9 With Chedorlaomer the King of Elam, and with Tidal King of nations, and Amraphel King of Skinar, | and Arioth King of Ellafar : four Kings with five.
+ Heb. 10 And the vale of Siddim f wes fullof ſlime-pits »; and | tits pits, thekings of Sodom and Gomorrah » fled, and fell p there: and they that remained, fled ro the mountain- _ » And rherefore choſen by thoſe five Kings for the place of Batte],
that their. Adverſaries being ignorant of rhe place might unawares fail into choſe Pirs, which rhey by their knowledge of it thought to
elcape. 0 (7.8) Theis Acics 3 @ tgurative Speech frequent in
Ty
GENESIS,
Scripture, and other Authors ; for their perſons eſcaped, ſee Verſ. 17. { p Either 1. Fell into the Pits which they deligned for others. Or | rather 2. Were ſlain; as this word is oft uſed, as Jo: 8: 24, 25- - Judges 8: 10: and 12: 6. and here too; for thoſe that fell are here
oppoſed to thoſe that remained.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom, and Go» morrah, and all their viuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot q Abrams brothers{on ( who
dwelt in Sodom ) and his goods, and departed. ®
74 Who now ſuffered for his Co-habitation with bad Neigh- bours.
12 And there came one that had eſcaped, and told Abram the Hebrew r ; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eſhcol ; and brother of Aner : and theſe were confederate with Abram s,
7 So called, eirher 3, From his great and good Predeceſſor Eber, Gen: 10: 24: and 11+ 14. in and by whom the Primitive Language and true Religion were preſerved ; and therefore, though Abram had five other Progenitors between Eber and him, which were perſons of leſs nate, he is rightly denominated from Eber, the Hebrew, becauſe he was the firſt that revived the Memory and the Work of Eber, that kept up the ſame Language, and eminently propagated the ſame true Religion. Or 2. As others think, from his paſſing over the River Eyphrates, from beyond which he came into Canaan. 5 i.e, Had entred into a League for their mutual Defence againſt Common Enemies. Whence we learn that it is not ſimply, and univerſally unlawful to make a League with perſons of a falſe Religion.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was S taken captive, he* armed his * trained 7 ſervants, born / _ led in his own houſe, .three hundred and eighteen, and 7: purſued hem unto Dan» inftrufed.
t (7. e.) Whom he had Diſciplined and Inſtru&ed both in Religion and in the Military Art too, both which were neceſlary to make them good Souldiers, that they might both fight with Skill and Courage, and alſo rely upon God, and engage his Aſſiſtance z which was now eſpecially neceſſary, when ſo ſmall a party were to 2ngage againft ſo numerous an Army. « This 1s commonly thought to be a Town then called Leſbhem, Joſe 19. 47. or Laiſb,
Trealges 18. 57. and afterwards Dan, See Judges 18. 7, 29. ſoit is an antzcipation. Bur it may be doubted whether this was a City ; or ifit were, whether jt were another Town called by the ſame name, which was frequent in thoſe parts. And ſcme think this is not a Town, but the very Fountain of Dan, whence Jordan had its name. ,
5 And he divided himſclfx againſt them, he and his ſervants by night, and ſmote them, and purſued them unto Hoba, which 5s on the left hand of Damaſcus.
x (7. e. ) His Forces jnto ſeveral Parties, that coming upon chem from ſeveral Quarters he might ſtrike them with greater -errour, whilſt they thought his Army far more numerous than it WAS» |
16 And he brought back all the goods y, and alſo brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women alſo, and the people.
y Which the victorious Kings had taken from the Princes and People mentioned before in this Chapter.
17 \ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him { after his return from the ſlaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that vere with him ) at the valley of | >dhaveh, which is the * kings dale 2+ * 2 Same Z So called either upon this occaſion of the meeting of divers 18- 18. tings here ; or becauſe King Mclchizedek either had his Habitation,
r was much delighted with it, and converſant in it. See 2 Sam. 18. is.
18 And + Melchizedek 2 king of Salem b brought +Heb,q.r. |
orth bread. and wine c: and he 4s the prieſt d of the moſt high God e. |
a Queſt, Who was this? Anſw. x. Sem, as the Jews and many hers think, who probably was alive at this time, and, no doubr, great Prince, Bur neither is it prodable that Sem ſhould be a
Ling among the curſed Race of Ham ; nor will this agree with the
\ poſtle's deſcription of Melchizedek, Heb. 7. 3. Without Father and
other, &c, Whereas Sem's Parents, and the beginning and end of
is days are as expreſly mentioned by Moſes as any other. 2. A
Jana-nitiſh King by the Divine Providence made both a King over
Men, and Prieſt unto the true God, brought in here in this unuſual
aanner, without any menti9n of his Parents Birth or Death; for | this end, that he might be an illuſtrious Type of Chriſt. Of this ga natter ſee more upon Heb. 7. 3. b(7.e.) Of Jeruſalem, called elſe- where Jevus, and Salem, Pſal. 76. 2, c Not for Sacrifice to God ; for rhen he had brought forth Beaſts to be flair, which were the uſual and beſt Sacrifices : But partly to ſhew the reſpe& which he bore to Abram, and principally to refreſh his weary and hungry Army, according to the manner of thoſe times. See Dey. 23. 3,4.and 25. 18. Fnages 8. 5,6, 15. 1 Sam. 17. 17. d Thus in ſucceeding Ages the ſame perſons were often both Kiggs and Priefts. as the learned note out of Virgil, and other Authors. And this clauſe is here added, as the Cauſe and Reaſon, nor for his bringing forth, or offering Bread and Wine, as ſome wou'd have ir, ( for that is aſcribed-to him as 2 | King, as an a@ of Royal Munificence ) but of the following Benedi- Ction and Decimatien. e For in thoſe times God had his remnant ſcattered here and there even in the worſt Places and Nations.
19 * And he bleſſed him, and aid, Bleſſed be F | —_ of the moſt high God, poſleſſour of heaven and ' earth. ;
* Or, Therefore ( as the particle is oft taken, (7. e. ) becauſe he was a Prieſt of God ) he F i.e. Melchizedek ) bleſſed him ( Abram ) which was one a of the Prieſtly-Office. See on Heb. 7.6, 7. f So it 1s 2 Prayer for kin, that God would confirm and increaſe the
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