"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;"
"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."
"And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,"
The war is a response to long rule under Chedorlaomer.
It shows the power and reach of Chedorlaomer’s coalition.
"With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five."
Chedorlaomer’s coalition is the stronger one.
"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale."
Chedorlaomer gets only one chapter in the Bible, Genesis 14, and yet he keeps catching my attention.
Chedorlaomer is a figure mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Book of Genesis.
According to the biblical account in Genesis 14, Chedorlaomer is mentioned as the leader of a coalition of four kings from the region of Mesopotamia.
Chedorlaomer and his allies went to war against a group of five kings in the region of the Dead Sea, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
This conflict, often referred to as the Battle of Siddim or the War of the Kings, occurred because the five kings of the Dead Sea region rebelled against Chedorlaomer's rule after 12 years of subjugation.
In the 13th year, they rebelled, and in the 14th year, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated them.
In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim
In Genesis 14:5, the nations defeated by Chedorlaomer and his allies in the 14th year, just before their battle against the five kings of the Dead Sea region, are mentioned.
These nations are distinct from the five kings of the Dead Sea region who rebelled against Chedorlaomer.
The narrative in Genesis 14 describes a campaign where Chedorlaomer and his allies first defeat these nations and then, in the same year, engage in battle against the rebellious kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar).
The earlier victories over the Rephaim, Zuzim, Emim, and Horites demonstrate the might and reach of Chedorlaomer's coalition before they confront the kings of the Dead Sea area.
And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
Ragozin identified Chedorlaomer with the Elamite king Khudur-Lagamar and dated him, by her own calculation, to about 2200 B.C.
The page on the Anakim argues that Chedorlaomer fought three groups of giants, notes that the Septuagint renders Rephaim in Genesis 14:5 as "giants", and calls Abraham's victory a defeat of the giant killer.
They name the Rephaims, the Zuzims, the Emims and the Horites, whom Chedorlaomer defeated.
Chedorlaomer and his allied kings strike the giant peoples east of the Jordan.
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.
In his reading, Chedorlaomer fought three groups of giants: the Rephaim (which the Septuagint renders as "giants" in Genesis 14:5), the Zuzim (probably the Zamzummim of Deuteronomy 2:20) and the Emim (Deuteronomy 2:10-11).
Abraham then defeated Chedorlaomer to rescue his nephew Lot (Genesis 14:14-17).
According to Genesis 14:5, the Zuzim were conquered by a coalition of kings led by Chedorlaomer, the King of Elam.
A year later King Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh-Kiriathaim.