The 318, the night attack and Dan
Says וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו is “and Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive”; BSB has “his relative.” וַיָּרֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ is “and he emptied out his trained men, born of his house”: the verb is “make empty, empty out,” here of calling out all his men. The noun for “trained men” occurs only here. The Greek has “ἠρίθμησεν τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ” (“he counted his own household-born”), and the Samaritan text in von Gall’s edition has the verb וידק.
Says שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת is “eight and ten and three hundred,” and וַיִּרְדֹּף עַד־דָּן is “and he pursued as far as Dan.” In 14:15 וַיֵּחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַיְלָה הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו is “and he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants,” the lexicon’s “1. reflex., divide oneself Gn 14¹⁵.” Hobah is אֲשֶׁר מִשְּׂמֹאל לְדַמָּשֶׂק, “on the left of Damascus,” where “left” means north to one facing east (BSB “north of Damascus”).
Says In 14:16 וַיָּשֶׁב אֵת כָּל־הָרְכֻשׁ is “and he brought back all the goods,” and with them Lot, the women and the people.
Uncertain Dan may be the later name of Laish (Josh 19:47; Judg 18:29) used for the reader, or another place of that name. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysוַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם כִּי נִשְׁבָּה אָחִיו is “and Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive”; BSB has “his relative.” וַיָּרֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ is “and he emptied out his trained men, born of his house”: the verb is “make empty, empty out,” here of calling out all his men. The noun for “trained men” occurs only here. The Greek has “ἠρίθμησεν τοὺς ἰδίους οἰκογενεῖς αὐτοῦ” (“he counted his own household-born”), and the Samaritan text in von Gall’s edition has the verb וידק.
- Saysשְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת is “eight and ten and three hundred,” and וַיִּרְדֹּף עַד־דָּן is “and he pursued as far as Dan.” In 14:15 וַיֵּחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַיְלָה הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו is “and he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants,” the lexicon’s “1. reflex., divide oneself Gn 14¹⁵.” Hobah is אֲשֶׁר מִשְּׂמֹאל לְדַמָּשֶׂק, “on the left of Damascus,” where “left” means north to one facing east (BSB “north of Damascus”).
- SaysIn 14:16 וַיָּשֶׁב אֵת כָּל־הָרְכֻשׁ is “and he brought back all the goods,” and with them Lot, the women and the people.
- UncertainDan may be the later name of Laish (Josh 19:47; Judg 18:29) used for the reader, or another place of that name. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 14:14–16 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vhw3ms HNcmpc/Sp3ms HC/VNw3ms HR/Ncmsa)
- BSB public domain Gen 14:14–16 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 937 (leaf n960), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H7324 “make empty, empty out”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 323 (leaf n346), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H2505 “1. reflex., divide oneself Gn 14¹⁵”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- von Gall, Sam. Pent. public domain Gen 14:14, main text; Samaritan text, von Gall p. 22 (leaf n539), archive.org vonGall_SamaritanPentateuch, checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 14:14, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 22 (leaf n53). Checked against the printed page (scan).
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2026-11-12
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