Chedorlaomer

Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, was the dominant member of the coalition of four kings who subjugated the five kings of the Sodom plain for twelve years before their rebellion in the thirteenth year (Gen. 14:1-9). His name appears to derive from Elamite elements, and the coalition's composition — Elam, Shinar, Ellassar, and Goiim — reflects political geography consistent with the early second millennium BC, when Elamite power over Mesopotamia is historically attested. No certain cuneiform identification has been established, though scholars have proposed various correspondences.

When the five Canaanite kings rebelled in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer's coalition defeated them in the Valley of Siddim and took plunder and captives including Lot, Abraham's nephew. Abraham's response was decisive: pursuing the coalition northward with 318 trained men, he routed them near Dan and recovered Lot, the captives, and the goods (Gen. 14:14-16). The episode established Abraham's military capacity and prestige among the kings of Canaan. The subsequent encounter with Melchizedek king of Salem, who blessed Abraham and received a tithe (Gen. 14:18-20), became theologically foundational for the Epistle to the Hebrews' treatment of Christ's priesthood after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7).