<b>And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1).</b> R. Tanhuma the son of Abba opened the discussion with the verse <i>The wicked began with the sword, and have bent their bow; to cast down the poor and the needy, to slay such as are upright in the way; their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken</i> (Ps. 37:14–15). <i>The wicked began with the sword</i> alludes to Cain, who slew his brother Abel before any other man was slain. <i>Their sword shall enter into their own heart</i> refers to the fact that Lamech later killed Cain. Another comment on <i>The wicked began with the sword:</i> This refers to Hanun the son of Nahash. Why? After the death of his father, <i>David sent messages by the hand of his servants to comfort him</i> (II Sam. 10:2), but <i>Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off half their beards and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away</i> (ibid., v. 4). Hanun then dispatched emissaries to Aram-naharaim to hire thirty-two thousand charioteers in addition to the tens of thousands of troops he had in his army.<sup class="footnote-marker">11</sup><i class="footnote">II Sam. 10:16.</i> They all assembled and encamped in one place. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Wicked one, you began with the sword, hence the sword will penetrate your heart. Therefore, Joab and Abishai destroyed them all, as it is said: <i>So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle to meet the Arameans; and they fled before them</i> (ibid., v. 13).

Another explanation of <i>The wicked began with the sword.</i> This refers to the four kings, Amraphel and his companions. Though war had not previously been waged in the world, they introduced the use of the sword and waged war. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Wicked ones, because you have introduced the use of the sword to subdue the poor and the needy, <i>their swords shall enter into their own hearts</i> (Ps. 37:15). Hence, Abraham arose and smote them.