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 וַיֵּצֵא מֶלֶךְ־סְדֹם וּמֶלֶךְ עֲמֹרָה וּמֶלֶךְ אַדְמָה וּמֶלֶךְ [צְבוֹיִם] וּמֶלֶךְ בֶּלַע הִוא־צֹעַר וַיַּעַרְכוּ אִתָּם מִלְחָמָה בְּעֵמֶק הַשִּׂדִּים׃ 9 אֵת כְּדָרְלָעֹמֶר מֶלֶךְ עֵילָם וְתִדְעָל מֶלֶךְ גּוֹיִם וְאַמְרָפֶל מֶלֶךְ שִׁנְעָר וְאַרְיוֹךְ מֶלֶךְ אֶלָּסָר אַרְבָּעָה מְלָכִים אֶת־הַחֲמִשָּׁה׃ 10 וְעֵמֶק הַשִׂדִּים בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר וַיָּנֻסוּ מֶלֶךְ־סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה וַיִּפְּלוּ־שָׁמָּה וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים הֶרָה נָּסוּ׃ 11 וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־כָּל־רְכֻשׁ סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה וְאֶת־כָּל־אָכְלָם וַיֵּלֵכוּ׃ 12 וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־לוֹט וְאֶת־רְכֻשׁוֹ בֶּן־אֲחִי אַבְרָם וַיֵּלֵכוּ וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בִּסְדֹם׃

Vocabulary

Verse 8

            סדם  name: “Sodom”

עמרה   name (of place): “Gomorrah”

אדמה   name (of place): “Admah”

צבוים   name (of place): “Zeboiim”

בלע   name (of place): “Bela”

צער   name (of place): “Zoar”

שדים  name (of place): “Siddim”    

Syntax & Miscellaneous

• Qere: צְבֹיִים.
• The verbless clause, הִוא־צֹעַר, is a renaming of the city Bala (“that is Zoar”).  The feminine pronoun is used because the referent is a city (cities in Hebrew are feminine; much like ships in English are feminine [e.g. The U.S.S. Ronald Regan is a large vessel; she is an aircraft carrier]).

Verse 9

כדרלעמר  name (of person): “Chedorlaomer”

עילם  name (of place): “Elam”

תדעל  name (of person): “Tidal

גוים  name (of place): “Goiim”

אמרפל  name (of person): “Amraphel”

שׁנער  name (of place): “Shinar”

אריוך  name (of person): “Arioch”

אלסר  name (of place): “Ellasar”

Verse 10

עמק  noun: “valley, vale”

שדים  name (of place): “Siddim”

באר  noun: “pit” (BDB, 91)

חמר  noun: “asphalt” (BDB, 330)

Verse 11

רכושׁ  plene noun: “property” (BDB, 940)

אכל  noun: “food” (BDB, 38)

Verse 12

רכושׁ  “property” (BDB, 940)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 9

• The direct object marker is used as the preposition “against.”
• Remember Shinar is an archaic appellation for Assyria (cf. Genesis 10:10, 11:2; Joshua 7:21; Daniel 1:2; Zechariah 5:11).

Verse 10

• The repetition of the term, באר, is used hyperbolically to mean an overwhelming amount (GKC 123 e)
• The participle, וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים, is a substantive (i.e. functions as a noun, “those surviving”)

Verse 12

• The final (periphrastic) clause, וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בִּסְדֹם, is a good example of a disjunction waw indicating a “parenthetical” comment.

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