Genesis 14:5

In the fourteenth year. The revolt brought a punitive expedition by which it was hoped that the former situation might be restored. It is not necessary to presume that all the rulers named in v. 1 were personally present in the campaign. Ancient Oriental rulers always speak as if they had directed and won every battle singlehanded.

The Rephaims. The first battle took place in Bashan at the city Ashteroth Kaaraim, the modern Sheikh Sa‘ad, about 22 mi. east of the Sea of Galilee. The Rephaim are frequently mentioned in early books of the Bible as one of the ancient peoples living mostly in trans-Jordan (cf. Deut. 2:11, margin; 3:11, 13; etc.).

The Zuzims. Neither this people nor the locality is mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, and therefore cannot be identified, unless they were the Zamzummim of Deut. 2:20, who were later replaced by the Ammonites.

The Emims. The people who preceded the Moabites east of the Dead Sea and were displaced by them were called Emims (Deut. 2:10, 11). Shaveh Kiriathaim means the high plateau of Kiriathaim, the latter word being the name of a city which lay on a northern tributary of the river Amon and was later assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:19).