14–3: Was Abram assisted by 318 men or just one servant?

“When Avram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, who had been born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. “-Genesis 14:14

It is interesting to note that the strategy that Abram employed in the rescue mission to reacquire Lot was a surprise attack at night. This is the same strategy Israel used against the Egyptians in the 6-day war that resulted in the taking back of Jerusalem.

Next, for those of you who can read Hebrew, take a look at the following word:

אליעזר

It is the name of Abraham’s servant Eliezer.

For those of you who have studied basic Hebrew, you know that each Hebrew letter has a corresponding numerical value. Let’s calculate the numerical value of Eliezer’s name as follows:

Eliezer’s letters add up to exactly 318!

One Jewish commentary has said that Abraham’s victory over the kings was NOT due to the assistance of 318 men but of one single helper. Furthermore, a literal translation of the name Eliezer means “God is my help."

So a more spiritual or mystical reading of this text (and the Scriptures do contain multiple levels of interpretation) would reveal that ultimately Abraham’s helper was God.

He defeated the kings with faith rather than force!

Man, this is INSPIRING!!!

© Richoka