According to Legends of the Jews, this departure had a pretty serious consequence, setting the stage for a major war.
You see, Lot wanted to settle in the lush kikkar ha-Yarden, the well-watered circle of the Jordan. But the only city that would take him in was Sodom. The king of Sodom let him in out of respect for Abraham. Little did anyone know, this seemingly simple act would soon draw Abraham into a massive conflict.
Now, here's where things get complicated. The five kings of the cities of the plain – and let's just say they weren't exactly known for their piety – were planning a war. Their target? First Sodom, because of Lot, and then… Abraham himself! And get this: one of those five kings, Amraphel, was none other than Nimrod, Abraham's old nemesis! Talk about a grudge match!
What was the spark that ignited this war? Well, it all started with Chedorlaomer, one of Nimrod's generals. After the famous (or infamous) dispersal of the builders of the Tower of Babel, Chedorlaomer rebelled and set himself up as king of Elam. He then subjugated the Hamitic tribes living in the five cities of the plain, making them pay tribute. For twelve years, they were loyal. But in the thirteenth year, they refused to pay up.
Nimrod saw an opportunity. According to Legends of the Jews, he gathered an army of seven thousand warriors and attacked Chedorlaomer. But the battle between Elam and Shinar was a disaster for Nimrod. He lost six hundred men, including his own son, Mardon. Humiliated, he had to acknowledge Chedorlaomer's authority.
So, Chedorlaomer formed an alliance with Arioch, king of Ellasar, and Tidal, king of several nations. Their goal? To crush the rebellious cities of the Jordan plain. These united forces, reportedly numbering a whopping eight hundred thousand, marched on the five cities. They conquered everything in their path, even wiping out the descendants of the giants. The fortified places, the unwalled cities, everything fell.
They pushed through the desert all the way to the spring at Kadesh, the very spot where God would later judge Moses and Aaron for the waters of strife. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, this location had deep significance, a place of both judgment and potential for renewal. From there, they turned toward the heart of Palestine, the land of dates.
And that's where they met the five ungodly kings: Bera, the villain, king of Sodom; Birsha, the sinner, king of Gomorrah; Shinab, the father-hater, king of Admah; Shemeber, the voluptuary, king of Zeboiim; and the king of Bela, the city that devours its inhabitants. Quite a colorful bunch, right?
The five kings were defeated in the fertile Vale of Siddim, which, tragically, would later become the Dead Sea. The common soldiers fled to the mountains, but the kings? They fell into the slime pits and got stuck! According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, only the king of Sodom was miraculously rescued, so that he might eventually convert those who hadn't believed in Abraham's miraculous rescue from the fiery furnace.
What's the takeaway here? Maybe it's about the long-term consequences of our choices. Or perhaps it's about how even seemingly insignificant events can trigger massive conflicts. One thing's for sure: the story of Lot's departure and the ensuing war is a reminder that our actions, big and small, have the power to shape the course of history.