And they took all the substance of the Sodomites, and Gomorrhites, and all their victuals, and went their way:
וַ֠יִּקְחוּ אֶת־כָּל־רְכֻ֨שׁ סְדֹ֧ם וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאֶת־כָּל־אָכְלָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Observe the might of these individuals, and how a mere gaze from them struck fear into their adversaries and caused them to retreat. Notice that after their foes had all escaped, they easily took possession of everything that belonged to them and made their way back home.
Kedorlaomer, the king of Elam, along with three allied kings, launched an attack against the king of Sodom and his four allies. They defeated the king of Sodom and his coalition, took all the riches of Sodom, along with Lot and his belongings, and left.
In place of cavalry, the Hebrew term used is rachus (רְכֻ֨שׁ), which translates to 'property.'
Regarding the kings who united in battle, whose names are recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis, it is important to understand that they were not sovereign rulers over vast territories and cities. Each one was the leader of a single city, akin to regional rulers or princes, yet collectively, they were subordinate to the dominion of Assyria. This is why the Jewish historian Josephus refers to the conflict that descended upon the Sodomites as an Assyrian war. Before the utter destruction of the Sodomites, the Lord allowed their enemies to invade and take them captive, aiming to prompt them to turn from their sinful ways and seek repentance.
The compassionate God, who does not desire the demise or ruin of sinners—even those deserving of everlasting punishment—does not immediately bring about their end but instead permits them to face certain tribulations, such as foreign invasions, discord, famine, illness, and other afflictions, in hopes that they might awaken and find restoration. However, if they remain unrepentant despite such hardships, He ultimately hands them over to complete destruction. This was the course taken with the Sodomites: initially, they faced severe scourging, and when they refused to repent, they were consumed by fire, as will be elaborated upon later. This illustrates that God often uses sinners as instruments of punishment against others who sin against Him. Thus, He chastised the Jews through the Chaldeans, the Chaldeans through the Persians, the Persians through the Greeks, the Greeks through the Romans, the Romans through the Goths, and in our time, He punishes Christians with the Hagarians, a reality observable, for instance, in Greece.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS