And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
All Commentaries on Genesis 14:16 Go To Genesis 14
Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
“Abraham also recovered the goods.” … This certainly does not refer to patrimony but to the vital goods of the soul, where the truly valuable riches—not straw, not hay— are to be found, where there is a reliable splendor of eloquence that contains the substance of our hope. These are indeed our true goods, that is, wisdom that abounds in riches; these are the goods that do not perish. Bodily enjoyment and the use of external goods, on the other hand, are of short, not of long, duration. This is why some people rightly regard it as improper to speak of inherited substance. In fact, inheritance is not the basis of our subsistence, since even people who lack money do not, however, lack the substance of life. .
