_Sennaar, or Babylon. --- Pontus, Hebrew: Ellasar, perhaps Thalassar, as Jonathan writes, not far from Eden. --- Elamites, or Persians. --- Nations in Galilee, east of the Jordan, whither the conquered kings directed their course. Josue xii. 23, mentions the king of the nations (foreigners) at Galga... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now, in the days of Moses. --- Salt sea; called also the vale of salts, and the dead sea._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Served. Thus Noe's prediction began to be fulfilled, as Elam was the eldest son of Sem, to whose posterity Chanaan should be slaves, chap. ix. 26._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Raphaim, Zuzim, and Emim, were all of the gigantic race, robbers, like the Arabs. (Du Hamel) --- These dwelt in the land of Basan, or of giants, Deuteronomy iii. 13._... [ Continue Reading ]
_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... [ Continue Reading ]
_Misphat, or of judgment and contradiction, because there the Hebrews contended with Moses and Aaron: it was afterwards called Cadez, Numbers xx. 11. --- Amalecites, that is which they afterwards possessed; for as yet Amelec was unborn, chap. xxxvi. 16. (Menochius) --- Amorrheans, to the west of Sod... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of slime. Bituminis. This was a kind of pitch, which served for mortar in the building of Babel, Genesis xi. 3, and was used by Noe in pitching the ark. (Challoner) --- Moses does not make this remark without reason. This bitumen would easily take fire, and contribute to the conflagration of Sodom.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Hebrew, or traveller who came from beyond the Euphrates, (Calmet) or who dwelt beyond the Jordan, with reference to the five kings. (Diodorus)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Servants, fit for war. Hence we may form some judgment of the power and dignity of Abram, who was considered as a great prince in that country, chap. xxiii. 6. He was assisted by Mambre, Escol, and Aner, with all the forces they could raise on such a short warning; and coming upon the four kings un... [ Continue Reading ]
Melchisedech was not Sem: for his genealogy is given in Scripture. (Hebrew xii. 6.); nor God the Son, for they are compared together; nor the Holy Ghost, as some have asserted; but a virtuous Gentile who adored the true God, and was king of Salem, or Jerusalem, and Priest of an order different from... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blessed him, as his inferior, and received tithes of him, Hebrews iv. 7. This shews the antiquity of the practice of supporting God's priests by tithes._... [ Continue Reading ]
_The persons ( animas), the souls subject to my dominion. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_I lift up. This is the posture of one swearing solemnly, by which we testify our belief, that God dwells in the heavens, and governs the world. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Woof-thread. The first word is added by way of explanation. Abram declares he will not receive the smallest present for himself._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Their shares, due to them on account of the danger to which they had exposed themselves. The king of Sodom could not but accept these conditions with gratitude. In a just war, whatever is taken by the enemy, cannot be reclaimed by the original proprietor, if it be retaken. (Grotius, iii. 6, de Jure... [ Continue Reading ]