Commentaire sur La Genèse 14:22

הרמתי ידי I HAVE LIFTED UP MY HAND — An expression signifying an oath: I lift up my hand to the Most High God (not, I have lifted up). Similarly, (Genesis 22:16) בי נשבעתי which means “By myself do I swear” and similarly, (Genesis 23:13) נתתי כסף השדה קח ממני which means “I give the price of the field, take it from me”.)

I HAVE LIFTED UP MINE HAND TO THE ETERNAL. This is an expression signifying an oath: “I lift up my hand to G-d Most High.”²⁰⁹Besides explaining that this is an expression signifying an oath, Rashi also states that even though the verse uses a past tense harimothi, the sense is that of the present tense: “I lift up my hand.” Similarly, the verse, By myself have I sworn,²¹⁰Further, 22:16. Here too the verse uses a past tense, but its meaning is that of the present tense. means “By Myself do I swear.” Thus the language of Rashi.
I have found a similar text in the Sifre:²¹¹Vaethchanan 33. “We find in the case of all the righteous that they bring their inclination under oath in order not to do evil. In the case of Abraham, he says, I have lifted up mine hand to the Eternal.” It is thus similar to the verse, And he lifted up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by Him that liveth forever.²¹²Daniel 12:7.
But Onkelos said, “I have lifted my hand in prayer before the Eternal.” The intent of Abraham’s words according to Onkelos is: “I have prayed to G-d, with my hands spread forth toward heaven,²¹³See I Kings 8:22. if I take anything that is thine.” That is to say, “G-d do so to me, and more also,²¹⁴Ibid., 2:23. if I take, etc.”
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that Abraham said, “I have lifted my hand to G-d to make those things Sacred and Devoted²¹⁵See Leviticus 27:28. to Him, were I to take from that which is thine.” Declaring things to be sacred to Him is called in Hebrew “lifting of a hand,” just as in the verses: Every one that did lift up a heave offering of silver and copper;²¹⁶Exodus 35:24. and every man that offered a wave offering of gold unto the Eternal.²¹⁷Ibid., Verse 22. This Abraham said because having given a tenth of it to the priest, he declared that whatever he takes from the king of Sodom would be a heave offering to G-d, from which he would derive no benefit.
In Bereshith Rabbah²¹⁸43:12. it is similarly said, “Abraham made it a heave offering, even as it is said, And ye shall heave a heave offering of it for the Eternal.”²¹⁹Numbers 18:26.

ויאמר אברם אל מלך סדום. Abram said to the king of Sodom. The only reason Abraham raised his hand during his declaration was to make it plain to the king of Sodom that he would not bargain further about any of this.