Bible Dictionary: Chedorlaomer

◄ Chedorlaomer ►

Jump to: Hitchcock's • ATS • ISBE • Easton's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Chedorlaomer

roundness of a sheaf

ATS Bible Dictionary

Chedorlaomer

King of Elam, in Persia, in the time of Abraham. He made the cities in the region of the Dead Sea his tributaries; and on their rebelling, he came with four allied kings and overran the whole country south and east of the Jordan. Lot was among his captives, but was rescued by Abraham; who promptly raised a force from his captives, but was rescued by Abraham; who promptly raised a force from his own dependents and his neighbors, pursued the enemy, and surprised and defeated them, Genesis 14:1-24. Compare Psalm 110:1 7.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(= Khudur-Lagamar of the inscriptions), king of Elam. Many centuries before the age of Abraham, Canaan and even the Sinaitic peninsula had been conquered by Babylonian kings, and in the time of Abraham himself Babylonia was ruled by a dynasty which claimed sovereignity over Syria and Palestine. The kings of the dynasty bore names which were not Babylonian, but at once South Arabic and Hebrew. The most famous king of the dynasty was Khammu-rabi, who united Babylonia under one rule, and made Babylon its capital. When he ascended the throne, the country was under the suzerainty of the Elamites, and was divided into two kingdoms, that of Babylon (the Biblical Shinar) and that of Larsa (the Biblical Ellasar). The king of Larsa was Eri-Aku ("the servant of the moon-god"), the son of an Elamite prince, Kudur-Mabug, who is entitled "the father of the land of the Amorites." A recently discovered tablet enumerates among the enemies of Khammu-rabi, Kudur-Lagamar ("the servant of the goddess Lagamar") or Chedorlaomer, Eri-Aku or Arioch, and Tudkhula or Tidal. Khammu-rabi, whose name is also read Ammi-rapaltu or Amraphel by some scholars, succeeded in overcoming Eri-Aku and driving the Elamites out of Babylonia. Assur-bani-pal, the last of the Assyrian conquerors, mentions in two inscriptions that he took Susa 1635 years after Kedor-nakhunta, king of Elam, had conquered Babylonia. It was in the year B.C. 660 that Assur-bani-pal took Susa.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

CHEDORLAOMER

ked-or-la-o'-mer, ked-or-la'-omer (kedhorla`omer; Chodollogomor):

1. was He the Elamite King Kudur-lahgumal?

2. Kudur-lahgumal and the Babylonians

3. The Son of Eri-Ekua

4. Durmah-ilani, Tudhul(a) and Kudur-lahmal

5. The Fate of Sinful Rulers

6. The Poetical Legend

7. Kudur-lahgumal's Misdeeds

8. The Importance of the Series

The name of the Elamite overlord with whom Amraphel, Arioch and Tidal marched against Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain (Genesis 14:1). The Greek (Septuagint) form of the name is Chodollogomor, implying a different vocalization, the assimilation of "R "with "L", and the pronunciation of " `o" as "gho" (Codorlaghomer). This suggests that the Elamite form, in cuneiform, would be Kudur-lagamar, the second element being the name of a god, and the whole therefore meaning "servant of La`omer" (Lagamar), or the like. A Babylonian deity worshippeal at Dilmu, Lagamal, may be the same as the Elamite Lagamar. This name is not found in the cuneiform inscriptions, unless it be, as is possible, the fancifully-written Kudur-lah(gu)mal (or Kodorlahgomal) of three late Babylonian legends, one of which is in poetical form. Besides this Elamite ruler, two of these tablets mention also a certain Eri-Aku or Eri-Akua, son of Durmah-ilani, and one of them refers to Tudhul(a) or Tidal.

See ERI-AKU, 4.

1. Was He the Elamite King Kudur-lahgumal?:

Objections have been made to the identification of Chedorlaomer with the Kudur-lah(gu)mal of these texts, some Assyriologists having flatly denied the possibility, while others expressed the opinion that, though these names were respectively those with which they have been identified, they were not the personages referred to in Genesis 14, and many have refrained from expressing an opinion at all. The main reason for the identification of Kudur-lah(gu)mal(?) with Chedorlaomer is its association with the names Eri-Eaku and Tudgul(a) found on two of the documents. No clear references to the expedition against the Cities of the Plain, however, have been found in these texts.

2. Kudur-lahgumal and the Babylonians:

The longer of the two prose compositions (Brit. Mus., Sp. II, 987) refers to the bond of heaven (extended?) to the four regions, and the fame which he (Merodach?) set for (the Elamites) in Babylon, the city of (his) glory. So (?the gods), in their faithful (or everlasting) counsel, decreed to Kudur-lahgumal, king of Elam (their favor?). He came down, and (performed) what was good to them, and exercised dominion in Babylon, the city of Kar-Dunias (Babylonia). When in power, however, he acted in a way which did not please the Babylonians, for he loved the winged fowl, and favored the dog which crunched the bone. "What(?) king of Elam was there who had (ever) (shown favor to?) the shrine of E-saggil?" (E-sagila, the great temple of Belus at Babylon).

3. The Son of Eri-Ekua:

A letter from Durmah-ilani son of Eri-Ekua (?Arioch) is at this point quoted, and possibly forms the justification for the sentences which had preceded, giving, as they do, reasons for the intervention of the native ruler. The mutilation of the inscription, however, makes the sense and sequence very difficult to follow.

4. Durmah-ilani, Tudhul(a) and Kudur-lahmal:

The less perfect fragment (Sp. III, 2) contains, near the beginning, the word hammu, and if this be, as Professor F. Hommel has suggested, part of the name Hammurabi (Amraphel), it would in all probability place the identification of Kudur-lahgumal(?) with Chedorlaomer beyond a doubt. This inscription states, that Merodach, in the faithfulness of his heart, caused the ruler not supporting (the temples of Babylonia) to be slain with the sword. The name of Durmah-ilani then occurs, and it seems to be stated of him that he carried off spoil, and Babylon and the temple E-saggil were inundated. He, however, was apparently murdered by his son, and old and young (were slain) with the sword. Then came Tudhul(a) or Tidal, son of Gazza(ni?), who also carried off spoil, and again the waters devastated Babylon and E-saggil. But to all appearance Tudhul(a), in his turn, was overtaken by his fate, for "his son shattered his head with the weapon of his hands." At this point there is a reference to Elam, to the city Ahhea(?), and to the land of Rabbatum, which he (? the king of Elam) had spoiled. Whether this refers to some expedition to Palestine or not is uncertain, and probably unlikely, as the next phrase speaks of devastation inflicted in Babylonia.

5. The Fate of Sinful Rulers:

But an untoward fate overtook this ruler likewise, for Kudur-lahmal (= lahgumal), his son, pierced his heart with the steel sword of his girdle. All these references to violent deaths are apparently cited to show the dreadful end of certain kings, "lords of sin," with whom Merodach, the king of the gods, was angry.

6. The Poetical Legend:

The third text is of a poetical nature, and refers several times to "the enemy, the Elamite"-apparently Kudur-lahgu(mal). In this noteworthy inscription, which, even in its present imperfect state, contains 78 lines of wedge-written text, the destruction wrought by him is related in detail. He cast down the door (of the temple) of Istar; entered Du-mah, the place where the fates were declared (see BABEL, BABYLON), and told his warriors to take the spoil and the goods of the temple.

7. Kudur-lahgumal's Misdeeds:

He was afraid, however, to proceed to extremities, as the god of the place "flashed like lightning, and shook the (holy) places." The last two paragraphs state that he set his face to go down to Tiamtu (the seacoast; see CHALDEA), whither Ibi-Tutu, apparently the king of that district, had hastened, and founded a pseudo-capital. But the Elamite seems afterward to have taken his way north again, and after visiting Borsippa near Babylon, traversed "the road of darkness-the road to Mesku" (?Mesech). He destroyed the palace, subdued the princes, carried off the spoil of all the temples and took the goods (of the people) to Elam. At this point the text breaks off.

8. The Importance of the Series:

Where these remarkable inscriptions came from there ought to be more of the same nature, and if these be found, the mystery of Chedorlaomer and Kudur-lahgumal will probably be solved. At present it can only be said, that the names all point to the early period of the Elamite rulers called Kudurides, before the land of Tiamtu or Tamdu was settled by the Chaldeans. Evidently it was one of the heroic periods of Babylonian history, and some scribe of about 350 B.C. had collected together a number of texts referring to it. All three tablets were purchased (not excavated) by the British Museum, and reached that institution through the same channel. See the Journal of the Victoria Institute, 1895-96, and Professor Sayce in Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology (1906), 193, 241; (1907), 7.

T. G. Pinches

Strong's Hebrew

3540. Kedorlaomer -- a king of Elam
... Kedorlaomer. 3541 . a king of Elam. Transliteration: Kedorlaomer Phonetic Spelling:
(ked-or-law-o'-mer) Short Definition: Chedorlaomer. ... Chedorlaomer. ...
/hebrew/3540.htm - 6k

Library

The History after the Flood.
... [612] And in the land of Shinar, among those called Chaldæans, the first king was
Arioch, and next after him Ellasar, and after him Chedorlaomer, king of Elam ...
/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter xxxi the history after the.htm

Chapter xiv
... 1. And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch, king
of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xiv.htm

"In the Volume of the Book it is Written of Me" (Heb. . .
... Antichrist. 4. Chedorlaomer. The history ... millennial glory. The time when
Chedorlaomer lived is the first point in the type. His ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/in the volume of the.htm

Abraham's Faith
... We read of four kings making war against five kings, against Chedorlaomer, king
of Elam or Persia, who had been following the ways of Nimrod and the men of ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xii abrahams faith.htm

Theophilus.
... Cain, 105. family of, 106. Chaldeans, 106. Chastity, 115. Chedorlaomer, 107.
Christianity, antiquity of, 120. Christians, scorned by Autolycus, 89. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/theophilus.htm

The General Service of the Holy Fathers, in Remembrance of ...
... And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of
Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh ...
/.../anonymous/the general menaion/chapter v1 the general service.htm

The Word that Scatters Fear
... Chedorlaomer and all the allied kings are nothing; 'a noise,' as the prophet said
of a later conqueror. All the bitterness and terror is taken out of evil. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the word that scatters fear.htm

The Story of the Baptist, from his Last Testimony to Jesus to his ...
... Machærus is straight south of it, about two and a half hours north-west of the ancient
Kiriathaim (the modern Kurêiyât), the site of Chedorlaomer's victory. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxviii the story of.htm

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
... to be distinguished from the Lilin or night-spirits, and from Lela or Laila, an
Angel who accompanied Abraham on his expedition against Chedorlaomer (Sanh.96 a ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix xii the baptism of.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... speaks distinctly of another Elamite, who made war in person almost up to the Egyptian
frontier.** This is the Kudur-lagamar (Chedorlaomer) who helped Eimsin ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

Thesaurus

Chedorlaomer (5 Occurrences)
... A recently discovered tablet enumerates among the enemies of Khammu-rabi,
Kudur-Lagamar ("the servant of the goddess Lagamar") or Chedorlaomer, Eri-Aku or ...
/c/chedorlaomer.htm - 16k

Amraphel (2 Occurrences)
... King of Shinar, southern Chaldea, one of the confederates of Chedorlaomer, king
of Elam, in a war against Sodom and cities of the plain (Genesis 14:1, 4). It ...
/a/amraphel.htm - 12k

Tidal (2 Occurrences)
... Thalga, Thalgal, Codex E, Thargal): 1. The Name and Its Forms: Tidal is mentioned
in Genesis 14:1, 9 in the account of the expedition of Chedorlaomer of Elam ...
/t/tidal.htm - 11k

Ched-or-lao'mer (5 Occurrences)
Ched-or-lao'mer. Chedorlaomer, Ched-or-lao'mer. Cheek . ... Genesis 14:4 Twelve
years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. ...
/c/ched-or-lao'mer.htm - 7k

Kedorlaomer (4 Occurrences)
... Genesis 14:1 It happened in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of
Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim, (See NIV). ...
/k/kedorlaomer.htm - 7k

Arioch (6 Occurrences)
... ar'-i-ok: ('aryokh): (1) The name of the vassal king of Ellasar, under Chedorlaomer,
king of Elam, and Amraphel, king of Shinar (Babylonia), who took part in ...
/a/arioch.htm - 10k

Shaveh-kiriathaim (1 Occurrence)
... Plain of Kirja-thaim where Chedorlaomer defeated the Emims, the original inhabitants
(Genesis 14:5). Now Kureiyat, north of Dibon, in the land of Moab. Int. ...
/s/shaveh-kiriathaim.htm - 7k

Eriaku
... on certain tablets of late date from Babylonia, and is coupled with a name which
may be read Kudur-lachgumal (for Kudurlachbgomar, ie Chedorlaomer), and Tud ...
/e/eriaku.htm - 11k

Eri-aku
... on certain tablets of late date from Babylonia, and is coupled with a name which
may be read Kudur-lachgumal (for Kudurlachbgomar, ie Chedorlaomer), and Tud ...
/e/eri-aku.htm - 11k

Ashteroth-karnaim (1 Occurrence)
... Astaroth, the city of Og, king of Bashan (Deuteronomy 14, etc.); `ashteroth qarnayim,
the scene of the defeat of the Rephaim by Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:5): (be ...
/a/ashteroth-karnaim.htm - 12k

Bible Concordance

Chedorlaomer (5 Occurrences)

Genesis 14:1 It happened in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goiim,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Genesis 14:4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year, they rebelled.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Genesis 14:5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Genesis 14:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the five.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Genesis 14:17 The king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, at the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Subtopics

Chedorlaomer

Chedorlaomer or Chedorlaomer

Chedorlaomer: King of Elam

Related Terms

Amraphel (2 Occurrences)

Tidal (2 Occurrences)

Ched-or-lao'mer (5 Occurrences)

Kedorlaomer (4 Occurrences)

Arioch (6 Occurrences)

Shaveh-kiriathaim (1 Occurrence)

Eriaku