The KJV Holy Bible

 

Genesis Chapter Fourteen

 

1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;

2 That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.

3 All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.

4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

6 And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness.

7 And they returned, and came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar.

8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;

9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.

10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.

11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.

12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.

14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,

23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Genesis: The Internal War and the Initiation of the High Priest

"Genesis Chapter Fourteen is a Profound Allegorical map of the Internal Psychological warfare that occurs within the Seeker. In the Hermetic tradition, the 'Battle of the Kings' is not a historical geopolitical conflict, but the intense friction between the Higher, Ruling Faculties of the Mind and the rebellious, lower physical passions. When the lower nature is conquered, this chapter culminates in one of the most significant moments in all Esoteric Literature: the appearance of Melchizedek. He represents the Eternal, Unmanifested Divine Spirit—the Highest Possible State of CConsciousness—Initiating the Victorious Awakened Will (Abram) into the Deepest Mysteries of the Magnum Opus."

 

 

Verses 1-12: The Rebellion of the Lower Kings and the Capture of Lot - "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled..." 

Esoterically, the kings of the plains (Sodom, Gomorrah, etc.) represent the base, sensual desires and the lowest, most dense vibrations of the physical body. For "twelve years" (a complete cycle of material time), these lower faculties were kept in check by a ruling power. Their "rebellion" signifies a moment when the lower animal nature attempts to rise up and completely overthrow the rational, governing Mind. In the resulting chaos, Lot (the unrefined, lingering analytical Mind) is captured. Because Lot had previously chosen to pitch his tent near Sodom—aligning himself with material comfort—he is inevitably swept up and imprisoned when the lower nature goes to war.

 

 

Verses 13-16: The Awakened Will and the Rescue of the Mind - "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants... and pursued them unto Dan." 

Abram (the Awakened Spiritual Will) is not dragged into this war by accident; he enters it purposefully to rescue a fragmented piece of his Own Consciousness (Lot). The "three hundred and eighteen trained servants" born in his own house represent the Highly Disciplined, Internal Mental Faculties that the Adept has carefully cultivated. Abram’s nighttime attack and Absolute Victory demonstrate that the Enlightened Will, when properly focused and aligned with Divine Law, can swiftly and decisively overpower the chaotic, rebellious passions of the lower ego, rescuing the fractured Mind from complete material bondage.

 

 

Verses 17-20: Melchizedek and the Alchemical Elements - "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God." 

This is a pinnacle moment of Spiritual Alchemy. Melchizedek suddenly appears without lineage, without birth, and without death. He is the "King of Salem" (King of Peace/Wholeness). In Esoteric Philosophy, Melchizedek is the personification of the Christos, the Logos, or the Eternal, Immortal Spirit residing at the Very Center of the Universe and the Human Soul. He brings "bread and wine," the fundamental Alchemical symbols of terrestrial and celestial nourishment. The bread represents the Perfected Physical Form, and the wine represents the Pure Spiritual Vitality. By blessing Abram and receiving a tenth (a tithe) of the spoils, a Profound Exchange occurs: the Active, struggling Spiritual Will (Abram) is officially Initiated and Validated by the Highest, most Peaceful Divine Source (Melchizedek).

 

 

Verses 21-24: The Rejection of the Lower Ego's Wealth - "And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord... That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet..." 

Following his Profound Spiritual Initiation, Abram faces one final, critical test. The King of Sodom (the absolute ruler of the lowest, most corrupt material nature) offers Abram the material wealth of the conquered kings. Abram’s absolute refusal is a Masterclass in Hermetic Discipline. To accept the goods of Sodom would be to accept a Karmic debt to the lower ego, tying the Adept's success to the heavy vibration of the physical plane. By refusing even a "shoelatchet," Abram ensures that his Spiritual Victory remains completely Pure, Uncompromised, and reliant solely upon the Infinite Mind.