Map 036 · The Patriarchs & the Exodus · Genesis 14:1–16

Abraham's Rescue of Lot — The Battle of the Kings

With 318 trained men, Abraham pursued four kings to Hobah north of Damascus — and brought back his nephew Lot, the captured people, and all the plunder

"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus."

— Genesis 14:14–15 (KJV)

Map of Canaan at the time of the Patriarchs between 2250 and 1700 BC — showing the Vale of Siddim where the Battle of the Kings took place, the Jordan River valley, the Dead Sea (Sea of the Plain), Hobah north of Damascus where Abraham pursued the four kings, and the cities of Canaan including Shechem, Bethel, Salem, Beersheba and Damascus

"Canaan at the Time of the Patriarchs — Between 2250 and 1700 B.C." This map shows the full land of Canaan during Abraham's era, with the Vale of Siddim (site of the battle) clearly labeled in the Jordan Valley, and Hobah — Abraham's pursuit destination — visible in the upper right, north of Damascus.

Source: Maccoun, The Holy Land in Geography and in History (1899). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Historical commentary by Michael Knighton · Christians Standing With Israel

🗺 How to Read This Map — The Battle Route

① Vale of Siddim — Find the label "Vale of Siddim" in the center-right of the map, just north of the Dead Sea (labeled "Sea of the Plain" / "Salt Sea"). This is where the battle between the four kings and the five city-kings took place, and where Lot was captured.

② Hobah — Look to the upper-right corner of the map and you will see "Hobah" labeled just northeast of Damascus. This is where Abraham's 318 men caught and defeated the four kings, rescuing Lot. The entire pursuit covered over 100 miles northward.

③ Damascus — Visible in the upper-right, just southwest of Hobah. The text says Hobah is "on the left hand of Damascus" — meaning to the north or northwest of Damascus as one faces east.

④ Salem — Find "Salem" in the central portion of the map, in the hill country west of the Jordan. This is Jerusalem — where Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, met Abraham on his return and blessed him.

What This Map Shows

✦ The Vale of Siddim — site of the battle

✦ Hobah — Abraham's pursuit destination

✦ Damascus — landmark north of the battle

✦ The Jordan River — the battle corridor

✦ The Dead Sea (Sea of the Plain / Salt Sea)

✦ Salem (Jerusalem) — Melchizedek's city

✦ The peoples of Canaan in Abraham's time

✦ Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite territories

The World's First Recorded War — and Abraham's Place in It

Genesis 14 is unlike any other chapter in the patriarchal narrative. It reads less like family history and more like a military dispatch — kings, alliances, campaigns, battles, captives, and a night raid. It is also, remarkably, the most geographically detailed chapter in the entire book of Genesis, naming cities, regions, valleys, and routes that can be cross-referenced with ancient Near Eastern records. Scholars have debated its historical setting for generations, but the detail and internal coherence of the account have led many to conclude that it preserves genuine historical memory of a real military event.

Understanding the map — the background to the battle. Look at the map before you. The land you are looking at is Canaan as it existed between 2250 and 1700 BC — Abraham's world. The Jordan River runs north to south through the center of the map. The Dead Sea, labeled here as "Sea of the Plain" and "Salt Sea," sits in the lower center-right. Just north of the Dead Sea, find the label "Vale of Siddim" — this valley, now likely submerged under the northern end of the Dead Sea, was the battlefield where Genesis 14 opens. Five city-kings from the cities of the plain — including Sodom and Gomorrah — had been paying tribute to Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, for thirteen years. In the fourteenth year, they rebelled. Chedorlaomer and three allied kings marched south in a massive punitive campaign, sweeping down through Transjordan and striking peoples all along the eastern side of the Jordan before turning on the five cities in the Vale of Siddim. The five kings were defeated. Sodom and Gomorrah were plundered. Among the captives taken was Lot, Abraham's nephew, who had been living in Sodom.

Abraham's pursuit — follow the route on the map. When a survivor brought Abraham the news at his camp near Hebron (find Kirjath-arba in the lower-center of the map — this is Hebron), Abraham immediately armed 318 trained men from his own household and set off in pursuit. The four kings were heading north with their plunder, following the Jordan Valley. Abraham pursued them northward — over 100 miles — to Dan (not labeled on this map but located at the northern headwaters of the Jordan, where the river begins). From Dan he continued the pursuit to Hobah. Now find Hobah on the map — it is in the upper-right corner, northeast of Damascus. Damascus itself is clearly labeled just to the southwest. The text of Genesis 14:15 says Abraham "divided himself against them by night" — a classic night-attack strategy — and smote them, pursuing the retreating kings all the way to Hobah. Lot, his possessions, and all the captured people were recovered.

The return — and Melchizedek. On the return journey south, Abraham passed through the King's Valley — the Valley of Shaveh, traditionally identified with the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem. Find "Salem" on the map in the central hill country west of the Jordan. This is Jerusalem. Here the king of Sodom met Abraham to thank him and offer him the recovered goods. And here one of the most mysterious figures in all of Scripture appeared: Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He brought out bread and wine, blessed Abraham, and received tithes from him. The writer of Hebrews would later spend three chapters (Hebrews 5–7) unpacking the theological significance of this encounter, identifying Melchizedek's eternal priesthood as a type of the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. Abraham, with characteristic spiritual clarity, refused to keep any of the plunder from the king of Sodom — declaring that he would not allow any man to say "I have made Abram rich." He had just won one of the most remarkable military victories in the ancient world, and he gave the credit entirely to God.

The map before you shows the entire stage on which this drama played out: the valley where the battle happened, the corridor along which the four kings fled with their captives, the city where Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and the remote northern point where 318 men defeated a Mesopotamian army. Everything on this map is real. Every city, river, and region has been verified by archaeology or confirmed by comparative ancient texts. Genesis 14 is not mythology. It is history — and it happened here.

Key Scripture References

Genesis 14:1–12 — The four kings defeat the five; Lot captured

Genesis 14:13–16 — Abraham arms 318 men and pursues to Hobah

Genesis 14:17–20 — Melchizedek blesses Abraham at Salem

Genesis 14:21–24 — Abraham refuses the king of Sodom's offer

Psalm 110:4 — The Lord a priest forever after Melchizedek's order

Hebrews 7:1–17 — Melchizedek as a type of Christ's priesthood

Map: Maccoun, The Holy Land in Geography and in History (1899). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. · Historical commentary: © 2026 Michael Wayne Knighton | Christians Standing With Israel™ | All Rights Reserved.

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MAP 035

The Cities of the Plain — Sodom & Gomorrah

MAP 037

The Covenant of the Pieces — Land Promised to Abraham →