Genesis 14:13
And there came one that 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.
a. NLT: But one of Lot’s men escaped and reported everything to Abram the Hebrew, who was living near the oak grove belonging to Mamre the Amorite. Mamre and his relatives, Eshcol and Aner, were Abram’s allies. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]
b. ASV: And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]
c. Young’s Literal Translation: And one who is escaping cometh and declareth to Abram the Hebrew, and he is dwelling among the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they are Abram's allies. And one who is escaping cometh and declareth to Abram the Hebrew, and he is dwelling among the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner, and they are Abram's allies.
d. Amplified Bible: Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew [one from the other side], who was living by the oaks or terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and of Aner—these were allies of Abram. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]
e. Septuagint: And one of them that had been rescued came and told Abram the Hebrew; and he dwelt by the oak of Mamre the Amorite the brother of Eschol, and the brother of Aunan, who were confederates with Abram.
f. Stone Edition of the Chumash, Rabbinic Commentary: Then there came the fugitive and told Abram, the Ivri, who dwelt in the plains of Mamre, the Amorite, the brother of Eschol and the brother of Aner, these being Abram’s allies. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]
1. “And there came one that escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew…”
a. [And there] came [Strong: 935 bow' bo; a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]
b. [one that] escaped [Strong: 6412 paliyt paw-leet'; from 6403; a refugee:--(that have) escape(-d, -th), fugitive.]
1). Possibly one of Lot’s servants.
c. [and] told [Strong: 5046 nagad naw-gad'; a primitive root; properly, to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise:--bewray, X certainly, certify, declare(-ing), denounce, expound, X fully, messenger, plainly, profess, rehearse, report, shew (forth), speak, X surely, tell, utter.]
d. Abram [Strong: 87 'Abram ab-rawm'; contracted from 48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham:--Abram.]
e. [the] Hebrew [Strong: 5680 `Ibriy ib-ree'; patronymic from 5677; an Eberite (i.e. Hebrew) or descendant of Eber:--Hebrew(-ess, woman).]
1). First use of the word “Hebrew” in the Bible.
2. “…for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite,”
a. [for] he [Strong: 1931 huw' hoo of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.]
b. dwelt [Strong: 7931 shakan shaw-kan'; a primitive root (apparently akin (by transmission) to 7901 through the idea of lodging; Compare 5531, 7925); to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively):--abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).]
b. [in the] plain [Strong: 436 'elown ay-lone'; prolonged from 352; an oak or other strong tree:--plain.]
c. [of] Mamre [Strong: 4471 Mamre' mam-ray'; from 4754 (in the sense of vigor); lusty; Mamre, an Amorite:--Mamre.]
d. [the] Amorite [Strong: 567 'Emoriy em-o-ree'; probably a patronymic from an unused name derived from 559 in the sense of publicity, i.e. prominence; thus, a mountaineer; an Emorite, one of the Canaanitish tribes:--Amorite.]
1). Abram lived on a plain owed by an individual named “Mamre”. He was an Amorite’
a). Amorites (Harper Collins Bible Dictionary) According to Biblical tradition peoples in the land of Canaan before the rise of one of the primary Israel. [They were one of the nations Israel was going to replace, Genesis 15:16, 21].
b). They probably were related in some way to the Amorites that were conquered by the Mesopotamian kings just days previous.
3. “…brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner:”
a. brother [Strong: 251 'ach awkh; a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other.]
b. [of] Eshcol [Strong: 812 'Eshkol esh-kole'; the same as 811; Eshcol, the name of an Amorite, also of a valley in Palestine:--Eshcol.]
c. brother [Strong: 251 'ach awkh; a primitive word; a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like 1)):--another, brother(-ly); kindred, like, other.]
d. Aner [Strong: 6063 `Aner aw-nare'; probably for 5288; Aner, a Amorite, also a place in Palestine:--Aner.]
1). The three Amorite brothers, Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner.
4. “…and these were confederate with Abram.”
a. [and] these [Strong: 1992 hem haym or (prolonged) hemmah {haym'-maw}; masculine plural from 1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.]
b. were [Strong: 1167 ba`al bah'-al from 1166; a master; hence, a husband, or (figuratively) owner (often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense):--+ archer, + babbler, + bird, captain, chief man, + confederate, + have to do, + dreamer, those to whom it is due, + furious, those that are given to it, great, + hairy, he that hath it, have, + horseman, husband, lord, man, + married, master, person, + sworn, they of.]
c. confederate [Two Hebrew words: (1167 * ba’al) (master, husband, confederate, have to do, they of…) & (1285 * beriyth) (a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh):- confederacy, covenant, league.)]
1). All of the translations fail to translate this word as strongly as it should. While most say “allied” or “confederate with”, these men were in blood covenant together. The translation that comes closest is the Holman Christian Standard Bible that says, “They were bound by a treaty with Abram.” The note underneath says “were possessors of a covenant of”.
2). H. Clay Trumbull, writes in his The Blood Covenant, “blood covenanting: a form of mutual covenanting by which two person enter into the closest, the most enduring, and the most sacred of compacts, as friends and brothers, or as more than brothers…”
3). Note from Sermon index: Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. (Gen 14:13 NASB) Abraham too apparently has joined some kind of alliance. The KJV refers to it as a Confederacy. The word signifies that Abraham had entered into a covenant with the three Amorite brothers. In fact, the word used says clearly that Abraham was very much the junior partner in this covenant; the Amorite brothers were ‘masters (or owners) of the covenant’ with Abraham. In the midst of all the volatility of warring city-states these protective covenants would have been very frequent. The NASB calls them ‘allies’, but the text shows they were very unequal allies. The terms of the covenant were probably very simple, if one member of the alliance were attacked the other allies were duty bound to assist. This alliance will have provided a protective shield for Abraham; its purpose was not to assist aggressive conquest but be seen as a defensive shield around Abraham’s clan. http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=3344
4). It is probable that because of this covenant that Abram and these brothers had among themselves that they went to war with one another against a common enemy. These three brothers were Amorites, and so were some of the inhabitants that were listed in Genesis 14:7. It is the same compound Hebrew word used when God made his Covenant with Abram in Genesis 15.
a). Genesis 15:18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
5). Peace treaties between nations and tribes were covenants. The following passage is the account of Abraham and the Philistines making a Covenant over a well that the philistines had violently taken away from Abraham’s men.
a). Genesis 21:22-34 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
21:23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
21:24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
21:25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
21:26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
21:27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
21:28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
21:29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
21:30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
21:31 Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
21:32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
21:33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.
21:34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
6). As previously stated, it is at least possible that the Amorites who were Abram’s neighbors in Mamre and the Amorites in Hazemon-tamer were related which made this rescue personal to them as well as Abram. The fact that Abram and his neighbors were in covenant, is important. The closest word in our culture that approaches the meaning of the word covenant is perhaps marriage. It is also possible that before this rescue effort that Abram entered into another covenant if not with the Amorite brothers at least with the LORD. The use of the word for covenant surely explains Abrams response to the king of Sodom in Genesis 14:22-24. I have wondered for a long time why Abram said those words to the king of Sodom, because it strongly implies he made a vow or covenant to God concerning this rescue. More on this in the notes on Genesis 14:22.
7). The fact that Abram was in covenant with these Amorites makes me believe they were not as bad as the other Amorites. Certainly not as bad as they eventually became 400 years later Genesis 15:16.
b. Abram [Strong: 87 'Abram ab-rawm'; contracted from 48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham:--Abram.]
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