The Rise of Four Ancient Kings: A Legacy That Endures

Lot was welcomed in Sodom with honor, even though immigrants were generally despised there, because he was from a well-known noble family. As the locals would say to Abraham, "You are a prince of Hashem among us." Educated in languages and wisdom, Lot was appointed as a judge. Despite the significant moral differences, Lot preferred the comfortable life over the values he believed in. It was like paradise on earth for him — a respected position sufficed.

The area around Sodom was surrounded by deserts. Desert dwellers developed habits based on their way of life and circumstances. In the desert, staying in one place isn't an option; people must move in search of water, pasture, and markets to trade goods. Thus, a desert dweller often finds themselves without basic resources, like water or food, and hence arises the law: the guest is like a king. Once another desert dweller seeks shelter, regardless if they are from a rival tribe or a personal enemy, you must provide them with shade and food. It's mutual because one day you might find yourself in enemy territory, needing basic resources. If you wish to fight, wait until they leave your shelter, then do as you will.

Thus, an oasis belongs to everyone. Any traveler across the desert has the right to rest in the shade, refill their water bags, water their animals, and rest.

Sodom was an oasis, but its inhabitants disagreed with desert laws. They cultivated the area, dug canals, planted and cared for trees. They didn't accept nomads settling by their springs, using their resources and leaving chaos behind. The nomads tried to compensate Sodom's people with their produce according to their customs, but Sodom's people scorned them, their goods, and their faith. Sodom's residents lived in abundance. They believed their strength and power brought their wealth, and they mocked the nomads' simple faith, their modesty, and charity values. Sodom's people cared only for themselves, imposing a strict ban on hosting any guest. This, besides a series of draconian laws designed to harm any visitor who found themselves in the city.

In those days, regional changes occurred in the Middle East. A coalition known in the Torah as "the four kings" ruled Mesopotamia. After years of battles between different kingdoms in the Land of Rivers, unable to conquer one another, a coalition of kings emerged, cooperating without one dominating. An ancient letter from Abraham's time, found in the city of Mari excavations, states, "No king is mighty alone, ten or fifteen kings follow Hammurabi." Indeed, at that time, there were alliances of kings who used their combined power to control additional lands.

The four kings: Amraphel king of Shinar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, and Arioch king of Ellasar, were famous and powerful. Their names appear on various inscriptions from Abraham's era discovered in recent generations.

The name "Amraphel" belongs to an ancient Amorite tribe between Babel and Elam. As mentioned earlier in Chapter 5, some believe Amraphel is the well-known King Hammurabi himself. According to one Midrash, Amraphel is Nimrod who said to Abraham, "Fall into the fiery furnace." Since he is mentioned first in the Torah, he likely led the coalition.

The Elamite kingdom is well-known, with some of its kings bearing names with the prefix "Kudur" (written "Elamitu" in Assyrian times. The Torah uses the script from Abraham's days). Tidal, king of nations, was likely a Hittite king. Documents from Ugarit, Syria, written by Canaanites, mention "Tidaliyeh." Ellasar is probably the famous city "Larsa." In Mari documents, the king "Arioku" is mentioned. That these names have survived almost four thousand years suggests these kings were legendary in their power and strength.