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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Genesis, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God, Humanity, and Creation
Mistrust, Disobedience, and Death
Covenants and Faith in God’s Promises
The Role of Women
Summary
Analysis
In the Valley of Siddim, or the Dead Sea area, a group of Canaanite kings rebels against King Chedorlaomer of Elam and his Shemite allies. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee the battle, their enemies take their goods; they also take Abram’s nephew Lot captive. Someone escapes from Lot’s household and notifies Abram, who gathers a force of trained men and goes in pursuit of his nephew. He pursues the captives all the way to Damascus and successfully brings Lot and his household back from there to live with him.
The clash between the Canaanites (descendants of Ham) and Shemites fulfills Noah’s curse that Ham would be enslaved by his brothers. The Shemite kings crush the Canaanites and capture Abram’s nephew, whose family lives among them. Abram is himself a descendant of Shem and therefore blessed by God in his pursuit and rescue of Lot.
Themes
After this, the king of Sodom meets with Abram. King Melchizedek of Salem, a priest of God, brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram gives Melchizedek one-tenth of his possessions. The king of Sodom offers his goods to Abram, but Abram refuses to take them, not wanting to be made rich by the king of Sodom.
“Salem” is a name for Jerusalem, meaning that Abram receives a blessing in the place that will one day become the religious heart of Israel. The figure of Melchizedek is mysterious, however. He appears in one Psalm (110) and Christians late compare him to Jesus Christ (Letter to the Hebrews), but Genesis simply presents him as a figure of blessing and of contrast with Sodom’s king.
Themes
