Difference between revisions of "Battle of the Kings – Purpose of the Story/2"
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<category name="">Fulfillment of Hashem's Promise | <category name="">Fulfillment of Hashem's Promise | ||
− | <p>Avraham's victory over the kings constituted a preliminary conquest of Canaan and was the beginning of the actualization of Hashem's | + | <p>Avraham's victory over the kings constituted a preliminary conquest of Canaan and its neighboring lands and was the beginning of the actualization of Hashem's promises to Avraham. The story is not out of place at all, but rather is integrally connected to the Divine covenants and assurances of the surrounding chapters.</p> |
<mekorot><multilink><a href="MaaseiHashemMaaseiAvot6" data-aht="source">R. Eliezer Ashkenazi</a><a href="MaaseiHashemMaaseiAvot6" data-aht="source">Ma'asei Avot 6</a><a href="R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Maasei Hashem)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RSRHirsch" data-aht="source">R. S"R Hirsch</a><a href="RSRHirsch" data-aht="source">Bereshit 14</a><a href="R. Samson Raphael Hirsch" data-aht="parshan">About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch</a></multilink>, U. Cassuto</mekorot> | <mekorot><multilink><a href="MaaseiHashemMaaseiAvot6" data-aht="source">R. Eliezer Ashkenazi</a><a href="MaaseiHashemMaaseiAvot6" data-aht="source">Ma'asei Avot 6</a><a href="R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Maasei Hashem)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RSRHirsch" data-aht="source">R. S"R Hirsch</a><a href="RSRHirsch" data-aht="source">Bereshit 14</a><a href="R. Samson Raphael Hirsch" data-aht="parshan">About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch</a></multilink>, U. Cassuto</mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b>"To your seed I will give this land"</b><ul> | + | <point><b>"To your seed I will give this land"</b> – The two variations within this approach focus on two different groups of Avraham's descendants and the disparate lands which they inherited:<br/> |
− | <li><b>The Children of Israel</b> – R. Hirsch and Cassuto | + | <ul> |
+ | <li><b>The Children of Israel</b> – R. Hirsch and Cassuto claim that since the four kings had conquered the entire region, when Avraham vanquished them and chased them all the way to Damascus,<fn>Cassuto points out that the verses here hint to the extent of the idealistic borders of Israel, achieved only in the time of David.</fn> he effectively gained control over the entire land of Canaan.  This action thus staked out the Israelites' future claims to the land.</li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
− | <li><b>Ammon, Moav, and Seir</b> – Ma'asei Hashem and Cassuto | + | <li><b>Ammon, Moav, and Seir</b> – The Ma'asei Hashem and Cassuto note that Avraham gained rights also to the lands east of the Jordan which were to go to his other descendants and relatives, the progeny of Lot and Esav.  In conquering the four kings, Avraham inherited all that they had previously conquered, including the lands of the Refaim, Zuzim, Eimim, and Hori.  Thus, the story provides the background for how Avraham's family (other than Yaakov's descendants) became sovereign over the entire region.</li> |
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
− | <point><b>Biblical parallels</b> – | + | <point><b>Biblical parallels</b> – In Devarim 2, when warning the nation that they are not to inherit the lands of Seir, Ammon, or Moav, Moshe mentions all the nations (Refaim, Zuzim etc.) who had previously settled in these lands,<fn>See Devarim 2:10-12 and 20-22.</fn> but were then kicked out.  Devarim thus alludes to Bereshit 14 so as to explain that Avraham's descendants came to possess these lands through Avraham's conquest.</point> |
− | <point><b>Extraneous details</b> – | + | <point><b>Extraneous details</b> – Particularly according to the variation of the Ma'asei Hashem and Cassuto, the details of the kings' prior campaigns are important for establishing proof of ownership of the region.</point> |
</category> | </category> | ||
<category name="">Vulnerability of Israel | <category name="">Vulnerability of Israel |
Version as of 12:55, 30 October 2014
Battle of the Kings – Purpose of the Story
Exegetical Approaches
Avraham's Exceptional Qualities
The story highlights how Avraham was unique not only in his monotheistic beliefs but also in his other attributes. The Torah's inclusion of the episode helps the reader better appreciate Avraham's greatness and presents his behavior as a model to emulate.
- Military Might – According to R. Bachya and Abarbanel, Avraham's victory over the kings revealed both his bravery and his capabilities as a military strategist and warrior.1
- Loyalty – Alternatively, Radak, Ralbag, Abarbanel, and R. D"Z Hoffmann assert that the story teaches the importance of enduring loyalty to one's family. Avraham was willing to risk his own life in order to rescue his nephew, even though Lot had taken up company with evil people.
- Selflessness – Ralbag, Abarbanel, and R. D"Z Hoffmann point to Avraham's refusal to benefit from the spoils of battle as evidence of both his generosity and recognition that all belongs to Hashem. Avraham's conduct stands out, particularly in light of the norms of the Ancient Near East in which the victor took the spoils of battle.2
Sign for the Future
Avraham's triumph over the four kings foreshadows Israel's future prevailing over the four major kingdoms: Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The import of the episode, thus, lies in its impact on the future of the Israelite nation rather than its contribution to the portrait of Avraham.
Fulfillment of Hashem's Promise
Avraham's victory over the kings constituted a preliminary conquest of Canaan and its neighboring lands and was the beginning of the actualization of Hashem's promises to Avraham. The story is not out of place at all, but rather is integrally connected to the Divine covenants and assurances of the surrounding chapters.
- The Children of Israel – R. Hirsch and Cassuto claim that since the four kings had conquered the entire region, when Avraham vanquished them and chased them all the way to Damascus,6 he effectively gained control over the entire land of Canaan. This action thus staked out the Israelites' future claims to the land.
- Ammon, Moav, and Seir – The Ma'asei Hashem and Cassuto note that Avraham gained rights also to the lands east of the Jordan which were to go to his other descendants and relatives, the progeny of Lot and Esav. In conquering the four kings, Avraham inherited all that they had previously conquered, including the lands of the Refaim, Zuzim, Eimim, and Hori. Thus, the story provides the background for how Avraham's family (other than Yaakov's descendants) became sovereign over the entire region.
Vulnerability of Israel
The episode serves to highlight the precarious placement of Israel amongst the nations.