495. Ellasar
Lexical Summary
Ellasar: Ellasar

Original Word: אֶלָּסָר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Ellacar
Pronunciation: el-lä-sär'
Phonetic Spelling: (el-law-sawr')
KJV: Ellasar
NASB: Ellasar
Word Origin: [probably of foreign derivation]

1. Ellasar, an early country of Asia

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Ellasar

Probably of foreign derivation; Ellasar, an early country of Asia -- Ellasar.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a country of unknown location
NASB Translation
Ellasar (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֶלָּסָר proper name, of a location Ellasar Genesis 14:1,9 (= Babylonian Larsa, modern Senkereh, approximately 28 miles northeast from Ur; compare LoftCS 240 f DlPa 223 f TieleGeschichte i. 86, COTon the passage).

Topical Lexicon
Geographical Setting

Ellasar designates an ancient Mesopotamian city-state whose ruler, Arioch, joined the eastern coalition that invaded Canaan in the days of Abram (Genesis 14:1; Genesis 14:9). Archaeological and textual evidence most naturally situates Ellasar in southern Mesopotamia, near the lower Euphrates River, corresponding to the site later known as Larsa. The region lay only a few miles from Ur—Abram’s birthplace—underscoring the interconnectedness of Genesis geography. A minority of scholars place Ellasar farther north, but the weight of cuneiform parallels linking “Arioch of Larsa” with the biblical Arioch strengthens the southern identification and harmonizes Scripture with the wider historical record.

Historical Context

Genesis 14 preserves the first military campaign described in Scripture, set during the era of early Amorite and Elamite supremacy. Ellasar’s king, Arioch, allied with Amraphel of Shinar (Babylonia), Chedorlaomer of Elam (south-western Iran), and Tidal of Goiim (a coalition leader) to subdue the rebellious pentapolis of the Jordan plain. Extra-biblical records from the early second millennium B.C. reveal that Larsa was ruled by powerful kings bearing names close to Arioch (e.g., Rim-Sin, son of Kudur-Mabuk), confirming the plausibility of Genesis 14 in its ancient setting.

Political Significance

Ellasar’s presence in the four-king alliance highlights the fluidity of Mesopotamian power blocs before the rise of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires. The coalition demonstrates that smaller city-states like Ellasar could project force across hundreds of miles when unified by a dominant suzerain (Chedorlaomer). Their incursion into Canaan brought Abram onto the stage of international politics and warfare, showing that God’s redemptive plan unfolded within the realpolitik of the Ancient Near East.

Theological Importance

1. God’s Sovereignty over Nations

The inclusion of Ellasar in Genesis 14 shows that the God who called Abram also governs distant kingdoms. When Abram defeats the coalition and frees Lot, the narrative bears witness that divine promise overrides numerical and geopolitical advantage (compare Psalm 47:8).

2. Foreshadowing the Abrahamic Covenant’s Global Reach

By recording the defeat of kings from Shinar, Elam, Ellasar, and other “nations,” Genesis anticipates the later promise: “all the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Ellasar represents one strand of the broader tapestry of nations destined to be influenced by Abram’s seed.

3. Validation of Scripture’s Historical Reliability

The probable identification of Ellasar with Larsa and Arioch with Rim-Sin lends external corroboration to the biblical narrative, encouraging confidence in the accuracy of Genesis as genuine history rather than myth.

Ministry Applications

• Courage in Culture: Abram’s pursuit of the eastern kings models faith-driven engagement with hostile powers. Believers today can confront cultural and spiritual adversaries, trusting the God who delivered Abram to deliver them (Genesis 14:14–16).
• Intercession for Others: Abram risked his life to rescue Lot. Ellasar’s aggression became an occasion for covenant loyalty; likewise, Christians are called to sacrificially seek the good of brothers and sisters endangered by the world’s systems (Galatians 6:2).
• Worship after Victory: Abram’s meeting with Melchizedek immediately follows his triumph over Ellasar’s alliance, reminding worshipers to attribute every success to “God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19).

Key References

Genesis 14:1

Genesis 14:9

Forms and Transliterations
אֶלָּסָ֑ר אלסר ’el·lā·sār ’ellāsār ellaSar
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 14:1
HEB: אַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר כְּדָרְלָעֹ֙מֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ
NAS: king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer
KJV: king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer
INT: Arioch king of Ellasar Chedorlaomer king

Genesis 14:9
HEB: וְאַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר אַרְבָּעָ֥ה מְלָכִ֖ים
NAS: king of Ellasar-- four
KJV: and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings
INT: and Arioch king of Ellasar four kings

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 495
2 Occurrences


’el·lā·sār — 2 Occ.

494
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