Chedorlaomer

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Chedorlaomer (Kudur-lagamaru, "servant or worshipper of Lagamar") (r.2019 AM 2140 BC
1621 H
2019 AM–2032 AM 2128 BC
1634 H
2032 AM) was a king of the northern Babylonian country of Elam in the last days of the House of Shem. Comparison of secular and Biblical history shows him to have been an ally of Hammurabi (known as Amraphel in the Bible)^[1], king of the south of Babylonia (Shinar), until his defeat at the hands of Abraham. Hammurabi went on to establish the first unified Babylonian Empire, until its later (temporary) conquest by the Assyrian Empire.

Contents 1 Identification 2 Accession 3 Defeat 4 Chronological placement 5 References 6 See Also

Identification

"Chedorlaomer" is a legitimate Elamite compound name, from kudur or khudur a servant or worhipper, and Lagamar, the name of an Elamite goddess. Beyond that, few incontrovertible secular records survive of him.^[2] The dating of his reign is from Biblical evidence only and is based on a synchrony with Abraham in the ninth year of Abraham's sojourn in Canaan.

Accession

Chedorlaomer's accession date of 2019 AM refers to his conquest of the five kings of the plain country near the Dead Sea, called "Pentapolis" by James Ussher, that includes Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, and Zoar.^[3][4]

Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. Genesis 14:4 (KJV)

Defeat

Main Article: War of the Ten Kings

In the fourteenth year of Chedorlaomer's reign–or at least, the fourteenth year following his conquest of the plains cities–the five kings of the plains rebelled against him. Chedorlaomer responded by going to war. The Bible says that Hammurabi (known as Amraphel), Arioch of Larsa (Ellasar), and Tidal, king of "the nations" (literally, goyim), joined forces with him in this war. At first the war went well, as they wiped out the Rephaims, the Zuzims, the Emims, and the Horites; the Bible says that Amalekites and Ammonites would come to live in that region in later years. Chedorlaomer's coalition then attacked the cities of the plains, plundered Sodom and Gomorrah, and took several hostages, including Lot and his family.

News of Lot's capture reached Abraham, who then attacked Chedorlaomer's rear with a force of 318 men of his own, plus the forces of three other confederates. Chedorlaomer lost that battle, all the plunder he had taken, and presumably his life.^[5] Ancient inscriptions suggest that Hammurabi fell out with Chedorlaomer's other allies and ousted them from all of Mesopotamia. Hammurabi then became the first ruler of a united Babylonia.^[6]

Chronological placement

As mentioned, Chedorlaomer synchronizes with Abraham in the ninth year of Abraham's sojourn in Canaan. But Chedorlaomer, or perhaps his ancestor, also synchronizes surprisingly well with Assyrian chronology. Specifically, Assur-bani-pal states that he conquered Susa 1635 years after a king of Elam named "Kedor-nakhunta" had conquered Babylonia.^[6]

Assuming an "early birth" for Abraham, a "Long Sojourn" of the Israelites in Egypt, and a "long history" of the Hebrew Kings beginning with Jehu, the conquest by Chedorlaomer of the cities of the plains took place in 2140 BC. The conquest of Susa has the conventional date of 660 BC. This would date the Elamite conquest of Babylonia at 2295 BC–within 155 years of Chedorlaomer's conquest of the plain country. "Kedor-nakhunta" could easily have been a recent ancestor of Chedorlaomer. The 2295 BC date would also have been well after the birth of Peleg, in whose lifetime the division of the earth occurred.

References

1. ↑ Rogers, Robert W., Kohler, Kaufman, and Jastrow, Marcus. "Entry for Amraphel." The Jewish Encyclopedia, 2002. Accessed December 26, 2007.
2. ↑ Jastrow, Morris, Jr., and Rogers, Robert W. "Entry for Chedorlaomer." The Jewish Encyclopedia, 2002. Accessed December 26, 2007.
3. ↑ James Ussher, The Annals of the World, Larry Pierce, ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pgh. 69
4. ↑ Genesis 14:1-4
5. ↑ Ussher, op. cit., pgh. 77
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Entry for Chedorlaomer, Easton's Bible Dictionary. Accessed December 26, 2007.

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See Also

• Abraham
• War of the Ten Kings