amraphel Summary and Overview

king of Shinar, southern Chaldea, one of the confederates of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, in a war against Sodom and cities of the plain (Gen. 14:1, 4). It is now found that Amraphel (or Ammirapaltu) is the Khammu-rabi whose name appears on recently-discovered monuments. (See CHEDORLAOMER T0000781). After defeating Arioch (q.v.) he united Babylonia under one rule, and made Babylon his capital.

(keeper of the gods) perhaps a Hamite king of Shinar or Babylonia, who joined the victorious incursion of the Elamite Chedorlaomer against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain. Gen. 14. (B.C. 1898.)

AM'RAPHEL . Gen 14:1. The Hamite king of Shimar, or Babylonia, who confederated with other kings and made war on Sodom and the other cities of the plain, plundering them and making prisoners of their inhabitants. Among the captives was Lot, Abraham's nephew. Gen 14:9-16. See Lot

One of the four invading kings (Genesis 14:9). Shinar, his kingdom, or Babylonia, was subordinate to the great Elanrite king, (See CHEDORLAOMER.) The Assyrian monuments attest that an Elamite king invaded and plundered Babylonia in 2386 B.C.; and Babylonian remains bear traces of Elamitic influence.