English translations are given under each Septuagint verse (Brenton) and each Vulgate verse (Douay-Rheims), to make the Greek and Latin easier to read.

Genesis 14 in four versions — Vulgate, Hebrew (MT), Septuagint, and Yemenite Targum Onkelos — with notes on where they agree and where they part. Sources: Vulgate = the Clementine text; MT = Sefaria Miqra (vocalized, with cantillation); LXX = the Septuagint Greek text, given here under MT numbering; Targum = Onkelos, Yemenite Taj tradition only. TO in the notes = this Yemenite Onkelos. Divine names appear only as ייי and א-להים throughout.

Versification: MT, LXX, Targum, and Vulgate each have 24 verses in Genesis 14, verse for verse; but Vulgate sentences run across MT verse boundaries — 14:1 into 14:2, 14:5 into 14:6, 14:8 into 14:9, 14:11 into 14:12, 14:18 into 14:19, and 14:22 into 14:23 — the Vulgate line under each verse below is the sentence (or sentence part) belonging to that MT verse. MT paragraph breaks: {ס} at 14:24. Field numbering: Field's Cap. XIV is Hebrew numbering throughout (no offset) — citations below give the Hebrew verse. Field's Genesis 14 material: main entries on pp. 30–31 (14:1, 14:3, 14:5, 14:6, 14:8, 14:9, 14:13, 14:17, 14:21, 14:23); addendum on p. 32 (14:5, Greek only).

Targum punctuation — transferred 2026-11-05 from Mechon Mamre vocalized Targum chapter 14 (u0114), punctuation only, wording/vocalization untouched; 24/24 lines transferred, no hard gate failure. 16 strict word-equality; 8 variant-kept (Yemenite wording kept, punctuation transferred by aligned position): 14:2 (Mamre double-yod 'Zeboim' vs Yemenite; Mamre holam 'Zoar' vs Yemenite vav spelling), 14:5 (Mamre pointing of 'Chodorlahomor' vs Yemenite; Mamre plene 'Ashteroth' vs Yemenite), 14:8 (as 14:2), 14:13 (Mamre patach 'men' vs Yemenite segol), 14:14 (Mamre dagesh 'of his house' vs Yemenite), 14:18 (Mamre segol 'Jerusalem' vs Yemenite patach), 14:22 (Mamre 'my hands' hiriq vs Yemenite patach; Mamre pointed name vs converted token), 14:24 (Mamre qubutz 'men' vs Yemenite vav spelling). Mamre's {ס} marker (14:24) and '--' word-separator artifacts (14:7, 14:9, 14:11, 14:17) were not carried into TO lines. Verse-final '.' maps to the Yemenite sof pasuq. MT divine tokens: first name once (14:22); no second-name token in the chapter. TO uses the first name once at the same verse; no second-name token in the chapter, so there is no switch to record. The chapter's other divine name is אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, 'God Most High,' four times (14:18, 14:19, 14:20, 14:22), kept as it stands in all versions.

Gen 14:1

MT

וַיְהִ֗י בִּימֵי֙ אַמְרָפֶ֣ל מֶֽלֶךְ־שִׁנְעָ֔ר אַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֙מֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ עֵילָ֔ם וְתִדְעָ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ גּוֹיִֽם׃

LXX ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῇ Αμαρφαλ βασιλέως Σεννααρ, Αριωχ βασιλεὺς Ελλασαρ καὶ Χοδολλογομορ βασιλεὺς Αιλαμ καὶ Θαργαλ βασιλεὺς ἐθνῶν

Eng. (Brenton) And it came to pass in the reign of Amarphal king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, that Chodollogomor king of Elam, and Thargal king of nations,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַהֲוָה, בְּיוֹמֵי אַמְרָפֶל מַלְכָּא דְּבָבֶל, אַרְיוֹךְ, מַלְכָּא דְּאֶלָּסָר; כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר מַלְכָּא דְּעֵילָם, וְתִדְעָל מַלְכָּא דְּעַמְמֵי׃

Vulg. Factum est autem in illo tempore, ut Amraphel rex Sennaar, et Arioch rex Ponti, et Chodorlahomor rex Elamitarum, et Thadal rex gentium

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And it came to pass at that time, that Amraphel king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Pontus, and Chodorlahomor king of the Elamites, and Thadal king of nations,

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:1: Latin 'Gojim' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'Ellasar' (Ἐλλασάρ); Symmachus 'Pontus' (Πόντου) for Ellasar, 'Scythians' (Σκυθῶν) for Elam, 'Pamphylia' (Παμφυλίας) for the nations.
• In the days of — or in the reign of, or at that time. The Hebrew opens 'in the days of Amraphel,' and the Targum keeps it. The Greek gives 'in the reign of Amarphal,' turning days into a reign, and the Vulgate gives 'at that time' (in illo tempore), dropping the days altogether. Brenton follows the Greek.
• Shinar is Babel to the Targum. The Hebrew's 'king of Shinar' is 'king of Babel' in the Targum — the same identification as at 10:10 and 11:2, where the land of Shinar is the land of Babel. The Greek and the Vulgate keep Shinar (Sennaar).

Gen 14:2

MT

עָשׂ֣וּ מִלְחָמָ֗ה אֶת־בֶּ֙רַע֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ סְדֹ֔ם וְאֶת־בִּרְשַׁ֖ע מֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמֹרָ֑ה שִׁנְאָ֣ב ׀ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַדְמָ֗ה וְשֶׁמְאֵ֙בֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ (צביים) [צְבוֹיִ֔ם] וּמֶ֥לֶךְ בֶּ֖לַע הִיא־צֹֽעַר׃

LXX ἐποίησαν πόλεμον μετὰ Βαλλα βασιλέως Σοδομων καὶ μετὰ Βαρσα βασιλέως Γομορρας καὶ Σεννααρ βασιλέως Αδαμα καὶ Συμοβορ βασιλέως Σεβωιμ καὶ βασιλέως Βαλακ· αὕτη ἐστὶν Σηγωρ.

Eng. (Brenton) made war with Balla king of Sodom, and with Barsa king of Gomorrha, and with Sennaar, king of Adama, and with Symobor king of Seboim and the king of Balac, this is Segor.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

עֲבַדוּ קְרָבָא, עִם בֶּרַע מַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם, וְעִם בִּרְשַׁע, מַלְכָּא דַּעֲמוֹרָה; שִׁנְאָב מַלְכָּא דְּאַדְמָה, וְשֶׁמְאֵבֶר מַלְכָּא דִּצְבוֹיִם, וּמַלְכָּא דְּבֶלַע, הִיא צוֹעַר׃

Vulg. inirent bellum contra Bara regem Sodomorum, et contra Bersa regem Gomorrhae, et contra Sennaab regem Adamae, et contra Semeber regem Seboim, contraque regem Balae, ipsa est Segor.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Made war against Bara king of Sodom, and against Bersa king of Gomorrha, and against Sennaab king of Adama, and against Semeber king of Seboim, and against the king of Bala, which is Segor.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:2.
• The Greek's names. The Greek alone changes three names in this verse: Bera becomes Balla (Βαλλα), Shinab becomes Sennaar (Σεννααρ — the king's name read as the place Shinar), and Bela becomes Balac (Βαλακ). The Hebrew, the Vulgate, and the Targum keep Bera, Shinab, and Bela. Brenton follows the Greek.
• The written text and the reading. The written text has צביים, the reading צְבוֹיִם (Zeboim); all four versions read the reading. The same pair recurs at 14:8.

Gen 14:3

MT

כׇּל־אֵ֙לֶּה֙ חָֽבְר֔וּ אֶל־עֵ֖מֶק הַשִּׂדִּ֑ים ה֖וּא יָ֥ם הַמֶּֽלַח׃

LXX πάντες οὗτοι συνεφώνησαν ἐπὶ τὴν φάραγγα τὴν ἁλυκήν· αὕτη ἡ θάλασσα τῶν ἁλῶν.

Eng. (Brenton) All these met with one consent at the salt valley; this is now the sea of salt.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

כָּל אִלֵּין, אִתְכַּנַּשׁוּ, לְמֵישַׁר, חַקְלַיָּא: הוּא, אֲתַר יַמָּא דְּמִלְחָא׃

Vulg. Omnes hi convenerunt in vallem Silvestrem, quae nunc est mare salis.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) All these came together into the woodland vale, which now is the salt sea.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:3: Latin 'Consociati convenerunt' and 'In valle Siddim' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'they agreed' (συνεφώνησαν) and 'the salt ravine' (ἐπὶ τὴν φάραγγα τὴν ἁλυκὴν); Aquila 'of the oak-groves' (τῶν πρινεώνων) and Theodotion 'of the shores' (τῶν ἀκτῶν) for 'salt'.
• **They agreed together — or they joined.** The Hebrew has "they joined" (חָבְרוּ), and the Vulgate ("they came together"), the Targum ("they gathered"), and Field's Latin ("joined together, they came together") keep the joining. The Greek alone turns it into agreement: "they agreed together" (συνεφώνησαν) — the verb of sounding together, which elsewhere in the Greek Bible means men agreeing on a course: the priests agreeing to take no more money (2 Kings 12:9), Aram agreeing with Ephraim (Isa 7:2). The nine kings do not merely meet in the valley; the Greek has them make common cause there — and the word can shade into conspiracy.
• The valley, four ways. The Hebrew's 'valley of Siddim' splits four ways: the Greek 'the salt ravine,' the Vulgate 'the woodland vale,' the Targum 'the plain of the fields' — and the name Siddim itself survives only in Field's Latin, 'in the valley of Siddim.' The same split recurs at 14:8 and 14:10.
• 'Which now is the salt sea.' The Vulgate adds 'now' (quae nunc est mare salis), marking the later perspective, and the Targum adds 'place' — 'the place of the Salt Sea.'

Gen 14:4

MT

שְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה עָבְד֖וּ אֶת־כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֑מֶר וּשְׁלֹשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה שָׁנָ֖ה מָרָֽדוּ׃

LXX δώδεκα ἔτη ἐδούλευον τῷ Χοδολλογομορ, τῷ δὲ τρισκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει ἀπέστησαν.

Eng. (Brenton) Twelve years they served Chodollogomor, and the thirteenth year they revolted.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

תַּרְתַּא עַסְרֵי שְׁנִין, פְּלַחוּ יָת כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר; וּתְלָת עַסְרֵי שְׁנִין, מְרַדוּ׃

Vulg. Duodecim enim annis servierunt Chodorlahomor, et tertiodecimo anno recesserunt ab eo.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) For they had served Chodorlahomor twelve years, and in the thirteenth year they revolted from him.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:4.
• Twelve years, and the thirteenth. The Hebrew counts cardinally — 'twelve years they served, and thirteen years they rebelled' — and the Targum does the same. The Greek and the Vulgate turn the second number into an ordinal: 'in the thirteenth year they revolted.' And the Vulgate softens the rebellion itself to 'they withdrew' (recesserunt), where the Hebrew, the Greek, and the Targum have 'rebelled.'

Gen 14:5

MT

וּבְאַרְבַּע֩ עֶשְׂרֵ֨ה שָׁנָ֜ה בָּ֣א כְדׇרְלָעֹ֗מֶר וְהַמְּלָכִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ וַיַּכּ֤וּ אֶת־רְפָאִים֙ בְּעַשְׁתְּרֹ֣ת קַרְנַ֔יִם וְאֶת־הַזּוּזִ֖ים בְּהָ֑ם וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֵימִ֔ים בְּשָׁוֵ֖ה קִרְיָתָֽיִם׃

LXX ἐν δὲ τῷ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ ἔτει ἦλθεν Χοδολλογομορ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατέκοψαν τοὺς γίγαντας τοὺς ἐν Ασταρωθ Καρναιν, καὶ ἔθνη ἰσχυρὰ ἅμα αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοὺς Ομμαίους τοὺς ἐν Σαυη τῇ πόλει,

Eng. (Brenton) And in the fourteenth year came Chodollogomor, and the kings with him, and cut to pieces the giants in Astaroth, and Carnain, and strong nations with them, and the Ommaeans in the city Save.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּבְאַרְבַּע עַסְרֵי שְׁנִין אֲתָא כְדָרְלָעֹמֶר, וּמַלְכַיָּא דְּעִמֵּיהּ, וּמְחוֹ יָת גִּבָּרַיָּא דִּבְעַשְׁתְּרָת קַרְנַיִם, וְיָת תַּקִּיפַיָּא דִּבְהָמְתָא; וְיָת, אֵימְתָנֵי, דִּבְשָׁוֵה, קִרְיָתָיִם׃

Vulg. Igitur quartodecimo anno venit Chodorlahomor, et reges qui erant cum eo: percusseruntque Raphaim in Astarothcarnaim, et Zuzim cum eis, et Emim in Save Cariathaim,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And in the fourteenth year came Chodorlahomor, and the kings that were with him: and they smote the Raphaim in Astarothcarnaim, and the Zuzim with them, and the Emim in Save of Cariathaim.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:5: Latin 'Et Suseos in Ham' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'the giants' (τοὺς γίγαντας; Aquila 'Rephaim') and 'strong nations with them' (ἔθνη ἰσχυρὰ ἅμα αὐτοῖς; Symmachus 'Zuzommin'); addendum (p. 32): 'to their city' (τῇ πόλει) marked with the asterisk, absent from the Hebrew.
• The Zuzim, and Ham. The Hebrew has 'the Zuzim in Ham' — the name and the place. No version keeps both except Field's Latin, 'the Suseans in Ham': the Vulgate keeps the name but reads the place as 'with them' ('the Zuzim with them'); the Greek drops the name altogether, 'strong nations with them'; the Targum keeps the place but turns the name into 'the mighty ones in Ham.' Jerome's note on the verse says the Greek rendered sense rather than word for word — Zuzim and Emim mean 'terrible and horrifying,' so the Greek put 'strongest nations.'
• The Rephaim as giants, and Kiriathaim as a city. The Hebrew's Rephaim become 'giants' in the Greek and 'mighty men' in the Targum, while the Vulgate keeps the name. And at 'Shaveh-Kiriathaim' the Greek reads the place name as 'the city' — 'in Save the city' — where the Hebrew, the Vulgate, and the Targum keep Kiriathaim.

Gen 14:6

MT

וְאֶת־הַחֹרִ֖י בְּהַרְרָ֣ם שֵׂעִ֑יר עַ֚ד אֵ֣יל פָּארָ֔ן אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃

LXX καὶ τοὺς Χορραίους τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν Σηιρ ἕως τῆς τερεμίνθου τῆς Φαραν, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

Eng. (Brenton) And the Chorrhaeans in the mountains of Seir, to the turpentine tree of Pharan, which is in the desert.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְיָת חוֹרָאֵי, דִּבְטוּרָא דְּשֵׂעִיר, עַד מֵישַׁר פָּארָן, דִּסְמִיךְ עַל מַדְבְּרָא׃

Vulg. et Chorraeos in montibus Seir, usque ad Campestria Pharan, quae est in solitudine.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the Chorreans in the mountains of Seir, even to the plains of Pharan, which is in the wilderness.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:6: Latin 'Usque ad quercum' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'to the terebinth' (ἕως τῆς τερεβίνθου); the rest: 'of the oak' (δρυός).
• As far as the oak — or the plain. The Hebrew's 'El-Paran' splits as the oak-word always does: the Greek 'the terebinth of Pharan' and Field's Latin 'as far as the oak' keep the tree, against the Vulgate 'the plains of Pharan' and the Targum 'the plain of Paran.' The same split as at 12:6, 13:18, and 14:13.
• 'On the edge of the wilderness.' The Hebrew has 'on' (עַל), the Greek and the Vulgate 'in,' and the Targum 'beside' (דִּסְמִיךְ) — the plain lying alongside the wilderness.

Gen 14:7

MT

וַ֠יָּשֻׁ֠בוּ וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ אֶל־עֵ֤ין מִשְׁפָּט֙ הִ֣וא קָדֵ֔שׁ וַיַּכּ֕וּ אֶֽת־כׇּל־שְׂדֵ֖ה הָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י וְגַם֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י הַיֹּשֵׁ֖ב בְּחַֽצְצֹ֥ן תָּמָֽר׃

LXX καὶ ἀναστρέψαντες ἤλθοσαν ἐπὶ τὴν πηγὴν τῆς κρίσεως, αὕτη ἐστὶν Καδης, καὶ κατέκοψαν πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας Αμαληκ καὶ τοὺς Αμορραίους τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν Ασασανθαμαρ

Eng. (Brenton) And having turned back they came to the well of judgment; this is Cades, and they cut in pieces all the princes of Amalec, and the Amorites dwelling in Asasonthamar.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְתָבוּ וַאֲתוֹ לְמֵישַׁר פִּלּוּג דִּינָא, הִיא רְקַם, וּמְחוֹ, יָת כָּל חֲקַל עֲמָלְקָאָה וְאַף, יָת אֱמוֹרָאָה, דְּיָתֵיב, בְּעֵין גֶּדִי׃

Vulg. Reversique sunt, et venerunt ad fontem Misphat, ipsa est Cades: et percusserunt omnem regionem Amalecitarum, et Amorrhaeum, qui habitabat in Asasonthamar.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And they returned, and came to the fountain of Misphat, the same is Cades: and they smote all the country of the Amalecites, and the Amorrhean that dwelt in Asasonthamar.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:7.
• The Targum's identifications. The Targum names the places as it knows them: En-mishpat, 'the spring of judgment,' becomes 'the plain of the division of judgment,' and Kadesh becomes Rekam; Hazazon-tamar becomes En-gedi (as at 2 Chron 20:2, where Hazazon-tamar 'is En-gedi').
• 'The princes of Amalek.' The Greek alone has 'all the princes of Amalek' for 'all the field of the Amalekites' — the field read as princes — where the Hebrew, the Vulgate ('all the country'), and the Targum ('all the field') keep the land.

Gen 14:8

MT

וַיֵּצֵ֨א מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֜ם וּמֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמֹרָ֗ה וּמֶ֤לֶךְ אַדְמָה֙ וּמֶ֣לֶךְ (צביים) [צְבוֹיִ֔ם] וּמֶ֥לֶךְ בֶּ֖לַע הִוא־צֹ֑עַר וַיַּֽעַרְכ֤וּ אִתָּם֙ מִלְחָמָ֔ה בְּעֵ֖מֶק הַשִּׂדִּֽים׃

LXX ἐξῆλθεν δὲ βασιλεὺς Σοδομων καὶ βασιλεὺς Γομορρας καὶ βασιλεὺς Αδαμα καὶ βασιλεὺς Σεβωιμ καὶ βασιλεὺς Βαλακ, αὕτη ἐστὶν Σηγωρ, καὶ παρετάξαντο αὐτοῖς εἰς πόλεμον ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τῇ ἁλυκῇ,

Eng. (Brenton) And the king of Sodom went out, and the king of Gomorrha, and king of Adama, and king of Seboim, and king of Balac, this is Segor, and they set themselves in array against them for war in the salt valley,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּנְפַק מַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם וּמַלְכָּא דַּעֲמוֹרָה, וּמַלְכָּא דְּאַדְמָה וּמַלְכָּא דִּצְבוֹיִם, וּמַלְכָּא דְּבֶלַע, הִיא צוֹעַר; וְסַדַּרוּ עִמְּהוֹן קְרָבָא, בְּמֵישַׁר חַקְלַיָּא׃

Vulg. Et egressi sunt rex Sodomorum, et rex Gomorrhae, rexque Adamae, et rex Seboim, necnon et rex Balae, quae est Segor: et direxerunt aciem contra eos in valle Silvestri:

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha, and the king of Adama, and the king of Seboim, and the king of Bala, which is Segor, went out: and they set themselves against them in battle array in the woodland vale:

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:8: Greek only — LXX 'in the salt valley' (ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τῇ ἁλυκῇ), with Aquila 'of the oak-groves' and Theodotion 'of the shores' for 'salt'; no Latin.
• The valley again. The valley of Siddim splits four ways as at 14:3, and the written text again has צביים against the reading צְבוֹיִם. The Vulgate's sentence does not end here: it runs on into 14:9, 'to wit, against Chodorlahomor...'

Gen 14:9

MT

אֵ֣ת כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֜מֶר מֶ֣לֶךְ עֵילָ֗ם וְתִדְעָל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ גּוֹיִ֔ם וְאַמְרָפֶל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שִׁנְעָ֔ר וְאַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר אַרְבָּעָ֥ה מְלָכִ֖ים אֶת־הַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃

LXX πρὸς Χοδολλογομορ βασιλέα Αιλαμ καὶ Θαργαλ βασιλέα ἐθνῶν καὶ Αμαρφαλ βασιλέα Σεννααρ καὶ Αριωχ βασιλέα Ελλασαρ, οἱ τέσσαρες βασιλεῖς πρὸς τοὺς πέντε.

Eng. (Brenton) against Chodollogomor king of Elam, and Thargal king of nations, and Amarphal king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, the four kings against the five.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

עִם כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר מַלְכָּא דְּעֵילָם, וְתִדְעָל מַלְכָּא דְּעַמְמֵי, וְאַמְרָפֶל מַלְכָּא דְּבָבֶל, וְאַרְיוֹךְ מַלְכָּא דְּאֶלָּסָר אַרְבְּעָא מַלְכִין, לָקֳבֵיל חַמְשָׁא׃

Vulg. scilicet adversus Chodorlahomor regem Elamitarum, et Thadal regem Gentium, et Amraphel regem Sennaar, et Arioch regem Ponti: quatuor reges adversus quinque.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) To wit, against Chodorlahomor king of the Elamites, and Thadal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Pontus: four kings against five.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:9: Greek only — repeats of 14:1 (Elam: Symmachus 'Scythians'; the nations: Symmachus 'Pamphylia'; Ellasar: Symmachus 'Pontus'); no Latin.
• Four against five. The four kings are listed in reverse order from 14:1 — Chodorlahomor first, where Amraphel led there — and the verse closes with the count: four kings against five. The Vulgate opens with 'to wit' (scilicet), explaining the battle array of 14:8.
• **Four passions against five senses.** Philo reads the nine kings as the soul's own war: the four are the four passions — pleasure, desire, fear, and grief — and the five are the five outward senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch (*On the Life of Abraham*). The five kings revolt when "satiety had begotten insolence" and they "began at first to lift up their heads and to become restive" — the horse-word again — and Abram's victory brings back "all their cavalry" as booty.

Gen 14:10

MT

וְעֵ֣מֶק הַשִּׂדִּ֗ים בֶּֽאֱרֹ֤ת בֶּאֱרֹת֙ חֵמָ֔ר וַיָּנֻ֛סוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה וַיִּפְּלוּ־שָׁ֑מָּה וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים הֶ֥רָה נָּֽסוּ׃

LXX ἡ δὲ κοιλὰς ἡ ἁλυκὴ φρέατα φρέατα ἀσφάλτου. ἔφυγεν δὲ βασιλεὺς Σοδομων καὶ βασιλεὺς Γομορρας, καὶ ἐνέπεσαν ἐκεῖ· οἱ δὲ καταλειφθέντες εἰς τὴν ὀρεινὴν ἔφυγον.

Eng. (Brenton) Now the salt valley consists of slime-pits. And the king of Sodom fled and the king of Gomorrha, and they fell in there: and they that were left fled to the mountain country.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּמֵישַׁר חַקְלַיָּא, בֵּירָן בֵּירָן מַסְּקָן חֵימָרָא, וַעֲרַקוּ מַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה, וּנְפַלוּ תַּמָּן; וּדְאִשְׁתְּאַרוּ, לְטוּרָא עֲרַקוּ׃

Vulg. Vallis autem Silvestris habebat puteos multos bituminis. Itaque rex Sodomorum, et Gomorrhae, terga verterunt, cecideruntque ibi: et qui remanserant, fugerunt ad montem.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Now the woodland vale had many pits of slime. And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha turned their backs and were overthrown there: and they that remained fled to the mountain.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:10.
• Pits, pits — and many pits. The Hebrew doubles the word: 'pits, pits of bitumen.' The Greek and the Targum keep the doubling; the Vulgate turns it into 'many pits of bitumen.'
• Turned their backs. 'The king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there': the Vulgate renders 'fled' as 'turned their backs' (terga verterunt) and 'fell' as 'were overthrown' (ceciderunt). The survivors fled to the mountain.

Gen 14:11

MT

וַ֠יִּקְח֠וּ אֶת־כׇּל־רְכֻ֨שׁ סְדֹ֧ם וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאֶת־כׇּל־אׇכְלָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃

LXX ἔλαβον δὲ τὴν ἵππον πᾶσαν τὴν Σοδομων καὶ Γομορρας καὶ πάντα τὰ βρώματα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπῆλθον.

Eng. (Brenton) And they took all the cavalry of Sodom and Gomorrha, and all their provisions, and departed.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּשְׁבוֹ יָת כָּל קִנְיָנָא דִּסְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה, וְיָת כָּל מֵיכַלְהוֹן וַאֲזַלוּ׃

Vulg. Tulerunt autem omnem substantiam Sodomorum et Gomorrhae, et universa quae ad cibum pertinent, et abierunt:

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And they took all the substance of the Sodomites, and Gomorrhites, and all their victuals, and went their way:

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:11.
• The wealth words: horses. The Hebrew's 'goods' (רְכֻשׁ) becomes 'horses' in the Greek — 'all the cavalry of Sodom and Gomorrha' — where the Vulgate has 'all the substance' and the Targum 'all the acquisition.' The Greek's 'horses' for 'goods' recurs at 14:16 and 14:21; at 14:12 it gives 'baggage' instead.
• **The horses are deliberate.** The Greek renders this same Hebrew word "possessions" wherever else it meets it in Genesis — Abram's goods at 12:5, the goods too great for the land at 13:6 and 36:7, Jacob's goods carried into Egypt at 46:6 — and in this chapter alone it turns it into "horses" three times (14:11, 14:16, 14:21), "baggage" once (14:12), and back to "possessions" for Lot's own goods in the same verse (14:16). The change is not a mistake; it is a reading, and Philo reads the chapter the same way: the king of Sodom offers Abram horses in exchange for men, and Abram sends the horses back "as the wages of harlots" (*Allegorical Interpretation*). For Philo the horse is the emblem of arrogant passion that scorns all control, "an impetuous beast, and full of insolence, and by nature a most restive animal" — so the goods of Sodom arrive as the very picture of its pride.

Gen 14:12

MT

וַיִּקְח֨וּ אֶת־ל֧וֹט וְאֶת־רְכֻשׁ֛וֹ בֶּן־אֲחִ֥י אַבְרָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְה֥וּא יֹשֵׁ֖ב בִּסְדֹֽם׃

LXX ἔλαβον δὲ καὶ τὸν Λωτ υἱὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Αβραμ καὶ τὴν ἀποσκευὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπῴχοντο· ἦν γὰρ κατοικῶν ἐν Σοδομοις.

Eng. (Brenton) And they took also Lot the son of Abram's brother, and his baggage, and departed, for he dwelt in Sodom.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּשְׁבוֹ יָת לוֹט וְיָת קִנְיָנֵיהּ בַּר אֲחוּהִי דְּאַבְרָם, וַאֲזַלוּ; וְהוּא יָתֵיב, בִּסְדוֹם׃

Vulg. necnon et Lot, et substantiam ejus, filium fratris Abram, qui habitabat in Sodomis.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And Lot also, the son of Abram’s brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his substance.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:12.
• Lot is now dwelling in Sodom. The staging continues: his tent was pitched 'toward Sodom' at 13:12; here he is dwelling in Sodom, and at 19:1 he will be sitting in its gate. And the Greek explains the capture: 'for he was dwelling in Sodom' — the 'for' is the Greek's own, giving the reason he was taken. The Vulgate's sentence runs on from 14:11.
• **Lot the waverer.** Philo hears Lot's name as "declination" — the mind that inclines now to one side and now to the other, "like a ship which is tossed about by different winds" (*Migration of Abraham*). His wife, who "loved Sodom," turned back and became stone. The staging of the chapter tells the same story: his tent pitched toward Sodom, now dwelling in Sodom, carried off with its goods.

Gen 14:13

MT

וַיָּבֹא֙ הַפָּלִ֔יט וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאַבְרָ֣ם הָעִבְרִ֑י וְהוּא֩ שֹׁכֵ֨ן בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֜י מַמְרֵ֣א הָאֱמֹרִ֗י אֲחִ֤י אֶשְׁכֹּל֙ וַאֲחִ֣י עָנֵ֔ר וְהֵ֖ם בַּעֲלֵ֥י בְרִית־אַבְרָֽם׃

LXX παραγενόμενος δὲ τῶν ἀνασωθέντων τις ἀπήγγειλεν Αβραμ τῷ περάτῃ· αὐτὸς δὲ κατῴκει πρὸς τῇ δρυὶ τῇ Μαμβρη ὁ Αμορις τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Εσχωλ καὶ ἀδελφοῦ Αυναν, οἳ ἦσαν συνωμόται τοῦ Αβραμ.

Eng. (Brenton) And one of them that had been rescued came and told Abram the Hebrew; and he dwelt by the oak of Mamre the Amorite the brother of Eschol, and the brother of Aunan, who were confederates with Abram.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲתָא, מְשֵׁיזְבָא, וְחַוִּי, לְאַבְרָם עִבְרָאָה; וְהוּא שָׁרֵי בְּמֵישְׁרֵי מַמְרֵא אֱמוֹרָאָה, אֲחוּהִי דְּאֶשְׁכּוֹל וַאֲחוּהִי דְּעָנֵר, וְאִנּוּן, אֱנָשׁ קְיָמֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָם׃

Vulg. Et ecce unus, qui evaserat, nuntiavit Abram Hebraeo, qui habitabat in convalle Mambre Amorrhaei, fratris Eschol, et fratris Aner: hi enim pepigerant fœdus cum Abram.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And behold one that had escaped told Abram the Hebrew, who dwelt in the vale of Mambre the Amorrhite, the brother of Escol, and the brother of Aner: for these had made league with Abram.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:13, three separate entries (p. 31): on "the fugitive" (הַפָּלִיט), the Greek "one of the rescued" (τῶν ἀνασωθέντων τις; Symmachus "of those escaping"); on "the Hebrew" (הָעִבְרִי), the Latin "Transfluviali" (see the Latin section below) — "the one from across the river" — and the Greek "the crosser" (τῷ περάτῃ; Aquila the same, Symmachus "the Hebrew," and Aquila elsewhere "the Hebrew"); on "the Amorite" (הָאֱמֹרִי), no Latin, and the Greek "the Amorite" (Ἀμορραῖον) — "the name Amoris" (ὁ Ἀμορίς) in other copies, with Aquila "of Amoris" (τοῦ Ἀμωρί) and Symmachus "of the Amorite" (τοῦ Ἀμορραίου).
• The fugitive, and the Hebrew — kept apart. The Hebrew's "fugitive" (הַפָּלִיט) becomes "one of the rescued" in the Greek and "the rescued one" in the Targum, where the Vulgate has "one who had escaped." "Abram the Hebrew" (הָעִבְרִי) is a different word, and the Greek treats it differently: "the crosser" (τῷ περάτῃ), where Field's Latin has "the one from across the river" — the name read as "the one from beyond" — and the Vulgate and the Targum keep "the Hebrew." The Amorite's name is a separate variant again: some copies of the Greek read "the Amorite" as the name Amoris, and the Greek reads Aner as Aunan.
• **Abram the Hebrew — the first and only time.** This is the only place in Genesis where Abram himself is called "the Hebrew" (הָעִבְרִי); every other occurrence of the word in the book belongs to Joseph — "a Hebrew man" (39:14), "the Hebrew servant" (39:17), "the land of the Hebrews" (40:15), "a Hebrew youth" (41:12), "the Hebrews" (43:32). The Greek hears the name as a crossing — "the crosser" (τῷ περάτῃ) — and the midrash hears it three ways (Genesis Rabbah 42:8): the whole world on one side and Abram on the other; a descendant of Eber; one from across the river, speaking Hebrew. The Vulgate and the Targum keep "the Hebrew.
• The oaks of Mamre, again. The same four-way split as at 12:6 and 13:18: Hebrew 'oaks of Mamre,' plural; Greek 'the oak,' singular; Vulgate 'the vale'; Targum 'the plains of Mamre.' And 'masters of a covenant' (בַּעֲלֵי בְרִית): the Greek 'confederates,' the Vulgate 'had made a covenant,' the Targum 'men of his covenant.'

Gen 14:14

MT

וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם כִּ֥י נִשְׁבָּ֖ה אָחִ֑יו וַיָּ֨רֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָ֜יו יְלִידֵ֣י בֵית֗וֹ שְׁמֹנָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת וַיִּרְדֹּ֖ף עַד־דָּֽן׃

LXX ἀκούσας δὲ Αβραμ ὅτι ᾐχμαλώτευται Λωτ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, ἠρίθμησεν τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ, τριακοσίους δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, καὶ κατεδίωξεν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν ἕως Δαν.

Eng. (Brenton) And Abram having heard that Lot his nephew had been taken captive, numbered his own home-born servants three hundred and eighteen, and pursued after them to Dan.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם, אֲרֵי אִשְׁתְּבִי אֲחוּהִי; וְזָרֵיז יָת עוּלֵימוֹהִי יְלִידֵי בֵיתֵיהּ, תְּלָת מְאָה וּתְמָנַת עֲסַר, וּרְדַף, עַד דָּן׃

Vulg. Quod cum audisset Abram, captum videlicet Lot fratrem suum, numeravit expeditos vernaculos suos trecentos decem et octo: et persecutus est usque Dan.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house, three hundred and eighteen well appointed: and pursued them to Dan.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:14.
• He armed — or he numbered. The Hebrew's rare verb (וַיָּרֶק, 'he drew out' — the verb of drawing a sword, as at Ex 15:9) is read as 'he numbered' by the Greek and the Vulgate — the muster counted — while the Targum keeps the arming ('he armed'). And the number: the Hebrew lists 'eighteen and three hundred'; the versions normalize it to 'three hundred and eighteen.' BDB puts the verb under [רִיק], "make empty, empty out": the form וַיָּרֶק is the imperfect of the Hiphil, listed with the sense "empty out (i.e. draw) a sword" (Ex 15:9; Lev 26:33; Ezek 5:2, 12; 12:14; 28:7; 30:11) — but BDB flags this verse, "(but see below)," and offers the alternative behind the Greek's "he numbered": "led forth," i.e. "mustered." The form itself occurs only here in the whole Bible.
• Three hundred and eighteen — Eliezer alone. Rashi on the verse, citing Nedarim 32a, says it was Eliezer alone whom he armed: 318 is the numerical value of his name. Ibn Ezra dissents: the verse does not speak in numbers-as-names, and the word means what it says.
• **His trained household men.** The phrase is built from two words that occur in this shape only here. חֲנִיכָיו is from the verb "to train, to dedicate" (חָנַךְ) — "train up a child" (Prov 22:6), "dedicate" a new house (Deut 20:5) or the temple (1 Ki 8:63) — and BDB glosses it "trained, tried, experienced: his tried and trusty men, born in his house." יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ is "born in his house," the household-born slave as against one "purchased by money" (Gen 17:12–13, 27; Lev 22:11). The versions agree on the household: the Greek "his own household-born," the Vulgate "well-appointed home-born servants," the Targum "his young men, born in his house." These are not hired men; they are Abram's own, trained in his house.

Gen 14:15

MT

וַיֵּחָלֵ֨ק עֲלֵיהֶ֧ם ׀ לַ֛יְלָה ה֥וּא וַעֲבָדָ֖יו וַיַּכֵּ֑ם וַֽיִּרְדְּפֵם֙ עַד־חוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְּׂמֹ֖אל לְדַמָּֽשֶׂק׃

LXX καὶ ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς τὴν νύκτα αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐδίωξεν αὐτοὺς ἕως Χωβα ἥ ἐστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Δαμασκοῦ.

Eng. (Brenton) And he came upon them by night, he and his servants, and he smote them and pursued them as far as Choba, which is on the left of Damascus.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וְאִתְפְּלֵיג עֲלֵיהוֹן לֵילְיָא הוּא וְעַבְדּוֹהִי, וּמְחָנוּן; וּרְדַפִנּוּן, עַד חוֹבָה, דְּמִצִּפּוּנָא, לְדַמָּשֶׂק׃

Vulg. Et divisis sociis, irruit super eos nocte: percussitque eos, et persecutus est eos usque Hoba, quae est ad laevam Damasci.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And dividing his company, he rushed upon them in the night: and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:15.
• He divided himself — or he fell upon them. The Hebrew and the Targum have Abram dividing his force ('he divided himself against them by night'), and the Vulgate keeps the dividing ('having divided his companions'); the Greek drops it — 'he fell upon them by night.'
• **The night itself was divided.** The Hebrew is odd — "he divided himself against them by night" — and the midrash hears the night as the thing divided (Genesis Rabbah 43:3, as Rashi cites it on this verse): the night split in two, its first half a miracle for Abram, its second half kept in reserve for the midnight of Egypt (Ex 12:29). Rabbi Yonatan says the night divided of itself; the Rabbis say its Creator divided it, telling Abram, "you act with Me in half the night; by your life, I shall act with your children in half the night." The plain sense divides Abram's force — the Vulgate keeps the dividing, the Greek drops it ("he fell upon them by night") — and the midrash divides the night itself, joining Abram's midnight to the Exodus.
• To the left of Damascus. The Targum's compass again: left is north, as at 13:9 — Hobah 'to the north of Damascus.'

Gen 14:16

MT

וַיָּ֕שֶׁב אֵ֖ת כׇּל־הָרְכֻ֑שׁ וְגַם֩ אֶת־ל֨וֹט אָחִ֤יו וּרְכֻשׁוֹ֙ הֵשִׁ֔יב וְגַ֥ם אֶת־הַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְאֶת־הָעָֽם׃

LXX καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον Σοδομων· καὶ Λωτ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπέστρεψεν καὶ τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὸν λαόν.

Eng. (Brenton) And he recovered all the cavalry of Sodom, and he recovered Lot his nephew, and all his possessions, and the women and the people.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲתֵיב, יָת כָּל קִנְיָנָא; וְאַף יָת לוֹט אֲחוּהִי וְקִנְיָנֵיהּ אֲתֵיב, וְאַף יָת נְשַׁיָּא וְיָת עַמָּא׃

Vulg. Reduxitque omnem substantiam, et Lot fratrem suum cum substantia illius, mulieres quoque et populum.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And he brought back all the substance, and Lot his brother, with his substance, the women also and the people.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:16.
• He brought it all back. The Greek adds 'of Sodom' — 'all the cavalry of Sodom' — where the Hebrew has only 'all the goods.' And the Greek renders the same Hebrew word (רְכֻשׁ) two ways in one verse: 'cavalry' for the goods, then 'possessions' for Lot's goods. Brenton follows the Greek, including 'Lot his nephew' for 'Lot his brother.'

Gen 14:17

MT

וַיֵּצֵ֣א מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹם֮ לִקְרָאתוֹ֒ אַחֲרֵ֣י שׁוּב֗וֹ מֵֽהַכּוֹת֙ אֶת־כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֔מֶר וְאֶת־הַמְּלָכִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֑וֹ אֶל־עֵ֣מֶק שָׁוֵ֔ה ה֖וּא עֵ֥מֶק הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

LXX ἐξῆλθεν δὲ βασιλεὺς Σοδομων εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ, μετὰ τὸ ἀναστρέψαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς τοῦ Χοδολλογομορ καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὴν κοιλάδα τὴν Σαυη τοῦτο ἦν τὸ πεδίον βασιλέως.

Eng. (Brenton) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from the slaughter of Chodollogomor, and the kings with him, to the valley of Saby; this was the plain of the kings.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּנְפַק מַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם, לְקַדָּמוּתֵיהּ, בָּתַר דְּתָב מִלְּמִמְחֵי יָת כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר, וְיָת מַלְכַיָּא דְּעִמֵּיהּ לְמֵישַׁר מְפֻנַּא, הוּא בֵּית רֵיסָא דְּמַלְכָּא׃

Vulg. Egressus est autem rex Sodomorum in occursum ejus postquam reversus est a caede Chodorlahomor, et regum qui cum eo erant in valle Save, quae est vallis regis.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from the slaughter of Chodorlahomor, and of the kings that were with him in the vale of Save, which is the king’s vale.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:17: Greek: LXX 'from the slaughter' (ἀπὸ τῆς κοπῆς); Aquila 'from striking' (ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήξαι); Symmachus 'after striking' (μετὰ τὸ πατάξαι).
• The king's valley — or the king's racecourse. The Hebrew's 'valley of Shaveh, that is the valley of the king' becomes in the Targum 'the plain of the level place, that is the house of the king's racecourse' (בֵּית רֵיסָא דְּמַלְכָּא) — the ground where the king's horses ran.
• Valley, then plain. The Greek gives 'the valley of Save' in the first half and 'the plain of the king' (τὸ πεδίον βασιλέως) in the second — valley, then plain, for the same Hebrew word (עֵמֶק). Brenton has 'the plain of the kings,' plural, against the Greek's singular 'king.'

Gen 14:18

MT

וּמַלְכִּי־צֶ֙דֶק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵ֔ם הוֹצִ֖יא לֶ֣חֶם וָיָ֑יִן וְה֥וּא כֹהֵ֖ן לְאֵ֥ל עֶלְיֽוֹן׃

LXX καὶ Μελχισεδεκ βασιλεὺς Σαλημ ἐξήνεγκεν ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον· ἦν δὲ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου.

Eng. (Brenton) And Melchisedec king of Salem brought forth loaves and wine, and he was the priest of the most high God.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּמַלְכִּי צֶדֶק מַלְכָּא דִּירוּשְׁלַם, אַפֵּיק לְחֵים וַחֲמַר; וְהוּא מְשַׁמֵּישׁ, קֳדָם אֵל עִלָּאָה׃

Vulg. At vero Melchisedech rex Salem, proferens panem et vinum, erat enim sacerdos Dei altissimi,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) But Melchisedech the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God,

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:18.
• Salem is Jerusalem, and the priest is a minister. The Targum identifies Salem with Jerusalem — 'king of Jerusalem' — and where the Hebrew calls Melchizedek a priest, the Targum has him 'ministering before God Most High' (מְשַׁמֵּישׁ): it does not give him the title of priest.
• Melchizedek is Shem. The midrash identifies Melchizedek with Shem, son of Noah (Targum Jonathan, Genesis Rabbah 46:7, Nedarim 32b) — the patriarch who, the Rabbis say, called Jerusalem 'Salem' (Genesis Rabbah 56:10) and taught the fathers the Torah (Genesis Rabbah 43:6).

Gen 14:19

• Poetic passage — Melchizedek's blessing (blessing)

MT

וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר בָּר֤וּךְ אַבְרָם֙ לְאֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃

LXX καὶ ηὐλόγησεν τὸν Αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν εὐλογημένος Αβραμ τῷ θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ, ὃς ἔκτισεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν·

Eng. (Brenton) And he blessed Abram, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, who made heaven and earth,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּבָרְכֵיהּ, וַאֲמַר: בְּרִיךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עִלָּאָה, דְּקִנְיָנֵיהּ שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא׃

Vulg. benedixit ei, et ait: Benedictus Abram Deo excelso, qui creavit caelum et terram:

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:19.
• Possessor — or creator. The Hebrew's 'possessor of heaven and earth' (קֹנֵה) is kept by the Targum — 'whose possession is heaven and earth' — but rendered 'who made heaven and earth' by the Greek and 'who created heaven and earth' by the Vulgate. The same verb as at 4:1, 'I have gotten a man.' The Greek's "who made" (ἔκτισεν) is the same verb Josephus uses to open his history of the creation — "In the beginning God created (ἔκτισεν) the heaven and the earth" (*Antiquities* 1.2.1) — and the same verb Aquila uses at Gen 1:1 for "created" (בָּרָא). Where the Greek of Gen 1:1 says "made" (ἐποίησεν), Josephus and Aquila say "created" — and at 14:19 the Greek itself says "created" for "possessor." The same verb recurs at 14:22.
• Abram first, then God. Melchizedek blesses Abram (14:19) before he blesses God (14:20) — and the Talmud (Nedarim 32b) says that order cost him the priesthood, which passed to Abram's descendants: God had meant the priesthood to come from Melchizedek, but because he blessed Abram before blessing God, it went to Abram's line instead. James Kugel tells the story the same way, and spells out the chain behind it ("Melchizedek's Mistake," *Weekly Torah Reading, Lekh-Lekha*, October 31, 2020): the priesthood passed from Noah to his son Shem, whose other name was Melchizedek — and Shem's mistake was the order of the blessing, putting Abram before God. "As a result, Shem/Melchizedek was demoted. God took the priesthood away from him and gave it to Abraham," and from Abraham it passed to Isaac. The same telling is in Kugel's *Traditions of the Bible*, ch. 8, "Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17–20)."

Gen 14:20

• Poetic passage — Melchizedek's blessing (blessing)

MT

וּבָרוּךְ֙ אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁר־מִגֵּ֥ן צָרֶ֖יךָ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֥וֹ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ר מִכֹּֽל׃

LXX καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος, ὃς παρέδωκεν τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποχειρίους σοι. καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ δεκάτην ἀπὸ πάντων.

Eng. (Brenton) and blessed be the most high God who delivered thine enemies into thy power. And Abram gave him the tithe of all.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וּבְרִיךְ אֵל עִלָּאָה, דִּמְסַר סָנְאָךְ בִּידָךְ; וִיהַב לֵיהּ חַד מִן עַסְרָא, מִכּוֹלָא׃

Vulg. et benedictus Deus excelsus, quo protegente, hostes in manibus tuis sunt. Et dedit ei decimas ex omnibus.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And blessed be the most high God, by whose protection the enemies are in thy hands. And he gave him the tithes of all.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:20.
• Delivered — or protected. The Hebrew's 'who delivered your enemies into your hand' (מִגֵּן) is rendered 'by whose protection' by the Vulgate, reading the root as 'shield' — where the Greek has 'who handed over your enemies' and the Targum 'who delivered your enemies.'
• 'He gave him a tithe of all.' The giver is left unnamed in the Hebrew, the Greek, the Vulgate, and the Targum; Brenton names him — 'Abram gave him.' And the Targum spells the tithe out: 'one of ten of all' (חַד מִן עַסְרָא).
• **Blessed — but blessed differently.** The Hebrew blesses with the same word twice (בָּרוּךְ, 14:19 and 14:20), and the Vulgate and the Targum follow it — *Benedictus* / *benedictus*, בְּרִיךְ / וּבְרִיךְ. The Greek alone splits it: Abram the man is "blessed" (εὐλογημένος), God is "blessed" (εὐλογητός). The first is the participle for the man who has been blessed; the second is the Greek's own form for blessing God — the one who is to be blessed.

Gen 14:21

MT

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֖ם אֶל־אַבְרָ֑ם תֶּן־לִ֣י הַנֶּ֔פֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻ֖שׁ קַֽח־לָֽךְ׃

LXX εἶπεν δὲ βασιλεὺς Σοδομων πρὸς Αβραμ δός μοι τοὺς ἄνδρας, τὴν δὲ ἵππον λαβὲ σεαυτῷ.

Eng. (Brenton) And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the men, and take the horses to thyself.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר מַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם, לְאַבְרָם: הַב לִי נַפְשָׁתָא, וְקִנְיָנָא סַב לָךְ׃

Vulg. Dixit autem rex Sodomorum ad Abram: Da mihi animas, cetera tolle tibi.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself.

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:21: Latin 'Et opes' (see the Latin section below). Greek: LXX 'the men' (τοὺς ἄνδρας); Aquila 'the soul' (τὴν ψυχήν); Symmachus 'the souls' (τὰς ψυχάς). For the goods: LXX 'the horse' (τὴν ἵππον), Aquila 'the property' (τὴν περιουσίαν), Symmachus 'the substance' (τὴν ὕπαρξιν).
• Souls, or men. The Hebrew's 'souls' (הַנֶּפֶשׁ) is 'the men' in the Greek — 'Give me the men' — while the Hebrew, the Vulgate ('souls'), and the Targum ('persons') keep it.
• The goods, four ways. The Hebrew's 'goods' (רְכֻשׁ) is 'the goods' in the Targum and 'the wealth' in Field's Latin, but 'the rest' in the Vulgate ('the rest take for yourself') and 'the horses' in the Greek.

Gen 14:22

MT

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַבְרָ֖ם אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ סְדֹ֑ם הֲרִמֹ֨תִי יָדִ֤י אֶל־ייי֙ אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃

LXX εἶπεν δὲ Αβραμ πρὸς βασιλέα Σοδομων ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν ὕψιστον, ὃς ἔκτισεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν,

Eng. (Brenton) And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I will stretch out my hand to the Lord the most high God, who made the heaven and the earth,

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

וַאֲמַר אַבְרָם, לְמַלְכָּא דִּסְדוֹם: אֲרֵימִית יְדַי בִּצְלוֹ קֳדָם ייי אֵל עִלָּאָה, דְּקִנְיָנֵיהּ שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא׃

Vulg. Qui respondit ei: Levo manum meam ad Dominum Deum excelsum possessorem caeli et terrae,

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) And he answered him: I lift up my hand to the Lord God the most high, the possessor of heaven and earth,

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:22.
• The one first-name token in the chapter. The first name appears only here in Genesis 14, joined to 'God Most High': 'I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High.' The Vulgate and the Targum keep both names; the Greek drops 'the Lord' — 'to God the Most High' — and Brenton restores it. And the tense: the Hebrew has the perfect, 'I have lifted'; the Greek the future, 'I will stretch out'; the Vulgate the present, 'I lift.' 'Possessor of heaven and earth' splits as at 14:19: the Targum 'whose possession,' the Vulgate 'possessor,' the Greek 'who made.'

Gen 14:23

MT

אִם־מִחוּט֙ וְעַ֣ד שְׂרֽוֹךְ־נַ֔עַל וְאִם־אֶקַּ֖ח מִכׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָ֑ךְ וְלֹ֣א תֹאמַ֔ר אֲנִ֖י הֶעֱשַׁ֥רְתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָֽם׃

LXX εἰ ἀπὸ σπαρτίου ἕως σφαιρωτῆρος ὑποδήματος λήμψομαι ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν σῶν· ἵνα μὴ εἴπῃς ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐπλούτισα τὸν Αβραμ.

Eng. (Brenton) that I will not take from all thy goods from a string to a shoe-latchet, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

אִם מִחוּטָא וְעַד עַרְקַת מְסָנָא, וְאִם אֶסַּב מִכָּל דְּלָךְ; וְלָא תֵּימַר, אֲנָא עַתַּרִית יָת אַבְרָם׃

Vulg. quod a filo subtegminis usque ad corrigiam caligae, non accipiam ex omnibus quae tua sunt, ne dicas: Ego ditavi Abram:

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) That from the very woof thread unto the shoe latchet, I will not take of any things that are thine, lest thou say I have enriched Abram:

• Field Cap. XIV at 14:23: Greek: LXX 'from a string to a shoe-latchet' (ἀπὸ σπαρτίου ἕως σφαιρωτῆρος ὑποδήματος); Aquila 'of a thread' (ῥάμματος); Symmachus 'of a thread' (νήματος). And (p. 32): LXX 'lest you say' (ἵνα μὴ εἴπῃς), Symmachus 'and you will not say' (καὶ οὐκ ἐρεῖς).
• From a thread to a sandal-strap. The Hebrew's 'from a thread to a sandal-strap' is 'from a thread' in Field's Latin and 'the strap of the shoe' (calcei), where the Vulgate specifies 'the woof-thread' (filo subtegminis) and 'the strap of the military boot' (corrigiam caligae).
• The oath's 'if.' The oath is left as an 'if' in the Hebrew, the Greek, and the Targum — 'if I take anything of yours' — with the refusal understood; the Vulgate makes it explicit: 'I will not take.' And 'you shall not say' in the Hebrew is 'lest you say' in the Greek, where Symmachus keeps 'and you will not say.'
• **Lest you say, I made Abram rich.** The refusal looks back to Egypt: Abram came out of Egypt already rich — "very rich in livestock, silver, and gold" (13:2) — and the wealth of 13:2 is Pharaoh's doing (12:16). He will not let the king of Sodom claim the rest of it: "lest you say, I have made Abram rich." His riches stay God's, not Sodom's. Philo hears the same refusal: Sodom offered "horses in exchange for men," and Abram took nothing, "in order that the king might never say that he had made the discerning man, namely Abraham, rich.

Gen 14:24

MT

בִּלְעָדַ֗י רַ֚ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽכְל֣וּ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וְחֵ֙לֶק֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָלְכ֖וּ אִתִּ֑י עָנֵר֙ אֶשְׁכֹּ֣ל וּמַמְרֵ֔א הֵ֖ם יִקְח֥וּ חֶלְקָֽם׃ {ס}

LXX πλὴν ὧν ἔφαγον οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ τῆς μερίδος τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν συμπορευθέντων μετ' ἐμοῦ, Εσχωλ, Αυναν, Μαμβρη· οὗτοι λήμψονται μερίδα.

Eng. (Brenton) Except what things the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men that went with me, Eschol, Aunan, Mambre, these shall take a portion.

Targ. (Yemenite Onkelos)

בָּר, מִדַּאֲכַלוּ עוּלֵימַיָּא, וְחוּלָק גּוּבְרַיָּא, דַּאֲזַלוּ עִמִּי: עָנֵר אֶשְׁכּוֹל וּמַמְרֵא, אִנּוּן יְקַבְּלוּן חוּלָקְהוֹן׃

Vulg. exceptis his, quae comederunt juvenes, et partibus virorum, qui venerunt mecum, Aner, Eschol et Mambre: isti accipient partes suas.

Eng. (Douay-Rheims) Except such things as the young men have eaten, and the shares of the men that came with me, Aner, Escol, and Mambre: these shall take their shares.

• Field cites no distinct reading for 14:24.
• Except what the young men ate. The chapter closes with the exception: the young men's food and the three allies' shares — Aner, Eschol, and Mamre, named in that order by the Hebrew, the Vulgate, and the Targum; the Greek puts Eschol first and reads Aner as Aunan, as at 14:13. The paragraph break {ס} closes the chapter.
• **The young men — or the warriors.** The Hebrew's "young men" (הַנְּעָרִים) is "the young men" in the Greek (οἱ νεανίσκοι), the Vulgate (*juvenes*), and the Targum (עוּלֵימַיָּא) — but Sarna (*JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis*, on Gen 14:24) reads them as fighting men: "Hebrew ne'arim, literally 'youths,' probably here means 'warriors.' The word is found in Egyptian as ne'arin, a borrowing from Canaanite in the specialized sense of 'elite corps.'" The Targum keeps "young men" against the "warriors" reading.

Cross-verse patterns

• Divine names — MT: first name once (14:22); no second-name token in the chapter. אֵל עֶלְיוֹן four times (14:18, 14:19, 14:20, 14:22). TO: first name once (14:22); El Elyon four times. LXX: 'God the Most High' (ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος) throughout, flattening the first name at 14:22 to 'God.' Vulgate: 'God the most high' (Deus altissimus / excelsus) at 14:18–20, 'the Lord God the most high' (Dominum Deum excelsum) at 14:22.
• Vulgate sentence boundaries — sentences run across MT boundaries at 14:1→14:2, 14:5→14:6, 14:8→14:9, 14:11→14:12, 14:18→14:19, 14:22→14:23.
• MT paragraph breaks — {ס} at 14:24 only; the chapter closes with the break.
• Field cites no distinct reading (main entries) for 14:2, 14:4, 14:7, 14:10, 14:11, 14:12, 14:14, 14:15, 14:16, 14:18, 14:19, 14:20, 14:22, 14:24 — recorded here as absence, not as a claim that no variant exists anywhere. Main entries on pp. 30–31 cover 14:1, 14:3, 14:5, 14:6, 14:8 (Greek only), 14:9 (Greek only), 14:13, 14:17, 14:21, and 14:23.
• Targum punctuation — transferred (see header): Mechon Mamre vocalized chapter 14, punctuation only, Yemenite wording/vocalization kept.
• The wealth words: רְכֻשׁ at 14:11, 14:12, 14:16, 14:21 — Greek 'horses' (ἵππος) except 14:12 'baggage' (ἀποσκευή) and 14:16 second 'possessions' (ὑπάρχοντα); Vulgate 'substance' (substantia) except 14:21 'the rest' (cetera); Targum 'acquisition' (קִנְיָן).
• The valley of Siddim: the same four-way split at 14:3, 14:8, 14:10 (Hebrew 'Siddim'; Greek 'salt'; Vulgate 'woodland'; Targum 'plain of the fields').
• The oak word (אֵיל / אֵלֹנֵי): the tree-against-terrain split at 12:6, 13:18, 14:6, 14:13.
• The Targum's compass: left is north at 14:15 (as at 13:9).
• The Targum's identifications: Shinar = Babel (14:1), Kadesh = Rekam (14:7), Hazazon-tamar = En-gedi (14:7), Salem = Jerusalem (14:18), the king's valley = the king's racecourse (14:17).
• The Greek's names: Balla, Sennaar, Balac at 14:2; Amoris and Aunan at 14:13 and 14:24.
• The staging of Lot: tent toward Sodom (13:12), dwelling in Sodom (14:12), sitting in the gate (19:1).
• 'Possessor' against 'creator': קֹנֵה at 14:19 and 14:22.
• The Targum's 'prayed': 'called on the name' becomes 'prayed' at 12:8 and 13:4; 'lifted my hand' becomes 'lifted my hands in prayer' at 14:22.
• Brenton against the Greek. Brenton glosses 'brother' (ἀδελφός) as 'nephew' at 14:14 and 14:16; at 14:17 he has 'the plain of the kings,' plural, against the Greek's singular 'king' (βασιλέως); at 14:20 he names the giver, 'Abram gave him,' where the Greek leaves it open ('he gave him'); at 14:22 he restores 'the Lord,' where the Greek has only 'God the Most High.'

Open questions, not claims

• Targum punctuation — transferred 2026-11-05 (see header): 24/24 lines, 8 variant-kept, no hard gate failure.

Latin witnesses from Field's Hexapla

The Latin below is the rendering printed with the Hebrew in Field's Hexapla. It is not the Vulgate: where it agrees with the Vulgate it is not listed. Only readings that genuinely differ are given.

• 14:1. Where the Vulgate reads “Thadal rex gentium” (Thadal, king of the nations), Field's Latin reads “Gojim” — the name kept where the Vulgate turns it into a common noun. Rashi: Gojim, a place so called because many nations gathered there and made Tidal king over them.
• 14:3. Where the Vulgate reads “Omnes hi convenerunt” (all these came together), Field's Latin reads “Consociati convenerunt” (having joined together, they came together) — the joining where the Vulgate has only the coming together. The Greek sides with Field (“they agreed together,” συνεφώνησαν).
• 14:3. Where the Vulgate reads “in vallem Silvestrem” (into the woodland vale), Field's Latin reads “In valle Siddim” (in the valley of Siddim) — the name kept where the Vulgate turns it into “woodland.” The Vulgate's “Silvestris” recurs at 14:8 and 14:10.
• 14:5. Where the Vulgate reads “et Zuzim cum eis” (and the Zuzim with them), Field's Latin reads “Et Suseos in Ham” (and the Suseans in Ham) — the name and the place kept where the Vulgate reads “with them.” The Greek drops the name (“strong nations with them”); the Targum keeps the place (“the mighty ones in Ham”).
• 14:6. Where the Vulgate reads “usque ad Campestria Pharan” (as far as the plains of Pharan), Field's Latin reads “Usque ad quercum” (as far as the oak) — the tree kept where the Vulgate turns it into terrain. The Greek sides with Field (“to the terebinth of Pharan”); the Targum sides with the Vulgate (“the plain of Paran”).
• 14:13. Where the Vulgate reads “Abram Hebraeo” (Abram the Hebrew), Field's Latin reads “Transfluviali” (the one from across the river) — the name rendered by its sense, the one from beyond the river, where the Vulgate keeps the ethnic name. The Greek sides with Field (“the crosser,” τῷ περάτῃ); Symmachus sides with the Vulgate (“the Hebrew,” τῷ Ἑβραίῳ).
• 14:21. Where the Vulgate reads “cetera tolle tibi” (the rest take for yourself), Field's Latin reads “Et opes” (and the wealth) — “the goods” as wealth where the Vulgate turns it into “the rest.” Aquila (“the property,” τὴν περιουσίαν) and Symmachus (“the substance,” τὴν ὕπαρξιν) side with Field; the Greek has “the horse” (τὴν ἵππον).

Chapters

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