Bible Strands

Genesis 14:6

and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator details the southern leg of Chedorlaomer and his allied kings’ campaign as they push through the region of Mount Seir. This description occurs immediately after listing the peoples they defeated in the previous verse and just before noting their turn toward En-mishpat.

The words — חֹרִי (cho.Ri) identifies the Horites, an indigenous group, while שֵׂעִיר (se.'Ir) names Mount Seir, their mountain territory. The preposition עַד ('ad) establishes the campaign’s geographical limit "as far as" El-paran.

The thread — The displaced Horites of Seir reappear in Deuteronomy 2:12 and Deuteronomy 2:22 as a people driven out by Esau’s descendants. El-paran corresponds to the Wilderness of Paran referenced in Genesis 21:21.

Why it lands — The verse charts the southern extent of a coalition’s military advance, establishing precise territorial boundaries. It requires the reader to track ancient campaign routes and recognize the historical presence of peoples later displaced in the same region.

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

And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El–paran, which is by the wilderness.

Cross-references