-
†. Gen 14:13a . . A refugee brought the news to Abram
It was a trek from Sodom to Abram's camp. He was way up in Mamre; and a
goodly portion of it uphill-- very uphill. At any rate, news of Sodom's
overthrow meant that Lot was captured; or maybe even dead. One way or
the other, Abram had to find out if his nephew was still alive-- kind of like
John Wayne looking for his two nieces in The Searchers.
†. Gen 14:13b . . the Hebrew,
This is very first appearance of the word "Hebrew", which is 'Ibriy (ib-ree')
and means: an Eberite; viz: a descendant of Eber. It can also mean "the
other side" which implies that Abram may have been known as one who
came from the other side of the Euphrates river-- sort of like Mexican,
Central, and South American immigrants who cross the Rio Grande from
Mexico into Texas. But more likely he was called Eberite because of his
family's lineage. Eber was first mentioned back in Gen 10:21.
NOTE: Hebrews weren't Jews in Abram's day; no they were Gentiles. It was
Abram's eventual progeny who became Jews-- specifically people genetically
and/or religiously associated with Judah: Jacob's fourth son: patriarch of the
Messianic tribe (Gen 49:8-12, Heb 7:14).
The word for "Jew" is Yehuwdiy (yeh-hoo-dee') which means Judah-ite; and
doesn't appear in the Bible until 2Kgs 16:6; many, many years after the
Exodus.
†. Gen 14:13c . . who was dwelling at the terebinths of Mamre the
Amorite, kinsman of Eshkol and Aner, these being Abram's allies.
Abram had become a shrewd sheik. The best way to survive on the frontier
is to team up-- especially with someone that all the others know and fear.
That way most everyone will leave you alone because they don't want to
deal with your friends. The terebinths (oaks) belonged to Mamre, a well
known Amorite in that region. His kin, Eshkol and Aner, were Abram's
friends too.
That tactic pays off in many of America's penal systems too. First thing a
new inmate has to do is join a gang or otherwise he'll be prey for all of
them.
†. Gen 14:14a . .When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken
captive, he mustered his retainers, born into his household,
numbering three hundred and eighteen,
The word for "retainers" is chaniyk (kaw-neek') which means: initiated; i.e.
practiced. This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where
chaniyk is located so it's difficult to know precisely what Genesis means by
it; but seeing as how the retainers' origin is mentioned, chaniyk probably
refers to their unusual degree of loyalty (cf. John 10:30). In other words: it's
my guess those men comprised Abram's personal body guards; viz: his
retinue-- a sort of ancient Secret Service.
Abram was their sheik by birth, rather than by conscription. So these
particular men weren't mercenaries; but rather more like his very own sons.
They were men of deep gratitude for their master's providence; and every
one of them, to a man, were more than willing to die for him.
Though Abram was by nature a man of peace, he was prepared to fight in
the event it became necessary. In the wild untamed land of Palestine
4,000+ years ago, men without mettle didn't survive very long. And even
today, it's still true that a strong man armed, keeps his goods. (cf. Luke
11:21)
They numbered 318. If we assume that each one was married, then the
number of persons doubles to 736. If each man had at least one child, then
the number triples to 954. A plausible scenario is that Sheik Abram's camp
was a community of at least 1,000 people-- a fair sized town. When this
man broke camp, it was a serious caravan.
†. Gen 14:14b . . and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
At this early date, there was neither a region, nor a town, in Canaan
colonized and named after Jacob's son Dan. There wasn't even one in Moses'
day. It wasn't until Joshua 19:40-48 that Dan's tribe received their portion
of Canaan. So Dan's name could very well be a later editorial insertion.
It's unthinkable that Abram would leave his camp and his wife, and all the
women and children unprotected while he and his warriors traveled miles
from home. So it's reasonable to expect that some of his Amorite allies
remained behind to reinforce Abram's camp while he was out of town.
†. Gen 14:15a . . At night, he and his servants deployed against them
and defeated them;
Not too shabby for a former city slicker. Abram, no doubt coached by
Mamre, employed excellent Bedouin guerrilla tactics against a well-armed,
seasoned foe of superior numbers. After his scouts located The Ched's
caravan, Abram dogged him, waiting for an opportunity to attack in
circumstances to his advantage. When the time came, he did it under cover
of darkness, rather than in daylight; and came at them from more than one
direction, which would help to create confusion, chaos, and panic amidst
Ched's army.
El Ched's men were probably laid back, stuffed full of stolen food and sleepy
with booze; and proud of themselves for their victories; totally unsuspecting
anyone remaining in Canaan would have the moxie to take them on. Having
no flares, nor Claymores, nor barbed wire, mines, nor flashlights, night
vision capability, nor motion detectors, or early warning systems of any
kind; Ched's forces were easily surprised and routed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 14:13a . . A refugee brought the news to Abram
It was a trek from Sodom to Abram's camp. He was way up in Mamre; and a
goodly portion of it uphill-- very uphill. At any rate, news of Sodom's
overthrow meant that Lot was captured; or maybe even dead. One way or
the other, Abram had to find out if his nephew was still alive-- kind of like
John Wayne looking for his two nieces in The Searchers.
†. Gen 14:13b . . the Hebrew,
This is very first appearance of the word "Hebrew", which is 'Ibriy (ib-ree')
and means: an Eberite; viz: a descendant of Eber. It can also mean "the
other side" which implies that Abram may have been known as one who
came from the other side of the Euphrates river-- sort of like Mexican,
Central, and South American immigrants who cross the Rio Grande from
Mexico into Texas. But more likely he was called Eberite because of his
family's lineage. Eber was first mentioned back in Gen 10:21.
NOTE: Hebrews weren't Jews in Abram's day; no they were Gentiles. It was
Abram's eventual progeny who became Jews-- specifically people genetically
and/or religiously associated with Judah: Jacob's fourth son: patriarch of the
Messianic tribe (Gen 49:8-12, Heb 7:14).
The word for "Jew" is Yehuwdiy (yeh-hoo-dee') which means Judah-ite; and
doesn't appear in the Bible until 2Kgs 16:6; many, many years after the
Exodus.
†. Gen 14:13c . . who was dwelling at the terebinths of Mamre the
Amorite, kinsman of Eshkol and Aner, these being Abram's allies.
Abram had become a shrewd sheik. The best way to survive on the frontier
is to team up-- especially with someone that all the others know and fear.
That way most everyone will leave you alone because they don't want to
deal with your friends. The terebinths (oaks) belonged to Mamre, a well
known Amorite in that region. His kin, Eshkol and Aner, were Abram's
friends too.
That tactic pays off in many of America's penal systems too. First thing a
new inmate has to do is join a gang or otherwise he'll be prey for all of
them.
†. Gen 14:14a . .When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken
captive, he mustered his retainers, born into his household,
numbering three hundred and eighteen,
The word for "retainers" is chaniyk (kaw-neek') which means: initiated; i.e.
practiced. This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where
chaniyk is located so it's difficult to know precisely what Genesis means by
it; but seeing as how the retainers' origin is mentioned, chaniyk probably
refers to their unusual degree of loyalty (cf. John 10:30). In other words: it's
my guess those men comprised Abram's personal body guards; viz: his
retinue-- a sort of ancient Secret Service.
Abram was their sheik by birth, rather than by conscription. So these
particular men weren't mercenaries; but rather more like his very own sons.
They were men of deep gratitude for their master's providence; and every
one of them, to a man, were more than willing to die for him.
Though Abram was by nature a man of peace, he was prepared to fight in
the event it became necessary. In the wild untamed land of Palestine
4,000+ years ago, men without mettle didn't survive very long. And even
today, it's still true that a strong man armed, keeps his goods. (cf. Luke
11:21)
They numbered 318. If we assume that each one was married, then the
number of persons doubles to 736. If each man had at least one child, then
the number triples to 954. A plausible scenario is that Sheik Abram's camp
was a community of at least 1,000 people-- a fair sized town. When this
man broke camp, it was a serious caravan.
†. Gen 14:14b . . and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
At this early date, there was neither a region, nor a town, in Canaan
colonized and named after Jacob's son Dan. There wasn't even one in Moses'
day. It wasn't until Joshua 19:40-48 that Dan's tribe received their portion
of Canaan. So Dan's name could very well be a later editorial insertion.
It's unthinkable that Abram would leave his camp and his wife, and all the
women and children unprotected while he and his warriors traveled miles
from home. So it's reasonable to expect that some of his Amorite allies
remained behind to reinforce Abram's camp while he was out of town.
†. Gen 14:15a . . At night, he and his servants deployed against them
and defeated them;
Not too shabby for a former city slicker. Abram, no doubt coached by
Mamre, employed excellent Bedouin guerrilla tactics against a well-armed,
seasoned foe of superior numbers. After his scouts located The Ched's
caravan, Abram dogged him, waiting for an opportunity to attack in
circumstances to his advantage. When the time came, he did it under cover
of darkness, rather than in daylight; and came at them from more than one
direction, which would help to create confusion, chaos, and panic amidst
Ched's army.
El Ched's men were probably laid back, stuffed full of stolen food and sleepy
with booze; and proud of themselves for their victories; totally unsuspecting
anyone remaining in Canaan would have the moxie to take them on. Having
no flares, nor Claymores, nor barbed wire, mines, nor flashlights, night
vision capability, nor motion detectors, or early warning systems of any
kind; Ched's forces were easily surprised and routed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=