Shemeber

Biblical Record

The name Shemeber appears only once in the Bible, in Genesis 14:2. This verse records that four kings—Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, and Tidal king of nations—made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (Zoar).

According to Genesis 14, the five kings served Chedorlaomer for twelve years and rebelled in the thirteenth year. In the fourteenth year a battle was fought in the vale of Siddim, and the five kings were defeated (Genesis 14:3–10). "The king of Zeboiim" is mentioned again in 14:8, but his name is not given. The Bible says nothing further about Shemeber's own actions or his fate.

Significance Within the Bible

Shemeber appears in the background of the narrative in which Abraham rescues his captured nephew Lot and meets Melchizedek. Zeboiim, the city he ruled, is mentioned in Genesis 10:19 as marking the border of the Canaanites. In Deuteronomy 29:23 and Hosea 11:8, it appears alongside Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah as a city destroyed by God's judgment. Neither Shemeber nor Zeboiim is mentioned by name in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

The meaning of the name is uncertain, and scholars have reached no consensus on its interpretation. Some commentaries in the Jewish tradition are known to interpret the names of the five kings as wordplays associated with wickedness or rebellion against God. These, however, are later interpretations rather than statements made by the text of Genesis itself. Scholars also differ on the historical date and setting of this war.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, sermons on Genesis 14 generally focus on Abraham's rescue of Lot and on Melchizedek's blessing and the tithe. Shemeber is rarely treated on his own; he is usually mentioned only as one of the five kings in Bible-reading programs or in dictionaries of biblical figures.