Bible Strands
Genesis 14:24
I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abram addresses the king of Sodom immediately after recovering the city's stolen goods and rescuing his nephew Lot. He issues this statement to formally reject the king's offer of spoils.
The words — The Hebrew terms רַק (rak, "only") and בִּלְעָדַי (bil.'a.Da/i, "apart from") establish Abram's strict exclusion of all material gain beyond immediate consumption. This lexical boundary clarifies that his men's eaten food and the allotted share of Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre are the sole exceptions.
The thread — Abram's refusal directly follows Genesis 14:23, where he states he will take nothing lest the king claim credit for his wealth. This stance parallels the prohibition against withholding good in Proverbs 3:27 and the reciprocal ethical standard in Matthew 7:12.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to draw firm boundaries around personal gain to prevent external parties from claiming spiritual or material credit. It demands that provision be accepted only on terms that preserve accountability to God.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Cross-references
- Genesis 14:13 Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.
- Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.
- Matthew 7:12 In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
- Romans 13:7 Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
- 1 Corinthians 9:14 In the same way, the Lord has prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
- 1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”