Bible Strands
Genesis 14:4
For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator outlines the political timeline of the five allied kings in the Valley of Siddim, marking their twelve-year period of vassalage to Chedorlaomer and their subsequent break from that authority.
The words — עָבְדוּ ('a.ve.Du) means "they had served," and וּ/שְׁלֹשׁ\־ עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה (u./she.losh- 'es.Reh) translates to "and in the thirteenth year." The text states they served for twelve years before rebelling in that thirteenth year, not marking a year of revolt.
The thread — The pattern of imposed service and subsequent rebellion appears in Genesis 9:25, where Canaan is decreed to be a servant, and Ezekiel 17:15, where a king rebels against Babylon by seeking Egyptian aid.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to track the mechanics of ancient vassal treaties, recognizing that rebellion is a historical event of shifted allegiance rather than an immediate moral verdict.
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
Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
Cross-references
- Genesis 9:25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
- Ezekiel 17:15 But this king rebelled against Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’