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Gênesis 14

BLIVRE · Chapter 14/50

1E aconteceu nos dias de Anrafel, rei de Sinear, Arioque, rei de Elasar, Quedorlaomer, rei de Elão, e Tidal, rei de nações,

2Que estes fizeram guerra contra Bera, rei de Sodoma, e contra Birsa, rei de Gomorra, e contra Sinabe, rei de Admá, e contra Semeber, rei de Zeboim, e contra o rei de Belá, a qual é Zoar.

3Todos estes se juntaram no vale de Sidim, que é o mar salgado.

4Doze anos haviam servido a Quedorlaomer, e ao décimo terceiro ano se rebelaram.

5E no ano décimo quarto veio Quedorlaomer, e os reis que estavam de sua parte, e derrotaram aos refains em Asterote-Carnaim, aos zuzins em Hã, e aos emins em Savé-Quiriataim.

6E aos horeus no monte de Seir, até a El-Parã, que está junto ao deserto.

7E voltaram e vieram a En-Mispate, que é Cades, e devastaram todas as terras dos amalequitas, e também aos amorreus, que habitavam em Hazazom-Tamar.

8E saiu o rei de Sodoma, e o rei de Gomorra, e o rei de Admá, e o rei de Zeboim, e o rei de Belá, que é Zoar, e ordenaram contra eles batalha no vale de Sidim;

9A saber, contra Quedorlaomer, rei de Elão, e Tidal, rei de nações, e Anrafel, rei de Sinear, e Arioque, rei de Elasar; quatro reis contra cinco.

10E o vale de Sidim estava cheio de poços de betume: e fugiram o rei de Sodoma e o de Gomorra, e caíram ali; e os demais fugiram ao monte.

11E tomaram toda a riqueza de Sodoma e de Gomorra, e todos os seus mantimentos, e se foram.

12Tomaram também Ló, filho do irmão de Abrão, que morava em Sodoma, e sua riqueza, e se foram.

13E veio um dos que escaparam, e denunciou-o a Abrão o hebreu, que habitava no vale de Manre, amorreu, irmão de Escol e irmão de Aner, os quais tinham feito pacto com Abrão.

14E ouviu Abrão que seu irmão estava prisioneiro, e armou seus criados, os criados de sua casa, trezentos e dezoito, e seguiu-os até Dã.

15E derramou-se sobre eles de noite ele e seus servos, e feriu-os, e foi os seguindo até Hobá, que está à esquerda de Damasco.

16E recuperou todos os bens, e também a Ló seu irmão e sua riqueza, e também as mulheres e gente.

17E saiu o rei de Sodoma a recebê-lo, quando voltava da derrota de Quedorlaomer e dos reis que com ele estavam, ao vale de Savé, que é o vale do Rei.

18Então Melquisedeque, rei de Salém, tirou pão e vinho; o qual era sacerdote do Deus altíssimo;

19E abençoou-lhe, e disse: Bendito seja Abrão do Deus altíssimo, possuidor dos céus e da terra;

20E bendito seja o Deus altíssimo, que entregou teus inimigos em tua mão.

21Então o rei de Sodoma disse a Abrão: Dá-me as pessoas, e toma para ti a riqueza.

22E respondeu Abrão ao rei de Sodoma: Levantei minha mão ao SENHOR Deus altíssimo, possuidor dos céus e da terra,

23Que desde um fio até a correia de um calçado, nada tomarei de tudo o que é teu, para que não digas: Eu enriqueci a Abrão:

24Tirando somente o que os rapazes comeram, e a porção dos homens que foram comigo, Aner, Escol, e Manre; eles tomem a sua parte.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Four kings defeat a coalition of five kings and carry Lot away captive; Abram organizes his servants, rescues Lot, and is blessed by the mysterious priest-king Melchizedek.

Explanation

This chapter shows Abram in an unexpected role: a courageous military leader who risks his own safety to rescue his nephew Lot, even after they had parted ways amicably. This reveals a loyal character willing to act, not just passively wait for God's promises. The most striking moment, however, is the encounter with Melchizedek, king of Salem (later Jerusalem) and 'priest of the Most High God,' who blesses Abram and receives tithes from him — an enigmatic figure with no recorded genealogy, who appears and disappears from the text. Abram also shows integrity by refusing rewards from the king of Sodom, so that no one could say they had made him rich, preferring that his prosperity come from God alone. The lesson is about family loyalty, practical courage, and financial integrity.

Fun facts

  • Melchizedek is mentioned again in Psalm 110:4 and extensively in Hebrews 5-7, where he is used as a prophetic figure of Christ — a priest-king with no recorded lineage, pointing to an eternal priesthood different from the Levitical one.
  • Abram's act of giving a tithe (a tenth part) to Melchizedek (v. 20) is the first mention of tithing in the entire Bible, serving as a historical reference point for the practice that would later be formalized in the Law of Moses.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Gênesis 14:1This war involves kings from cities in Mesopotamia, such as Shinar and Elam, attacking kings of smaller cities near the Dead Sea, including Sodom. The names all belong to small, now-unknown kingdoms; what matters for the story is that Lot, Abram’s nephew, lives in one of these cities and ends up taken prisoner in the conflict.
  2. Gênesis 14:2Lists the five kings of the cities in the Dead Sea region, including Sodom and Gomorrah, who will be attacked by the coalition of kings from the previous verse.
  3. Gênesis 14:3All the kings involved gather in the vale of Siddim, identified by the text as the region where the Dead Sea would later be.
  4. Gênesis 14:4Explains the reason for the war: the five kings of the region had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but rebelled in the thirteenth—it’s this rebellion he comes to crush.
  5. Gênesis 14:5Chedorlaomer and his allies advance, defeating several ancient peoples along the way, even before reaching the rebel kings—showing the scope of his military campaign.
  6. Gênesis 14:6The campaign continues on to the region of Seir and the edge of the wilderness, defeating still more peoples—the text details the route to show the military strength Abram will face further on.
  7. Gênesis 14:7The invaders circle back and also attack the Amalekites and the Amorites, expanding the conquered territory even further before the final clash with the five kings.
  8. Gênesis 14:8Finally the five rebel kings, including the king of Sodom, go out to face the invaders in battle in the vale of Siddim.
  9. Gênesis 14:9Sums up the clash as four kings against five—the invading coalition led by Chedorlaomer against the kings of the cities of the Dead Sea region.
  10. Gênesis 14:10The valley had tar pits, a natural trap: the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fall into them while fleeing, and the rest of the army flees to the mountains.
  11. Gênesis 14:11The victors plunder Sodom and Gomorrah, carrying off all the goods and provisions of the defeated cities.
  12. Gênesis 14:12Among the prisoners taken is Lot, Abram’s nephew, who lived in Sodom—it’s this capture that will drive the rescue mission told through the rest of the chapter.
  13. Gênesis 14:13A survivor escapes and warns Abram about what happened to Lot—the text takes the chance to mention Abram’s allies in the region, Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner.
  14. Gênesis 14:14Those “born in his own house” were men raised on Abram’s own property, essentially a private militia trained to defend the family’s holdings—318 of them in all, a remarkably specific number that shows Abram was no poor nomad, but a rich and powerful clan chief.
  15. Gênesis 14:15Abram splits his men and launches a surprise attack by night, chasing the enemy as far as Hobah, north of Damascus—a victory won through strategy, not just brute force.
  16. Gênesis 14:16Abram recovers everything that had been plundered, including Lot, the women, and the rest of the captured people—the rescue is complete, not partial.
  17. Gênesis 14:17Returning from the victory, Abram is met by the king of Sodom in the king’s valley—the setting that sets up the encounter with Melchizedek, told in the next verse.
  18. Gênesis 14:18Melchizedek appears out of nowhere, with no genealogy or explanation, as king of Salem—likely the future Jerusalem—and at the same time priest, an unusual combination, since king and priest were normally separate roles. He brings out “bread and wine” to receive Abram, a gesture of hospitality and recognition between the leaders of different peoples.
  19. Gênesis 14:19Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of “the most high God,” calling Him “possessor of heaven and earth”—a title that credits Abram’s victory to this God.
  20. Gênesis 14:20Abram gives Melchizedek “tithes of all,” that is, a tenth of what he had won in the war—this happens well before any law about tithing appears anywhere else in the Bible. It was more a gesture of honor to the priest of a most high God than the fulfillment of some already-existing formal rule.
  21. Gênesis 14:21The king of Sodom proposes a simple deal: Abram keeps the recovered goods, but returns the rescued people—an offer Abram refuses in the verses that follow.
  22. Gênesis 14:22Abram refuses the deal, swearing by the same “most high God” mentioned by Melchizedek, making clear that he doesn’t want to owe anything to the king of Sodom.
  23. Gênesis 14:23Abram swears that he won’t keep even “a shoelatchet” of what belonged to the king of Sodom—an exaggerated expression meaning he wouldn’t accept absolutely anything, not even the most insignificant item. He didn’t want anyone later saying he’d grown rich off the king of Sodom, so he returns everything he had taken in the war.
  24. Gênesis 14:24Abram makes just one exception to what he returns: what his own soldiers had already eaten, and the share owed to his allies Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who had also fought in the battle.

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