Verse

Genesis 14:2

ESV these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
NIV these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
NASB that they 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 (that is, Zoar).
CSB waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim, as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
NLT fought against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (also called Zoar).
KJV 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.

What does Genesis 14:2 mean?

The early verses of Genesis 14 are the Bible's first mention of the word "war." This narrative gives us some insight into the culture which surrounded men like Abram and Lot. This culture included various city-states, some of which used the military power to control smaller, weaker groups. Compared to modern warfare, ancient armies were small, and it took a long time to march from one area to another. And so, when kings chose to rebel against each other, it took some time to resolve (Genesis 14:4–5).

Verse 1 listed four kings who became allies to go to war against another group of five kings. The five kings include Bera, king of Sodom, and Birsha, king of Gomorrah. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are often mentioned together in Scripture (Genesis 13:10. The other three were kings of Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. These five cities may have been grouped together near the southern end of the Dead Sea (or Salt Sea) in the Jordan River valley.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: