After reading chapter 14:
*It came to pass that there was a lot of fighting between a bunch of small kingdoms from the hill country to the desert to the Salt Sea (Dead Sea). There were so many kings that they must have been more like chieftains.
* With a few exceptions, evidence of most of the people and place names in this chapter has been found nowhere outside religious sources. This includes Sodom and Gomorrah.
*It is interesting to find Amalekites here because Amalek was a descendant of Esau, Abram's grandson who isn't born yet.
*Lot and his household were living in Sodom at this time, and were captured by Sodom's opposition. Abram was still living in Hebron and had some allies in the area. He got together his own army, chased down Lot's captors, and retrieved him and his possessions.
*Abram returns in glory and is met by a few kings, not the least of whom is Melchizedek, the special king of Salem, priest of El. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine and blesses Abram. Abram gives him a tenth of everything. Here we see the introduction of tithing.
*Abram apparently brought back spoils of war, but keeps nothing for himself because he does not want it to be said that he is a beneficiary of Sodom.
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