Lives of Scripture

Mamre was an Amorite living near Hebron, described in Genesis 14:13 as an ally of Abram, along with his brothers Eshcol and Aner. When four eastern kings raided the region and carried off Abram's nephew Lot along with the goods of Sodom, a fugitive brought word to Abram, 'who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite' (14:13). Abram armed his trained men and, together with Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner as allies, pursued the raiding kings as far as Dan and Damascus, defeating them and recovering Lot, the other captives, and the plundered goods (14:14-16). Afterward, when the king of Sodom offered Abram the recovered goods, Abram refused to take anything for himself, but specified that 'the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their share' (14:24) -- honoring his allies' right to the spoils of the campaign even as he himself took none. Mamre's name became permanently attached to the place where Abram settled, 'the oaks of Mamre' near Hebron, later the site of significant events including God's visit to Abraham (Genesis 18) and the purchase of the cave of Machpelah as a family burial site (23:17-19).