This is an odd story in the Abraham cycle. It involves a huge coalition of rival kings who go to war against each other. In the process, Lot, Abraham’s nephew, gets captured, along with the rest of his family and considerable property. Abraham feels compelled to rescue his nephew. This he does. On his way home, though, he is met by the king of Sodom and the king of Salem, who is named Melchizedek. Melchizedek blesses Abraham using the name of his Canaanite deity. Abraham combines the name of this deity with the name of the Israelite God (YHWH). The only other place where Melchizedek appears in the Old Testament is Psalm 110.
