© Charles Chandler

 

Genesis 14 (Abram Rescues Lot) describes a conflict between Mesopotamians & Canaanites over control of the Jordan Valley, which the present thesis puts before the Flood, long before Abraham was born. But Lot is mentioned in that story, as well as in Genesis 19 (God Rescues Lot) (i.e., the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah), suggesting that something happened involving Lot, prompting Abraham to intervene. And if Lot had been born & raised in Ur, then unlike Abraham who grew up with Mitannians, Lot grew up with Chaldeans, so that's where his secondary loyalties would fall, while Abraham's would be to Mitanni. If both of them were granted some sort of administrative powers on the Egyptian frontier, it would make sense that Lot would be given the East Bank, and Abraham the West Bank — this would put them on the frontier facing their homelands. If the 318 servants who participated in the rescue of Lot were part of Sarah's dowry that she retained when expelled from Egypt, this episode would come after 1380 bce. The story credits Abraham with being able to muster a fighting force capable of prevailing over the forces that defeated the chiefs of five cities on the East Bank. And yet he wouldn't accept any of the loot recovered. This sounds like a loyal Egyptian civil servant, who had the authority to command troops in the field, but who had no right to the spoils.