CHEDORLAOMER, King of the Elymæans or Elamites, who were either the Persians, or People bordering upon
Gen. xiv. 1, 2, & seq.them. Chedorlaomer was one of the four confederated Kings, who made war against the five Kings of the Pentapolis of Sodom, and who after having defeated them, and made themselves Masters of a great Booty, were pursued and dispersed by Abraham, in the year of the World 2092, before the Birth of J. C. 1908, and before the vulgar Æra 1911.
Before J.C. 1909. before the vulgar Æra 1933. See Mat. iv. 15. Isai. ix. 1.This Prince, after he had for twelve years kept five Kings subject to his Dominion, viz. Bera King of Sodom, Birsha King of Gomorrah, Shinab King of Admah, Shemeber King of Zeboïm, and the King of Bela, which is Zoar: They at last revolted from him about the year of the World 2091. Chedorlaomer gathered a great Army, and entring into a Confederacy with Amraphel King of Shinar, Arioch King of Ellasar, perhaps Thalassar, near Assyria, in the Province of Eden, and with Tidal King of the Nations; probably the Nations which lay beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles: These four Kings with their Troops marched towards the Land of Canaan; in their way they attacked some People of the Countries beyond Jordan, such as the Rephaims, Giants, who possessed the Land lying between the Brook Jabbok and the Arnon: They took and pillaged Ashteroth Karnaim, a famous City situated eastward of the Sea of Galilee.
They likewise defeated the Zuzims, the same probably with the Zumzummims, antient Inhabitants of the Country afterwards Deut. ii. 20, 21. Deut. ii. 20, 21. Josh. xiii. 19, 21. See Judg. x. 5. and the Notes on Gen. xiv. 5. Gen. xxxii. 3. & xxxvi. 20.possessed by the Ammonites. Moses says, the Zuzims were beaten at Ham, perhaps Chamin, an antient City of the same Territory. They farther routed the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim. The Emims are an antient People, who dwelt originally in the Country which was afterwards possessed by the Moabites; and Shaveh Kiriathaim is a City in the same Land, which afterwards belonged to King Sihon. Lastly, in the Mountains of Gilead, the Horites, a famous People descended from Seir the Horite, whose Country was afterwards seized by the Edomites. They carried on their Conquests as far as the Plains of Paran in Arabia Petræa. From thence they returned towards Kadesh-Barnea, where is the Fountain of Mishpat, which however did not go by this Name till the time of Moses. Numb. xx. 13.They ravaged the Country of the Amalekites, who inhabited part of Arabia Petræa, and defeated the Amorites, whose settlement was at Hazezon-tamar, which some believe to be the same as Engeddi, a City adjacent to the Pentapolis and Gomorrha; thus the four Kings, who were Allies, began to destroy the Power of the several People bordering upon Sodom and Gomorrha, that so these Cities having no more assistance to expect from this Quarter, might not be able to escape their vengeance.
The five revolted Kings seeing the Allies drawing towards their City, took the Field with their Army, and put it in order of Battel in the very Plain, where their About the year of the World 2092.several Towns were situated. Now there were many Wells in this Plain, out of which People got Bitumen, a circumstance which might have rendred the access to it more difficult and dangerous to the Enemies Horse. Here the Battel was fought, and the Kings of Sodom, Gomorrha, Zeboim, Admah, and Zoar, were put to flight; one part of their Army was cut in pieces, and the other fled to the neighbouring Mountains, leaving their Cities a Prey to the Conquerors. Sodom, Gomorrha, and the other places were pillaged, and the Enemy loaded with Spoil and Captives returned by the way of the Euphrates.
Observations on the Battel between the five confederate Kings and Chedorlaomer in the Valley of Woods. Gen. xiv. 8.☞ I shall not enquire much about this Battel; for how can we discourse upon facts of such remote Antiquity? It will be hard for any one to cure me of an opinion entertained by me, that at this time, and ever before, the People of Asia were not so ignorant and unskilful as we may imagine. In the manner wherein the Scripture speaks of them, they may be said to make War very well; for even then we perceive there was military Discipline regulated with a great deal of good Sense and Knowledge. If you were to hear certain Persons, you would say that Armies in the time of Abraham fought as the Hottentots would have done. If the World be not older than is generally supposed, it must be surprizing to find People who were able, in so short a time, to make so great a progress in War. This is what I shall make appear to be very remarkable in my Dissertation on the Tacticks of the Hebrews and People of Asia; but this is not a proper place to do so.
The Scripture says not one word concerning the disposition of the two Armies; but this does not prevent us from putting them in order of Battel: Because we cannot be unacquainted with their Tacticks. It is certain that they fought in great Bodies, drawn up with a great depth: This a thousand Examples will demonstrate. The order of Abraham’s Troops, who upon notice of the loss of this Battel, marched against the five victorious Kings, is a good proof that they engaged in this manner; that is to say, in Portions or Divisions of a Phalanx, and often in a perfect Phalanx: For the so much boasted Phalanx of the Greeks differed in name only from that of the Asiatick People.
I range therefore the Troops of these five Kings in so many Bodies of a great depth, according to the method of these old times, which shews a better Understanding, and more Judgment than ours. It is probable Chedorlaomer’s Army was disposed in the same order to make head against them. Let no one object that these two Dispositions are imaginary: For, as I have already said, we are acquainted with their method of fighting, and this is sufficient to give us a competent insight into such other Orders of Battel as are not explain’d by the Sacred Writers, which yet is very rare. It would be easy for an Author, who would make a plan of the Battel of Lens a thousand years hence, to draw up the Army in this Plain, tho’ our method of fighting now in use were to be lost, provided he was not a Stranger to the French Tacticks, and those of other People in these times. We have no Plan of the Battle of Cannæ; nevertheless since Polybius acquaints us with the Disposition of it, we cannot be mistaken in the Plans of both the Carthaginian and Roman Armies, whose method is well known to us; and although that of the latter be not intirely conformable to the common Disposition of their Cohorts, yet the Historian explains it to us so clearly, that it is impossible for one, who has any little degree of Experience, to be mistaken in the Plan which he would give of it. The Scripture does not set forth the particular Circumstances of this Battel between Chedorlaomer and the five Kings; the latter were beaten, and consequently put to flight, which is all we learn from it.
Gen. xiv. 14.After the defeat of the five Kings by Chedorlaomer and his Allies, Lot who had retired to Sodom, was involved in the Calamity of this City. He was plundered of all he had, and was himself carried away with the other Captives. Hereupon one who had preserved himself by flight, went and gave intelligence to Abraham of what had passed. Abraham dwelt at that time in the Valley of Mamre, and had made a kind of offensive and defensive League with Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, who all dwelt in the same Plain. As soon as he heard this News, he gave Intelligence of it to his Allies, and exhorted them to be assisting to him in the deliverance of his Nephew Lot: They armed their People; Abraham put himself at the head of three hundred and eighteen of his Servants, all Men of Resolution, and began to pursue the Army of the four victorious Kings. They marched near seventy Leagues without being able to overtake them; at last they joined them at Dan, near the Springs of Jordan. Abraham formed several Bodies out of his own People, and those of his Allies, and falling upon the Enemy by night, he struck their Camp with great Terror, routed, and pursued them as far as Hobah, or Abila, to the north of Damascus, in the Valley between Libanus and Antilibanus. He brought back his Nephew Lot with him, and all that belonged to him, the captive Women, and all the Booty which Chedorlaomer and his Allies had taken upon defeating the five revolted Kings, and plundering Sodom and Gomorrha.
Observations on Abraham’s surprizing Chedorlaomer’s Camp.There was a great Battel fought in the Vale of Siddim: Chedorlaomer King of the Elamites, and three other Kings his Allies, obtained a signal Victory over five Kings, who were confederated against them. Gen. c. xiv. v. 14.Abraham being informed that his Nephew Lot was taken in this Battel. without losing a moment’s time, immediately prepared to rescue him; He armed his trained Servants, says the Scripture, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
To translate Persecutus est eos usque Hoba in a true military Sense, I would say, that Abraham fell upon the Conquerors in their March; for the word pursue would signify, that Abraham had already broken them, whereas it was another Enemy, an Enemy quite new, who followed them in their Rear, and concealed his March, that so he might prevent discovery and surprize them. He was too weak to attack them in broad day light; he therefore waited for the night, which is the refuge of Generals, who have small Armies, and the most commodious time for surprising Camps. And having divided his People into several Troops, he fell upon the Enemy by night, defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
The Stratagem was good, and it is always most advisable in Attacks by night, to find employment for the Enemy in several places. Not only darkness encreases the Terror, and the Surprize magnifies every thing for the worse; but the Enemies Forces are not known, and they are believed always to be more considerable than in reality they are, because it cannot be imagined that a handful of People would venture upon attacking a great Army; and this opinion in Surprizes is very common.
Abraham therefore drew up in several small Bodies, divisis sociis; the number of them is not particularly expressed in Scripture: I believe these three hundred and eighteen Men might do some execution in four little Bodies. We may easily comprehend, that he might beat his Enemies; Night and Surprize, are two things of more dangerous Consequence in great than in small Armies; because they are more subject to pannick Frights. The example of the defeat of the Bavarians near Rhinsfelt, who had just before obtained a remarkable Victory over the Duke of Weimar, is a demonstrative proof of this maxim: For he having got together again the sad remains of his Defeat, rallied them, and making a good March by night, fell suddenly upon the Bavarian Camp; whereupon the whole Army fled, without offering to come to action. It is probable Abraham might set fire to the Camp, after having given the Plunder of it to his victorious Troops.