Genesis 14:6

Gen 14:6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which [is] by the wilderness.

Ver. 6. And the Horites in their mount Seir.] Their Seir could not secure them, when once they fell into the hands of these Ardeliones, {Eze 21:31} burning or "brutish men," skilful to destroy.

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.

Verse 6. The Horites] A people that dwelt in Mount Seir, till Esau and his sons drove them thence; De 2:22.

El-paran] The plain or oak of Paran, which was a city in the wilderness of Paran; Ge 21:21.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. the Horites] Mentioned also in Gen_36:20-21; Gen_36:30, and in Deu_2:12; Deu_2:22, where they are described as having been dispossessed of the country of Seir, the hill country between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Elath, by the Edomites. They have been thought to represent primitive “cave-dwellers,” of whom traces have been discovered by Macalister at Gezer.

unto El-paran] Generally identified with the town of Elath, the well-known port at the head of the Gulf of Akabah; which is sometimes called the “Aelanitic Gulf” from the name Ailana given to Elath in classical writings. The town may have derived its name from great palm trees in the neighbourhood (El = “a great tree”).

the wilderness] The Wilderness of Paran (cf. Gen_21:21) between the Gulf of Akabah and the borders of Egypt.

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.

And the Horites in their Mount Seir,.... Or the Horim who dwelt in Mount Seir, so called from Seir the Horite, who continued here till they were drove out by the sons of Esau or Edom, from whom their country was afterwards called Edom or Idumea, see Gen 36:20 Deu 2:12,

unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness; so far these Horites inhabited, and the four kings smote all they met with unto this place, which was either the plain or oak of Paran, near a wilderness of the same name; the wilderness of Arabia, through which the Israelites travelled forty years, in their way to Canaan.

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

Chorreans, or Horreans, who dwelt in one part of that extensive range of mountains, which took their name from Seir; perhaps about mount Hor, where Aaron died. (Calmet) --- These also were auxiliaries of the five kings, and hence experienced the fury of the four confederates; who cut off all their opponents, before they made their grand attack upon Sodom. (Haydock)

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).

The Horites, the ancient inhabitants of Seir, of whom see Gen 36:20; Deu 2:12. El signifies a plain, and Paran is the name of a known city and mountain. See Num 13:3; Deu 33:2; 1Sa 25:1, &c.

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

6. The Horites in their mount Seir were the original settlers of the wild and mountainous country south of the Dead Sea, and were, as the name denotes, “cave dwellers.” Mt. Hor perhaps derived its name from these ancient people, whose excavated dwellings in the rocks abound in all that region, especially in Petra. They were succeeded in later times by the descendants of Esau. Deu_2:12. El-paran, or the oak of Paran, was probably some notable landmark (an ancient oak) on the border of the great wilderness of Paran, the modern desert et-Tih. This wilderness embraced the great central region of the Sinaitic peninsula north of the Sinai mountains.

It appears from this account, that the whole country east of the Jordan from Damascus on the north to the Paran wilderness on the south was, in Abram’s time, occupied by a gigantic race all belonging to the same stock, and distributed in the order here indicated: The Rephaim on the north in the region afterward known as Bashan; the Zuzim next, centring at or near the modern Amman; the Emim next, south of these and directly east of the Dead Sea; and the Horites in the mountains of Seir.

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

And the Horites. Literally, dwelling in caves; from char, a cave. In their mount Seir. Literally, wooded (Gesenius); hairy (Furst); rugged (Lange); probably with reference to the thick brushwood and forests that grew upon its sides. The cave men of Seir were the earlier inhabitants of the region lying between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Elam, afterwards taken possession of by the Edomites (Deu_2:12; Jer_49:16; Oba_1:3, Oba_1:4) Unto El-paran Ie. the oak or terebinth of Paran. Which is by the wilderness. Between the land of Edom and the fertile country of Egypt, and to the southward of Palestine, identified as the plateau of the Tih, across which the Israel-itish march lay from Sinai (Stanley, "Sinai and Palestine," p. 92).

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

בהררם means IN THEIR MOUNT (i. e.הרר is a form of הר — really an earlier form — with pronominal suffix ָ מ;cf. הררי קדש etc.)

איל פארן EL-PARAN — As it is translated in the Targum: Plain of Paran. But I hold that איל does not signify a plain in general but that the lowland of Paran bore the name of El, and that of Mamre was named Elone; that of the Jordan was called Kikkar, whilst that of Shittim was called Abel — Abel-Shittim — and so, too, the lowland of [Baal] Gad was named Baal. All these are translated in the Targum by מישור, but each really had its own particular name.

על המדבר BY THE WILDERNESS — next to the wilderness; a similar use of על is (Numbers 2:20) “and next unto him (עליו) shall be the tribe of Manasseh’’.

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.

‘EIL PARAN.’ It is translated in the Targum as “Plain of Paran.” But I say that the word eil does not signify a plain. Rather, the lowland of Paran was called Eil, that of Mamre was named Eilonei, that of the Jordan was called Kikar, and that of Shittim was Abel. All these are translated in the Targum as meishra (plain), but each really had its own particular name. Thus the language of Rashi.But if it were so, and Kikar are the proper names of these places. Onkelos would have mentioned them in his Targum by their name — i.e., “Eila of Paran,” “Eilonei of Mamre,” — as is his custom with names. Besides, who told him whether these many places were all plains or high mountains [if Eil, Eilonei and Kikar were but proper names of these places]? Again, Mamre is the name of a person — as it is written, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they were confederate with Abram — and that place was his, just as it says, ‘Eilonei’ Mamre the Amorite, Ramban’s intent is to argue that since Mamre is the name of an individual, the word Eilonei could not be a proper name since two names cannot be in the constructive state. as I have explained. Rather, Eil paran means a place of terebinths, as it is said, For they shall be ashamed ‘me’eilim’ (of the terebinths) which ye have desired; eilonei is a place of oaks, as it is said, As a terebinth, ‘veka’alon’ (and as an oak), 6:13. Of the ‘alonim’ (oaks) of Bashan. It was customary among them that these terebinths and oaks be planted in the plains before the cities which serve them as “an open land.” And so did Onkelos translate alon bachuth as “the plain of Bechuta.” There the word alon is surely not a proper noun of the location but only the name of the species of tree planted there, as is made explicit [in the same verse: and she was buried] …under the ‘alon.’ Onkelos’ intent, however, is to convey the sense of the expression and not to merely translate the words.Now the Targum Yerushalmi says with respect to both eil Paran and eilonei Mamre that they mean the plain of Paran and Mamre as Onkelos said, but in the case of alon bachuth, he [Targum Yerushalmi] says it is the nut-tree of Bachut for he considers alon bachuth to be the name of a tree and not a place. Onkelos, however, thought that alon bachuth is the name of a place, so called because there were many oak trees there, just as Eilonei Mamre [is the name of a place]. It is for that reason that Scripture there uses the word ha’alon.. See Note 129 above. Ramban’s intent is to say that since the word alon appears there with the definite article, (namely, ha-alon), it could not be a proper noun since the definite article is never attached to a proper noun. Hence in the end of the verse, which reads, And he called its name ‘alon bachuth,’ the word alon is also not a name designating a particular tree but a descriptive noun referring to a place containing many oaks. Hence Onkelos translates alon Bachuth as “the plain of Bechuta.” According to Targum Yerushalmi, who takes alon bachuth to be the name of a particular kind of tree, the verse should have read, “And she was buried below Beth-el under alon,” not ha-alon. Thus according to Onkelos they are all and alon bachuth. Hence in all these cases Onkelos translated “the plain of Paran… Mamre… Bechuta” as meaning a plain containing oak trees. Onkelos does this in keeping with his general method of conveying the intent of the verse rather than its strict translation since eil, eilonei and alon, strictly speaking, mean particular kinds of trees. Onkelos however felt free to say “the plain of Paran… Mamre… Bachuth” for his intent is but to convey the general meaning. Ramban continues to point that out in kikar hayarden, (13:11), where Onkelos said, “the plain of the Jordan,” that is indeed the exact translation of the word kikar. descriptive nouns.But kikar hayarden is indeed the actual word for a plain, for kikar in the Sacred Language is the name for the place where the natural streams of rivers overflow. It is for this reason that the messenger who came to rescue Lot said, Stay not in all ‘hakikar’ (the plain; escape to the mountain. Of similar usage are the expressions, Kar nirchav (wide pasture); ‘Karim’ (the meadows) are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn. Sometimes Scripture doubles the first letter of the word kar (meadow), making it kikar, and at other times Scripture discards the double form, as in, bath ayin (the apple of the eye)., 17:8. The double letter form of the word would be babath ayin, with a double beth. There are many other such cases.Swift couriers are also called by this name kar, as in ‘lakari velaratzim;’. According to Ramban its meaning is: of the couriers and the dispatchers. The captains over hundreds and ‘hakari.’, Verse 19. Here too the usual translation is: the Carites. According to Ramban it means: the couriers. The word bakirkaroth is also of the same root. It is the name for speedy camels such as “the flying camel” mentioned in the Talmud. The word mecharkar,. containing the double use of kar, is a derivative of this word.Abel Hashittim, and also Abel Mecholah, they translated to mean the plain of Shittim and Mecholah. It is [called Abel, which in Hebrew means “mourning”], because it is a desolate place, without plantings or structures for the word abel is, to them, an expression of destruction and waste, as in the verses: ‘Vaya’avel’ (And He made to mourn) the rampart and the wall; The new wine ‘aval’ (faileth), the vine fadeth.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ואת החרי בהררם שעיר, they also defeated the Chori on the mountain on which these people lived. We know that the area was mountainous from Genesis 36,20. בהררם, the name of the place without the pronoun-suffix is הרר, with a vowel pattern similar to ארץ and גפן. If the word הררם were a derivative from a root in the piel mode, itself a noun in its own right, as some commentators claim, (including Ibn Ezra), the letter ה would have had to have the vowel kametz and not patach, as it does. Onkelos, in rendering it as דבטוריא דשעיר “in the mountains of Se-ir” also understands it as did Ibn Ezra. איל פארן means, as the Targum renders it, “the plain of Paran.” The words על המדבר mean the same as if the Torah had written סמוך למדבר, adjoining the desert. A similar construction is found in Numbers 2,20 ועליו מטה מנשה, “next to him the tribe of Menashe.”

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.