El-paran

El-paran, meaning the oak (or terebinth) of Paran, was the southernmost point reached by the eastern coalition of four kings in the campaign described in Genesis 14 before they turned northward to attack the cities of the plain. The narrative traces their route southward through Transjordan and the Negev before this turning point.

El-paran is associated with the wilderness of Paran, the broad desert region of the Sinai peninsula and northern Arabia through which the Israelites also journeyed during the Exodus. The phrase suggests a notable tree or grove in the Paran wilderness that served as a landmark. Some commentators identify it with a location near Elath (Ezion-geber) at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, on the edge of the wilderness through which caravan routes passed. The brief mention captures a geographical sweep of the ancient near eastern world from Mesopotamia to the far south.