Why Abram Feared Shem After Defeating Chedorlaomer

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Lech Lecha 19:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

[(Genesis 15:1:) "Fear not, Abram."] This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 28:14): "Happy is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart shall fall into evil." And it is written (Proverbs 14:16): "A wise man fears and turns away from evil." Who is this? Abraham. And of whom was he afraid? Of Shem, whose sons he had killed — Chedorlaomer king of Elam and his three sons, as it is said (Genesis 10:22): "The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram." So he was afraid, saying: I have killed the sons of a righteous man, and now he will curse me and I will die. What did he do? Shem went out to meet him to appease him, as it is said (Genesis 14:18): "And Melchizedek king of Salem." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: By your life, I will not curse you, but rather I will bless you, as it is said (Genesis 14:19): "And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram, etc." He said to him: Because you killed my sons, I bless you, as it is said (Genesis 14:20): "And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand, etc." What is the meaning of "who has delivered (magen) your enemies"? The Holy One, blessed be He, made a shield (maginnah) and cast them down before you. And our father Abraham would take dust and throw it upon them, and it became arrows and bows; and he would take straw and throw it upon them, and it became swords and spears, as it is said (Isaiah 41:2): "Who has roused up righteousness from the east, etc. [his sword makes them like dust, his bow like driven straw]." This is Abraham, of whom it is said afterward: "He pursues them and passes on in peace." This is the meaning of "who has delivered your enemies into your hand, etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: After these things are you afraid? "Fear not, Abram." Therefore it is said (Proverbs 28:14): "Happy is the man who fears always."

Themes

AbrahamWarCreationBlessingWisdom

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelWhen Abraham Pursued the Kings Who Had Captured His Nephew LotThe Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, discovers a hidden connection between two events separated by centuries, the plague of the firstborn in Egypt andMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelEncountered Abraham When He Came to Bury Sarah in the CaveThe Torah records a remarkable exchange in (Genesis 10:15): "And Canaan begot Tziddon, his first-born, and Cheth." Generations later, the sons of Cheth, the HitMekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelIt the Quail Covered the Camp I Would Not Know toWhen God sent quail to the Israelites in the wilderness, the Torah says "it covered the camp" (Exodus 16:13). The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael asked the obvious quMidrash AggadahWhy Lot Was Spared from Sodom for Abraham's SakeWhen the angels laid hold of Lot's hand to drag him clear of the doomed city, they answered the unspoken question in his heart. He had lived among the wealth ofMidrash AggadahWhy God Blessed Isaac After Abraham Died and Left Out IshmaelWhen Abraham died, a blessing waited unspoken. All his life he had withheld it. He had two sons, and to bless one openly was to wound the other. Ishmael was theMidrash AggadahAbraham Knew His Creator at Three and the World Stands on TorahThe verse promises that through Abraham's seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And how does that blessing flow into the world? Through the Torah.