Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 14:15 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 15. 15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abram divides his force, attacks at night, and pursues the defeated coalition to Hobah north of Damascus. The verse describes successful tactics but does not turn them into a timeless warfare manual.
Read It With
- Genesis 14:1–16
Read verses 14–16 together. Abram pursues to Dan, divides the force for a night attack, continues north beyond Damascus, and then brings back the captives and goods.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The pursuit reaches its tactical reversal in a divided night attack. This line explains how the previously victorious coalition is defeated and prepares for the recovery list.
Read Genesis 14:13–16 together
Why these verses belong together: The escapee's report, Abram's alliance and household force, pursuit, night attack, and recovery form the complete rescue sequence.
Verse 13. 13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
Verse 14. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
Verse 15. 15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Verse 16. 16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
Follow the Context
- Four eastern kings are named opposite five kings of the Jordan cities, and the local coalition gathers in the Valley of Siddim, identified with the Salt Sea region (14:1–3).
- The five local kings had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, rebelled in the thirteenth, and face a punitive campaign in the fourteenth (14:4–7).
- The five kings meet the four in battle; the Valley of Siddim's bitumen pits complicate the retreat, and the surviving forces flee to the hills (14:8–10).
- The victors seize Sodom and Gomorrah's goods and food and capture Lot, who is living in Sodom, with his possessions (14:11–12).
- An escapee tells Abram the Hebrew, who is living near Mamre and has treaty allies in Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner (14:13).
- Abram hears that his relative is captive, mobilizes 318 trained household-born retainers, and pursues the captors as far as Dan (14:14).
- Abram divides his force at night, attacks, and pursues north of Damascus to Hobah (14:15).
- Abram brings back all the goods, Lot and Lot's goods, the women, and the people, completing the reversal of the captors' taking (14:16).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“divided himself against them”
In plain language: Abram divided or deployed his force against the captors.
The rescue uses coordinated tactical planning.
Why it matters: The syntax includes Abram and his servants without supplying a complete battle diagram.
How certain? strong“by night”
In plain language: The attack takes place during the night.
Surprise contributes to the reversal of the larger coalition.
Why it matters: A narrated tactic is not automatically a universal command.
How certain? very strong“on the left hand of Damascus”
In plain language: North of Damascus when facing east.
The pursuit continues well beyond Dan toward Hobah.
Why it matters: Older directional language can mislead modern readers without explanation.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Genesis 14:15 does not command believers to use night attacks or divided forces in modern conflicts.
The successful tactic does not make every method used by a victorious force morally right.
The verse does not authorize vigilantism, revenge attacks, territorial conquest, or religious violence.
Hobah's exact modern location cannot be identified with certainty from this verse.
The phrase 'left hand of Damascus' does not mean west; in the verse's orientation it means north.
What Remains True
Courage and planning can serve protection, but ancient tactics do not authorize unaccountable violence or guarantee that the same method is faithful in another setting.
How It Can Shape Life
- In present emergencies, use proportionate plans created with trained responders, legal authority, and safeguards rather than copying dramatic tactics from a different social world.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 14:15's contribution to Genesis 14:1–16. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 14:1–16 — Abram Rescues LotSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The night attack and northward pursuit are clear; force deployment, exact route, casualties, Hobah's site, and the campaign's historical date remain unstated or disputed.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, narrative sequence, capture, kinship rescue, recovery, immediate aftermath, and canonical safeguards.
Exact location: Genesis 14:1–16 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 13:8–18; 14:17–24; 18–19; Judges 18:29; and later biblical war, rescue, and enemy texts
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Royal lists, service and rebellion, repeated strike verb, campaign itinerary, bitumen-pit repetition, fall wording, Lot's residence, Hebrew label, treaty-alliance phrase, rare mobilization verb, trained household-born men, kinship term, directions, and repeated recovery language.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 14:1–16
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Shinar, Goiim, coalition structure, vassal sequence, campaign route, strike verb, bitumen wording, fall ambiguity, Hebrew label, treaty allies, rare mobilization verb, Dan, night syntax, and north of Damascus.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 14 and translator notes 1–52, especially notes on verses 1–16
Open NET Genesis 14 ↗