Melchizedek’s father is unnamed in scripture and is known only from a single phrase in the Book of Alma, which says that Melchizedek “did reign under his father” (Alma 13:18). The same chapter places Melchizedek as king over Salem, whose people “had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination” until he preached repentance and established peace among them (Alma 13:17-18).
The reference to a father stands against the New Testament account of Melchizedek as “without father, without mother, without descent” (Hebrews 7:3), a description read by some as ascribing him a mythic or eternal nature. Alma 13:18 instead has him serving under a father’s reign before his own.
A growing scholarly consensus1 identifies Melchizedek’s father as Bera, the King of Sodom mentioned in Genesis 14. This view is based on linguistic, redaction, and narrative evidence that suggests that the city of Salem, which Melchizedek ruled, was actually Sodom. Bera‘s reign ended during a battle against a coalition led by Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, resulting in his demise in the vale of Siddim, an area known for its slime pits (Genesis 14:10). If this identification is correct, it would mean that Melchizedek’s emergence from such a background of moral and social turmoil to a ruler of peace and righteousness was particularly remarkable.