mambre the Amorrhite, the brother of Escol, and the brother of Aner: for these had made a league with Abram.
Ver. 13. The Hebrew, or traveller who came from beyond the Euphrates, (C.) or who dwelt beyond the Jordan, with reference to the five kings. Diodorus.
*H Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, well appointed: and pursued them to Dan.
Ver. 14. Servants, fit for war. Hence we may form some judgment of the power and dignity of Abram, who was considered as a great prince in that country. C. xxiii. 6. He was assisted by Mambre, Escol, and Aner, with all the forces they could raise on such a short warning; and coming upon the four kings unawares, in four divisions, easily discomfits them, while they were busy plundering the cities, and pursues them to Dan; which is either the city that went by that name afterwards, or more probably one of the sources of the Jordan, (H.) which the people of the country call Medan. Neither did he suffer them to repose, before he had retaken all the plunder at Hoba, or Abila, north of the road leading to Damascus. C.
*H But Melchisedech, the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God,
Ver. 18. Melchisedech was not Sem: for his genealogy is given in Scripture. Heb. vii. 6.; nor God the Son, for they are compared together; nor the Holy Ghost, as some have asserted, but a virtuous Gentile who adored the true God, and was king of Salem, or Jerusalem, and Priest of an order different from that of Aaron, offering in sacrifice bread and wine, a figure of Christ's sacrifice in the Mass; as the fathers constantly affirm. H. — See Pererius. S. Jerom ep. ad Evagrium, says, "Melchisedech offered not bloody victims, but dedicated the sacrament of Christ in bread and wine...a pure sacrifice." See S. Cyp. ep. 63, ad Cæcil. S. Aug. de C. D. xvi. 22. &c. Many Protestants confess, that this renowned prince of Chanaan, was also a priest; but they will not allow that his sacrifices consisted of bread and wine. In what then? for a true priest must offer some real sacrifice. If Christ, therefore, be a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech, whose sacrifice was not bloody, as those of Aaron were, what other sacrifice does he now offer, but that of his own body and blood in the holy Mass, by the ministry of his priests? for he was the priest: this is plainly referred to bringing forth, &c. which shews that word to be sacrificial, as in Judges vi. 18. The Hebrew may be ambiguous. But all know that vau means for as well as and. Thus the English Bible had it, 1552, "for he was the priest." W. — If Josephus take notice only of Melchisedech, offering Abram and his men corporal refreshment, we need not wonder; he was a Jewish priest, to whom the order of Melchisedech might not be agreeable. It is not indeed improbable, but Abram might partake of the meat, which had been offered in thanksgiving by Melchisedech; and in this sense his words are true. But there would be no need of observing, that he was a priest on this account; as this was a piece of civility expected from princes on similar occasions. Deut. xxiii. 4. 2 K. xvii. 27. H.
* Footnote * Hebrews 7 : 1
For this Melchisedech was king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him:*H Blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth.
Ver. 19. Blessed him, as his inferior, and received tithes of him. Heb. iv. 7. This shews the antiquity of the practice of supporting God's priests by tithes.
*H And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself.
Ver. 21. The persons (animas) the souls subject to my dominion. H.
*H And he answered him: I lift up my hand to the Lord God the most high, the possessor of heaven and earth,
Ver. 22. I lift up. This is the posture of one swearing solemnly, by which we testify our belief, that God dwells in the heavens, and governs the world. C.
*H That from the very woof thread unto the shoe latchet, I will not take of any things that are thine, lest thou say: I have enriched Abram.
Ver. 23. Woof-thread. The first word is added by way of explanation. Abram declares he will not receive the smallest present for himself.
*H Except such things as the young men have eaten, and the shares of the men that came with me, Aner, Escol, and Mambre: these shall take their shares.
Ver. 24. Their shares, due to them on account of the danger to which they had exposed themselves. The king of Sodom could not but accept these conditions with gratitude. In a just war, whatever is taken by the enemy, cannot be reclaimed by the original proprietor, if it be retaken. Grotius, iii. 6. de Jure.