Person Old Testament
Birsha
Birsha was the king of Gomorrah when Chedorlaomer and his allies invaded the region. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Genesis 14:2.
Why it matters. King of Gomorrah during Abraham's time
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Birsha
Birsha was the king of Gomorrah during the time of Abraham (Gen. 14:2). He was one of the five kings of the cities of the plain who rebelled against Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, after serving him for twelve years. In response, Chedorlaomer and his allies invaded the region, defeating the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (Zoar) in the Valley of Siddim. The invaders seized the goods and food of Sodom and Gomorrah, and took captives, including Abraham's nephew Lot. This event prompted Abraham to mount a rescue mission, where he successfully defeated Chedorlaomer and his allies, freeing Lot and recovering the stolen goods (Gen. 14:13-16). The mention of Birsha as the king of Gomorrah provides historical context to the biblical narrative and highlights the political dynamics of the region during Abraham's time.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Genesis (1 verse)