A valley by the Salt Sea
The Valley of Siddim appears in Genesis 14, during the account of a war involving several kings in the land of Canaan. The writer identifies the valley with the Salt Sea, the body of water now commonly called the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:3).
That gives us the Bible's clearest answer about its location. The exact modern site is uncertain, but it was in the Dead Sea region. The name Siddim may have referred to the valley or plain beside the sea before later changes to the landscape.
All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
The place of a battle
Four kings from the east came against five kings from cities in the Jordan plain, including Sodom and Gomorrah. Their armies met in the Valley of Siddim (Genesis 14:8-9). This was not a minor local disagreement. It was part of a rebellion against the rule of Chedorlaomer, a powerful king named earlier in the chapter.
Genesis says the valley was full of slime pits, meaning pits containing bitumen or natural tar. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into those pits while others escaped into the mountains (Genesis 14:10). The difficult terrain made an already disastrous defeat worse.
And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
Why it matters to Abraham's story
The battle at Siddim matters because Lot lived in Sodom. After the invading kings won, they took the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and carried Lot away as a captive (Genesis 14:11-12). What happened in this valley therefore brought the danger very close to Abraham's family.
When Abraham heard the news, he gathered trained men from his household and pursued the captors. He defeated them, recovered Lot, and brought back the people and goods that had been taken (Genesis 14:14-16). Abraham's response shows loyal care for his relative, even after Lot had chosen to live near Sodom.
And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
Reading the passage well
The Valley of Siddim is not presented as a holy site or a symbol with a separate spiritual meaning. It is a real setting in the biblical story, remembered because a battle there changed Lot's circumstances and revealed Abraham's courage.
Reading Genesis 14 as a whole helps put the place in context. The chapter moves from conflict and captivity to rescue, gratitude, and Abraham's meeting with Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20). Siddim is where the crisis began, but the story ultimately points to God's care working through Abraham's faithful action.