Chedorlaomer
Encyclopedia
Chedorlaomer "a handful of sheaves", was a king of Elam
according to the Hebrew Bible
book of Genesis Chapter 14. He ruled fourteen years, from the East in southwestern Persia, occupying the regions east of the Jordan river, in the days of Abram. In the last year of his reign, he campaigned against at least twelve tribal city kingdoms in response to an uprising.
ite rule, in the thirteenth year, the Cities of the Plain
rebelled against Chedorlaomer. This spurred a domino effect that prompted the Elamite king to regain control. To ensure his success, he called upon three other allies from Shinar, Ellasar, and Tidal "nations" regions.
.
, amongst the spoils of war, he took Lot and his entire household captive. When Lot's uncle, Abram
received news of what happened, he assembled a battle unit of three hundred and eighteen men who pursued the Elamite forces north of Damascus
to Hobah. Abram and one of his divisions defeated Chedorlaomer. According to the King James Version, verse 17 is translated that Chedorlaomer was actually slaughtered. Young's Literal Translation
uses the term smiting.
See also Battle of Siddim#Identifying the kings.
Elam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq...
according to the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
book of Genesis Chapter 14. He ruled fourteen years, from the East in southwestern Persia, occupying the regions east of the Jordan river, in the days of Abram. In the last year of his reign, he campaigned against at least twelve tribal city kingdoms in response to an uprising.
Chedorlaomer's reign
After twelve years of being under ElamElam
Elam was an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elam was centered in the far west and the southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of Khuzestan and Ilam Province, as well as a small part of southern Iraq...
ite rule, in the thirteenth year, the Cities of the Plain
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
rebelled against Chedorlaomer. This spurred a domino effect that prompted the Elamite king to regain control. To ensure his success, he called upon three other allies from Shinar, Ellasar, and Tidal "nations" regions.
Chedorlaomer's allies
The following allies fought in every campaign under Chedorlaomer's direction, while in the fourteenth and final year of his rule.- King AmraphelAmraphelIn the Tanakh or Old Testament, Amraphel was a king of Shinar in Genesis xiv.1 and 9, who invaded the west along with Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and others, and defeated Sodom and the other Cities of the Plain in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim.Beginning with E...
of ShinarShinarShinar was a geographical locale of uncertain boundaries in Mesopotamia. The name may be a corruption of Shene nahar , Shene or , or Sumer .It has been suggested that Shinar must have been confined to the northern part of Mesopotamia Shinar (Hebrew Šin`ar, Septuagint Σεννααρ Sennaar) was a...
to the South - King AriochAriochArioch is a Hebrew name that means "fierce lion". It originally appears in the Book of Genesis chapter 14 as the name of the "King of Ellasar", part of the confederation of kings who did battle with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and with Abraham in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim...
of Ellasar to the North - King TidalTidal (Bible)Tidal king of Goyim is a monarch mentioned in Genesis 14:1. The word goyim in Biblical Hebrew can be translated as "nations" or "peoples" or "ethnic groups" although Bible commentaries suggest that that in this verse it may instead be a reference to the region of Gutium...
of "nations" - the HittitesHittitesThe Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
to the West?
Chedorlaomer's campaigns
The purpose of Chedorlaomer's campaigns was to show Elam's might to all territories under Elamite authority. His armies and allies plundered tribes and cities, for their provisions, who were en route to the revolting cities of the Jordan plainCities of the Plain
Cities of the Plain is the final volume of American novelist Cormac McCarthy's "Border Trilogy", published in 1998. A film adaptation to be directed by Andrew Dominik has been announced for release in 2012...
.
- The Rephaims in Ashteroth KarnaimAshteroth KarnaimAshteroth Karnaim was a city in the land of Bashan east of the Jordan River, mentioned in and . The name translates literally to 'Ashteroth of the Horns', with 'Ashteroth' being a Canaanite fertitility goddess and 'horns' being symbolic of mountain peaks...
- The Zuzims in HamHamHam is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
- The Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim
- The HoritesHoritesHorites or Horim were a cave-dwelling people mentioned in the Torah inhabiting areas around Mount Seir. They have been identified with Egyptian references to Khar , which concern a southern region of Canaan...
in Mount SeirMount SeirMount Seir formed the south-east border of Edom and Judah, it may also echo the older historical border of Egypt and Canaan.-Tanakh:Mount Seir is specifically noted as the place that Esau made his home . It was named for Seir, the Horite, whose sons inhabited the land... - The ElparanDesert of ParanThe Desert of Paran or Wilderness of Paran , is the place in which the Hebrew Bible says the Israelites spent part of their 40 years of wandering: Then the Israelites set out from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the Desert of Paran...
who dwell near the wilderness - The Amalekites in Kadesh at En-mishpat
- The Amorites in Hazezontamar
- The CanaaniteCanaanCanaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
s of the cities of the Jordan plain
Chedorlaomer's demise
After warring against the cities of the Plain at the Battle of Siddim, King Chedorlaomer went to Sodom and Gomorrah to collect booty. At SodomSodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
, amongst the spoils of war, he took Lot and his entire household captive. When Lot's uncle, Abram
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
received news of what happened, he assembled a battle unit of three hundred and eighteen men who pursued the Elamite forces north of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
to Hobah. Abram and one of his divisions defeated Chedorlaomer. According to the King James Version, verse 17 is translated that Chedorlaomer was actually slaughtered. Young's Literal Translation
Young's Literal Translation
Young's Literal Translation is a translation of the Bible into English, published in 1862. The translation was made by Robert Young, compiler of Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible and Concise Critical Comments on the New Testament. Young produced a "Revised Version" of the translation in...
uses the term smiting.
Linguistic origins
There are a number of languages which have been proposed as the origin of the name Chedorlaomer. The Persian, Assyrian and Akkadian provide the simplest linguistic agreement, but there are other possibilities.- Persian: Kĕdorla`omer Pronunciation ked·or·lä·o'·mer.
- AssyriaAssyriaAssyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n: Kudurlagamar. Kudur-MabukKudur-MabukKudur-Mabuk was a ruler in the ancient Near East city-stateof Larsa from 1770 BC to 1754 BC. His sons Warad-Sin andRim-Sin I were kings of Larsa. His daughter En-ane-du was highpriestess of the moon god in Ur....
was a ruler in LarsaLarsaLarsa was an important city of ancient Sumer, the center of the cult of the sun god Utu. It lies some 25 km southeast of Uruk in Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate, near the east bank of the Shatt-en-Nil canal at the site of the modern settlement Tell as-Senkereh or Sankarah.-History:According to...
from 1770 BC to 1754 BCE. His sons Warad-SinWarad-SinWarad-Sin ruled the ancient Near East city-stateof Larsa from 1770 BC to 1758 BC. There are indications that hisfather Kudur-Mabuk was co-regent or at very least the power behind thethrone. His sister En-ane-du was high priestess of the moon god in Ur....
and Rim-Sin IRim-Sin IRim-Sin I ruled the ancient Near East city-stateof Larsa from 1758 BC to 1699 BC or 1822 BC to 1763 BC . His sister En-ane-du was high priestess of the moon god in Ur. Rim-Sin I was a contemporary of Hammurabi of Babylon and Irdanene of Uruk.-Reign:Rim-Sin’s reign of Larsa started sometime around...
were also kings of Larsa.
See also Battle of Siddim#Identifying the kings.
See also
- Lot and Chedorlaomer
- Abram and Chedorlaomer