Genesis 14:3

Gen 14:3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

Ver. 3. The salt sea.] So it was afterwards called. {See Trapp on "Gen 19:25"} See Plin., lib. v. cap. 16.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ambition is the chief cause of wars among princes.

Or, of the labored fields.

Called also the dead sea, or the lake Asphaltite, near unto Sodom and Gomorrah.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(3) All these were joined together.—Were united in a confederacy, and so formed a pentapolis, or group of five allied towns, like the Philistine league with its five lords (1Sa_6:16-18).

The vale of Siddim.—Mr. Conder (Tent-work, ii. 16) says that the name Sidd is still given by the Arabs to the cliffs or banks of marl which run along the southern edge of the plain of Jericho; and with this agrees Aben-Ezra’s explanation, who derives the word from the Hebrew sid, chalk. Mr. Conder searched throughout the Ciccar for traces of the ruined cities, but in vain; and “the gradual rise of the level of the plain, caused by the constant washing down of the soft marl from the western hills, would effectually,” he thinks, “cover over any such ruins.” He found, however, copious springs of water upon the north-western side of the lake, and considers that the five cities were in their neighbourhood.

Which is the salt sea.—From these words commentators have rashly concluded that the vale of Sodom was swallowed up by the Dead Sea; but not only is no such convulsion of nature mentioned in Genesis 19, but Abram is described as seeing the Ciccar-land not submerged, but smoking like a furnace (Gen_19:28). Probably “the vale of Siddim” was the name of the whole district in which these sidds, or bluffs, are situated, and which extend round all the northern shores of the lake. Mr. Conder, after tracing the lines of former beaches, which show that the Dead Sea has long been shrinking in extent, tells us (Tent-work, ii. 43) that geologists hold that it had reached its present condition long before the days of Abram. It still, indeed, covered a much larger space, for the rains at that time were far more copious in Palestine than at present; but it no longer extended over the whole Arabah, as, by the evidence of these beaches, was once the case.

(3) The Horites.—Cave-men, the aboriginal inhabitants of Mount Seir, subsequently conquered by the Edomites (Deu_2:12; Deu_2:22). The miserable condition of these earth-men is described in Job_30:3-8.

El-paran.—This forest of oaks (or terebinths) was on the edge of the great wilderness, and reached to within three days’ journey of Sinai (Num_10:12; Num_10:33).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. All these] Probably the kings mentioned in Gen_14:2, i.e. the five local subject princes. That there should be any doubt whether “all these” refers to the four kings of the east, or to the five kings of the west, is an example of the unskilful style in which this section is written.

joined together] The five local kings combined: “the vale of Siddim” was their rallying place. But as “the vale of Siddim” was their own country, the wording is awkward. Hence some prefer R.V. marg. “joined themselves together against,” with a change of subject; i.e. the kings of the E. combined and marched against the kings of the W. But the change of subject, interrupting Gen_14:2; Gen_14:4, is surely too harsh.

the vale of Siddim] Not mentioned elsewhere; but traditionally identified with the Dead Sea, beneath whose waters the “cities of the Plain” were believed by the Israelites to lie engulfed. The suggestion of Renan to read Shêdim (“demons”), a word occurring in Deu_32:17, Psa_106:37, is ingenious, but lacks support from any other passage mentioning the Dead Sea. LXX τὴν φάραγγα τὴν ἁλυκήν = “the salt valley,” Lat. vallem silvestrem.

the Salt Sea] An explanatory note, like the reference to Zoar, in the previous verse. “The Salt Sea” is the commonest name in the O.T. for “the Dead Sea”: e.g. Num_34:3; Num_34:12; Jos_15:2; Jos_15:5. Another name by which it is called is “the sea of the Arabah,” Deu_3:17, Jos_3:16; Jos_12:3, where “the Salt Sea” is added as an explanation. In Eze_47:18, Joe_2:20, it is called “the eastern sea.” Josephus calls it “the sea of Asphalt”; and in the Jewish Talmud it appears as “the sea of Sodom,” or “the salt sea.” The intense saltness of its waters and its deposits of salt have given rise to its name. Nothing lives in its waters. The name “Dead Sea” goes back to the time of Jerome, 6th cent. a.d.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim,.... Or "of fields", or "ploughed lands" (b), a fruitful vale abounding with corn; or of gardens or paradises, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, being full of gardens and orchards, and was as the garden of the Lord, even as Eden, see Gen 13:10; though Aben Ezra thinks it had its name from the slime or bitumen, of which there was great plenty in it, see Gen 14:10. Now the above five kings, as they all dwelt in the plain, they entered into a confederacy, met together, and joined their forces in this vale, to oppose the four kings that were come to make war with them, as being an advantageous place, as they judged, perhaps on more accounts than one; and here they stayed to receive the enemy, and give him battle, see Gen 14:8,

which is the salt sea; afterwards so called, not at this time, for then it would not have been fit for armies to be drawn up in battle array in it; but it was so called in the times of Moses, and after this fine vale was turned into a bituminous lake, and had its name from the saltness of the waters of the lake, or from the city Melach, or city of salt, which was near it, Jos 15:62.

(b) "valle amaenissimorum agrorum", Munster; "in planitie agrorum", Fagius; so Jarchi; "in valle occationum", Hiller. Onomastic. Sacr. p. 937. "dicta ab agris occatis", Schmidt.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Now, in the days of Moses. --- Salt sea; called also the vale of salts, and the dead sea.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Which now is, though when this battle was fought it was not so.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. These were joined together — They were allies and confederates. The vale of Siddim is, according to the obvious import of the words here used, the name of the ancient plain or valley in which the five kings joined together, but which, at the time of our writer, was covered by the waters of the salt sea. But these waters may cover a larger extent of surface than was included in the vale of Siddim. The word Siddim (שׂדים) itself means fields or plains. The sea here called the salt sea is called in Deu_4:49, “the sea of the plain;” in 2Es_5:7, “the Sodomitish sea;” in Josephus, “the Asphaltic lake;” by the Arabs, Bahr Lut, “Sea of Lot;” and by the Greek writers and most moderns, “the Dead Sea.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

All these the last-named princeswere joined togetheri.e. as confederates (so. and came with their forces) in (literally, to) the vale of Siddim. The salt valley (LXX); a wooded vale (Vulgate); a plain filled with rocky hollows (Gesenius), with which Ver. 10 agrees; the valley of plains or fields (Onkelos, Raschi, Keil, Murphy). Which is the salt sea. i.e. where the salt sea afterwards arose, on the destruction of the cities of the plain (Gen_19:24, Gen_19:25) (Keil, Havernick; cf. Josephus, " Bell. Jud:," 4:8, 4); but the text scarcely implies that the cities were submerged-only the valley (cf. Quarry, p. 207). The extreme depression of the Dead Sea, being 1300 feet below the level of the Mediterranean ("the most depressed sheet of water in the world:" Stanley"s "Sinai and Palestine," Ge 7), conjoined with its excessive saltness (containing 26.25 per cent of saline particles), renders it one of the most remarkable ofinland lakes. Its shores are clothed with loom and desolation. Within a mile from northern embouchure the verdure of the rich Jordan valley dies away. Strewn along its desolate margin lie broken canes and willow branches, with trunks of palms, poplars, and other trees, half embedded in slimy mud, and all covered with incrustations of salt. At its south-western corner stands the mountain of rock salt, with its columnar fragments, which Josephus says, in his day was regarded as the pillar of Lot s wife.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

These latter five kings joined together

The information that their armies were with them can be made explicit. AT: "These latter five kings and their armies joined together" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Twelve years they had served

The events in verses 4-7 happened before verse 3. Your language may have a way of showing this.

they had served Kedorlaomer

They probably had to pay him taxes and serve in his army. AT: "they had been under the control of Kedorlaomer" (See: How to Translate Names)

they rebelled

"they refused to serve him" or "they stopped serving him"

came and attacked

They did this because the other kings rebelled.

the Rephaim ... the Zuzites ... the Emites ... the Horites

These are the names of people groups. (See: How to Translate Names)

Ashteroth Karnaim ... Ham ... Shaveh Kiriathaim ... Seir ... El Paran

These are the names of places. (See: How to Translate Names)

Ham

This name in Hebrew is different from the name of Noah's son, which is spelled the same way in English.

El Paran, which is near the desert

This phrase helps readers understand where El Paran was. It can be translated as a separate sentence if necessary. AT: "El Paran. El Paran is near the desert" (See: Distinguishing versus Informing or Reminding)

translationWords

king

desert

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

עמק השדים VALE OF SIDDIM — So it was named because it contained many fields (שדות)

There are many Midrashic explanations of this name. הוא ים המלח THE SAME IS THE SALT SEA — After some time the sea flowed into it (the vale) and thus the Salt Sea came into existence. The Midrashic explanation states that the rocks that surrounded it had cracked and streams thus flowed into it (Genesis Rabbah 42:5).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

כל אלה, the four against the five.

אל עמק, this means the same as בעמק, “in the valley of.” We have a similar construction where the word אל substitutes for the prefix ב in Exodus 25,22 ואל הארון תתן את העדות, “and in the ark you are to place the testimony (Tablets).”

השדים, as translated by Onkelos, an area comprising many fields. The dagesh in the letters ש and ד saves writing both letters twice, as the word is a composite of two roots, שדה, field, as well as שדד, ploughed. The word is also found in Hoseah 10,11 ישדד לו יעקב, “Yaakov will do the final ploughing.”

השדים, הוא ים המלח, the valley in question is close to the Dead Sea. Alternatively, the Torah tells us the region which nowadays is the Dead Sea, used to be that fertile valley before those cities were overturned by G’d. At any rate, that region is part of the eastern boundary of the land of Israel as mentioned in Numbers 34, 3, and 12.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.