What does Genesis 14:17 mean?

Abram returns now after his unlikely victory over the four kings from the east and their forces. With a fighting force of only 318 men, Abram has rescued his nephew Lot and Lot's possessions. In addition, he has reacquired all of the possessions and peoples taken by King Chedorlaomer after he defeated the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the rest of the city-states of Canaan.

Now Bera, the king of Sodom (Genesis 14:2), comes out to meet Abram at a place called the Valley of Shaveh or the King's Valley. After being soundly defeated by Chedorlaomer, Sodom's king would have been interested in speaking with the man who just rescued his people and possessions. The Bible indicates only that Bera went to speak with Abram, and gives us no other details on how or when they communicated prior to this moment.

The following verse will reveal that another king will join this gathering. What happens during this encounter will help shape many aspects of Judeo-Christian theology. The meeting will be described in a back-and-forth style comparing the way Abram interacts with Bera, and how he interacts with this other, mysterious character.