THE combined armies of four Eastern kings cross the Euphrates River. Their line of march is the King’s Highway to the east of the Jordan River valley. En route they conquer the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the Emim, and the Horites. Then, the invaders turn around and defeat all the inhabitants of the southern Negeb.

What is the purpose of this military campaign? Between the invaded regions of Transjordan and the Negeb lies the prize. It is a coveted valley called the District of the Jordan. (Genesis 13:10) Here, the inhabitants of five city-states, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela, live a carefree life of material ease. (Ezekiel 16:49, 50) Once they were subject to the apparent leader of the combined armies, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. But they have rebelled against him. Now, without neighboring support, they face an accounting. Chedorlaomer and his allies win the resulting battle and begin their long march home with much spoil.

Among the captives is a righteous man, Lot. He is the nephew of Abraham, who is tenting in the nearby mountains of Hebron. When Abraham hears the distressing news, he immediately summons 318 of his men. Courageously, with the support of some neighbors, they chase after the four kings and surprise their armies by night. The invaders flee. Lot and his household are recovered, together with the other captives and goods.

Chedorlaomer’s Invasion

What about Abraham’s victory over Chedorlaomer, king of Elam? In the early 19th century, little was known about the Elamites. Bible critics rejected the idea that Elam ever had influence over Babylonia, let alone Palestine. Now, the Elamites are viewed differently. Archaeology reveals them to have been a powerful warfaring nation. Funk & Wagnalls Standard Reference Encyclopedia states: “The Elamites destroyed the city of Ur about 1950 B.C. . . . Subsequently they exerted considerable influence on the rulers of Babylonia.”

Furthermore, the names of Elamite kings have been found on archaeological inscriptions. Some of them begin with the expression “Kudur,” similar to “Chedor.” An important Elamite goddess was Lagamar, similar to “laomer.” Thus, Chedorlaomer is now accepted by some secular sources as a historical ruler, his name possibly meaning “Servant of Lagamar.” One set of Babylonian inscriptions has names similar to three of the invading kings​—Tudhula (Tidal), Eri-aku (Arioch), and Kudur-lahmil (Chedorlaomer). (Genesis 14:1) In the book Hidden Things of God’s Revelation, Dr. A. Custance adds: “Besides these names were details which seemed to refer to the events which transpired in Babylonia when the Elamites established their sovereignty over the country. . . . So confirmatory of Scripture were these tablets that the Higher Critics jumped on them and did everything in their power to deliberately suppress the significance of them.”

What about the invasion by the four kings? Is there any archaeological evidence in Transjordan and the Negeb to support this? Yes. In his book The Archaeology of the Land of Israel, Professor Yohanan Aharoni refers to the disappearance of a pre-Israelite civilization that had “impressive” settlements in Transjordan and the Negeb, “around 2000 B.C.E.” Other archaeologists say this happened about 1900 B.C.E.

Though the Bible presents Abraham as an example, it does not unduly elevate him as a national hero. This can be seen by examining the account of his victory over the four allied kings. When Abraham returned from the battle, he was greeted by Melchizedek, king of Salem, who said: “Blessed be the Most High God, who has delivered your oppressors into your hand!” It was Jehovah that he praised for that deliverance.​—Genesis 14:18-20.