Sneak Peek! HGP PLUS Special – Tricks of Translation – Melchizedek: Part 2

The way I see it abraham fought a war with his men, in that culture booty is considered payment. So technically it is his to keep. Even tho he may have retrieved goods that were stolen. So the fact that he was willing to give Melchizedek a tenth is logical, due to that Abraham was aware that he still had to pay his men who accompanied him in the war. I’m pretty sure that Melchizedek was aware of this concept of payment due to that he told Abraham I only want the persons, but you keep the possessions. That is melchizedek way of saying you and your men with you deserve to be paid from my stolen goods. As we can see from the text Abraham rejected the payment only asking that of his own servants and other parties should receive payment from the booty..That’s why he says: For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; as for the share of the parties who went with me—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre—let them take their share.” So from Abraham standpoint he didn’t want to receive payment from Melchizedek stolen Goods. As he says: I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’