And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive. "Brother" and "sister" were used by the Hebrews, as cognate terms are used by the Orientals still, in a wide sense, equivalent to relative, kinsman or kinswoman (cf. Genesis 20:11 with 28:6; 24:60; 2 Samuel 19:13; Judges 14:15; Job 42:11). Abram, as long as he was in the vicinity, was bound, according to ancient usage, to hasten to the help of Lot, being his nearest kinsman, or Goel.
He armed his trained servants, born in his own house, х wayaareq (H7324), from a verb, ruwq (H7324), to pour itself out, to be emptied, in Hiphil signifies poured out] - metaphor, drew out the sword, led out troops for war. [The Codex Samaritan has here w-y-d-q mustered, from a Chaldaic root: and hence, the Septuagint has eerithmeese, numbered. The Hebrew verbal, chªniykaayw (H2593), signifies initiated, disciplined, proved, and consequently of tried fidelity; yªliydeey (H3211) beeytow (H1004), born in his house, vernae (Genesis 17:12-13; Genesis 17:23; Leviticus 22:11; Jeremiah 11:14) - i:e., not exactly in the sense in which the Romans claimed a property in home-born slaves, but clansmen, born under Abram's government, and, by patriarchal usage, under allegiance to his service].
In the primitive and isolated condition of a pastoral tribe such a relation to the chief possesses the strength and stability of a natural and indissoluble connection. A feeling of devotedness is engendered, more exclusive and deeply rooted than ever animates the bosom of a hired servant or a purchased slave; and hence, for this enterprise of rescuing Lot, in which Abram's affection for his nephew and sympathy for his neighbour were so much concerned, he selected "trained servants, born in his own house," in preference to any other class in his service, whether bought with money from the stranger (Genesis 17:12-13) or bestowed by the bounty of the Egyptian monarch (Genesis 12:16).
Those trained servants, who are described (Genesis 14:24) as "young men," were domestic slaves, such as are common in Eastern countries still, and are considered and treated as members of the family. If Abram could spare 318 slaves, and leave a sufficient number to take care of his flocks, what a large establishment he must have had!
And pursued them unto Dan. On the name of this place-a name which did not originate until a much later period than the age of Abram (Joshua 19:47; Judges 18:29; Judges 2:1-23 Dan. 34:1) - an objection has been founded against the authenticity of this history, and therefore it is necessary to investigate the matter closely. Two explanations are offered of this difficulty.
(1) That there was another and an older Dan (2 Samuel 24:6; 1 Kings 15:20: cf. 2 Chronicles 16:4) at the sources of the Jordan, recognized by Josephus ('Antiquities,' b. 1: 10, sec. 1; 5: 3, sec. 1; 8: 8, sec. 4), and said by Eusebius to have been situated four miles west from Paneas. According to this view, Abram pursued the hostile kings up the vale of Jordan, as far as the sources of the river, and drove them back thence into the district of Damascus (a military road went from Paneas to Damascus: Josephus, 'Jewish War,' b. 3:, ch. 18) (Havernick). In support of this view, which is that also of Jahn and Keil, it is further urged that the names of places enumerated in this chapter are very old; and since there is commonly subjoined the name given to them in later times, it might have been expected that, if Dan at the northern extremity of Canaan had been intended, the historian would, conformably to his practice, have said, "Laish, which is Dan."
(2) The second explanation, which is that of Ewald, is that there was only one Dan-namely, in the northern boundary of Canaan, and that the obscure and obsolete name Laish was, in the frequent transcription of the Pentateuch, gradually superseded by the more familiar and famous Dan. This is generally accepted by modern scholars as the more feasible view of the case.