Topical Encyclopedia
The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, known for their longstanding enmity with the Israelites. They are traditionally considered descendants of Esau, through his grandson Amalek, as recorded in
Genesis 36:12: "Timna was a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz." This lineage places the Amalekites among the Edomite tribes, although they are often depicted as a distinct and hostile group.
Geographical LocationThe Amalekites inhabited the region of the Negev and the Sinai Peninsula. They are described as dwelling in the land of the south, as seen in
Numbers 13:29: "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negev." Their territory was strategically significant, lying along the route from Egypt to Canaan, which made them a persistent threat to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.
Conflict with IsraelThe Amalekites are first mentioned in the context of their unprovoked attack on the Israelites at Rephidim, shortly after the Exodus from Egypt. This battle is recorded in
Exodus 17:8-16, where Moses, with the help of Aaron and Hur, held up his hands to ensure Israel's victory. The Lord declared perpetual war against Amalek, stating in
Exodus 17:16, "The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."
The Amalekites continued to harass the Israelites throughout their journey to the Promised Land. In
Deuteronomy 25:17-19, God commands Israel to remember the treachery of Amalek and to blot out their memory once they have rest from their enemies in the land He is giving them.
King Saul and the AmalekitesOne of the most significant encounters with the Amalekites occurred during the reign of King Saul. In
1 Samuel 15, God commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites as an act of divine judgment for their past sins against Israel. Saul, however, disobeyed by sparing King Agag and the best of the livestock. This disobedience led to God's rejection of Saul as king, as articulated by the prophet Samuel in
1 Samuel 15:22-23: "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."
David and the AmalekitesDavid also had encounters with the Amalekites. While he was living among the Philistines, the Amalekites raided Ziklag, capturing the families of David and his men. David pursued and defeated them, as recorded in
1 Samuel 30:1-20. This victory was significant in establishing David's leadership and reliance on God.
The Amalekites in Later HistoryThe Amalekites continued to be a thorn in Israel's side even after the time of David. They are mentioned in the account of the battle with the Midianites during the time of Gideon (
Judges 6:3) and in the days of Hezekiah, when a remnant of the tribe was finally defeated by the Simeonites (
1 Chronicles 4:42-43).
Symbolic RepresentationIn Jewish and Christian traditions, the Amalekites often symbolize the perpetual struggle against evil and opposition to God's people. Their repeated attacks on Israel and God's command to remember and obliterate them serve as a reminder of the spiritual battles believers face.
The Amalekites, as a historical and theological entity, represent the enduring conflict between God's purposes and the forces that seek to thwart them. Their narrative underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands and the assurance of His ultimate victory over His enemies.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A tribe that dwelt in Arabia Petraea, between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. They were not the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, for they existed in the days of Abraham (
Genesis 14:7). They were probably a tribe that migrated from the shores of the Persian Gulf and settled in Arabia. "They dwelt in the land of the south...from Havilah until thou comest to Shur" (
Numbers 13:29;
1 Samuel 15:7). They were a pastoral, and hence a nomadic race. Their kings bore the hereditary name of Agag (
Numbers 24:7;
1 Samuel 15:8). They attempted to stop the Israelites when they marched through their territory (
Deuteronomy 25:18), attacking them at Rephidim (
Exodus 17:8-13; Comp.
Deuteronomy 25:17;
1 Samuel 15:2). They afterwards attacked the Israelites at Hormah (
Numbers 14:45). We read of them subsequently as in league with the Moabites (
Judges 3:13) and the Midianites (
Judges 6:3). Saul finally desolated their territory and destroyed their power (
1 Samuel 14:48;
15:3), and David recovered booty from them (
1 Samuel 30:18-20). In the Babylonian inscriptions they are called Sute, in those of Egypt Sittiu, and the Amarna tablets include them under the general name of Khabbati, or "plunderers."
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
AMALEK; AMALEKITEam'-a-lek, a-mal'-e-kit, am'-a-lek-it (`amaleq, `amaleqi): A tribe dwelling originally in the region south of Judah, the wilderness of et-Tih where the Israelites came into conflict with them. They were nomads as a people dwelling in that tract would naturally be. When they joined the Midianites to invade Israel they came "with their cattle and their tents" (Judges 6:3-5). They are not to be identified with the descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12, 16) because they are mentioned earlier, in the account of the invasion of Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:7) and in Balaam's prophecy (Numbers 24:20) Amalek is called "the first of the nations," which seems to refer to an early existence. We are uncertain of their origin, for they do not appear in the list of nations found inGenesis 10. They do not seem to have had any relationship with the tribes of Israel, save as, we may surmise, some of the descendants of Esau were incorporated into the tribe. It is probable that they were of Semitic stock though we have no proof of it.
The first contact with Israel was at Rephidim, in the wilderness of Sinai, where they made an unprovoked attack and were defeated after a desperate conflict (Exodus 17:8-13Deuteronomy 25:17, 18). On account of this they were placed under the ban and Israel was commanded to exterminate them (Deuteronomy 25:191 Samuel 15:2, 3). The next encounter of the two peoples was when the Israelites attempted to enter Canaan from the west of the Dead Sea. The spies had reported that the Amalekites were to be found in the south, in connection with the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites (Numbers 13:29). The Israelites at first refused to advance, but later determined to do so contrary to the will of God and the command of Moses. They were met by Amalek and the Canaanites and completely defeated (Numbers 14:39-45). Amalek is next found among the allies of Moab in their attack upon Israel in the days of Eglon (Judges 3:13). They were also associated with the Midianites in their raids upon Israel (Judges 6:3), and they seemed to have gained a foothold in Ephraim, or at least a branch of them, in the hill country (Judges 5:14;Judges 12:15), but it is evident that the great body of them still remained in their old habitat, for when Saul made war upon them he drove them toward Shur in the wilderness toward Egypt (1 Samuel 15:1-9). David also found them in the same region (1 Samuel 27:8;1 Samuel 30:1). After this they seem to have declined, and we find, in the days of Hezekiah, only a remnant of them who were smitten by the Simeonites at Mount Seir (1 Chronicles 4:41-43). They are once mentioned in Psalms in connection with other inveterate enemies of Israel (Psalm 83:7). The hatred Inspired by the Amalekites is reflected in the passages already mentioned which required their utter destruction. Their attack upon them when they were just escaped from Egypt and while they were struggling through the wilderness made a deep impression upon the Israelites which they never forgot, and the wrath of David upon the messenger who brought him news of the death of Saul and Jonathan, declaring himself to be the slayer of Saul, was no doubt accentuated by his being an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:1-16).
H. Porter
Strong's Hebrew
6003. Amaleqi -- descendant of Amalek... Amalekites. Word Origin from Amaleq Definition desc. of Amalek NASB Word Usage
Amalekite (3), Amalekites (9). Amalekites. Patronymically
...Library
The Promised Land
... One sunset, shortly after his marriage, word came to the tent of Kenkenes that an
Amalekite chieftain on his way to Egypt had paused for the night just without...
The History of David
... thou? And I said I am anAmalekite, and then he said: Stand upon me and slay
me, for I am full of anguish, and yet my soul is in me....
At the Front or the Base
... They picked up a sick slave, whom hisAmalekite master had heartlessly abandoned
to die on the 'veldt.' He was almost dead, so they fed him, and when he was...
Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
... Agag, ie, the fiery one, is not a proper name, but a surname of allAmalekite
kings. TheAmalekite kingdom"which here represents...
Samuel
... two accounts of the death of Saul: according to the one, he committed suicide (1
Samuel 31:4), according to the other he was slain by anAmalekite (2 Samuel 1...
"Nunc Dimittis"
... TheAmalekite of old had a servant who was an Egyptian, and when he fell sick he
left him, and he would have perished if David had not had compassion on him...
The First Kings.
... of the war put it fully in the king's power to fulfil his commission; but he retained
the best of the cattle as booty, and brought back theAmalekite king Agag...
Canaan
... Here they lived among theAmalekite Bedawin down to the days of Saul.... The
Amalekite of the Old Testament is the Bedawi of to-day....
The Israelites
... and the Keturites had made themselves a home in Arabia, Edom had possessed itself
of the mountain-fastnesses of the Horite and theAmalekite, long before the...
The King.
... He first flames out in fierce wrath upon the lyingAmalekite, who had hurried with
the tidings and sought favour by falsely representing that he had killed the...
Thesaurus
Amalekite (12 Occurrences)... plunderers.". Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. AMALEK;
AMALEKITE. am
... 16). H. Porter.
Multi-Version Concordance
Amalekite (12 Occurrences). Genesis
...Amal'ekite (3 Occurrences)
Amal'ekite.Amalekite, Amal'ekite. Amalekites .... (See RSV). 2 Samuel 1:8 And
he said unto me: Who art thou? And I answered him: I am anAmalekite. (See RSV)....
Amal'ekites (24 Occurrences)
... Numbers 14:25 Now theAmalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the Vale; tomorrow turn
ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.' (See RSV)....
Amalek (35 Occurrences)
... Esau. He was one of the chiefs (the King James Version dukes) of Edom (Genesis
36:12, 16). SeeAMALEKITE. AMALEK;AMALEKITE. am'-a...
Canaanite (74 Occurrences)
... Numbers 14:25 Now theAmalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow
turn, and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea." (WEB KJV JPS ASV...
Am'alek (21 Occurrences)
Am'alek. Amalek, Am'alek.Amalekite .... Psalms 83:7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; (See RSV). Amalek, Am'alek.Amalekite...
Smite (230 Occurrences)
... Genesis 14:7 and they turn back and come in unto En-Mishpat, which 'is' Kadesh,
and smite the whole field of theAmalekite, and also the Amorite who is...
Dwelling (340 Occurrences)
... Genesis 14:7 and they turn back and come in unto En-Mishpat, which 'is' Kadesh,
and smite the whole field of theAmalekite, and also the Amorite who is...
Whence (84 Occurrences)
... and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to anAmalekite;
and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick....
Youth (169 Occurrences)
... and whence 'art' thou?' And he saith, 'An Egyptian youth I 'am', servant to a man,
anAmalekite, and my lord forsaketh me, for I have been sick three days, (YLT...
Resources
Why are there contradictory accounts regarding the death of Saul in 1 and 2 Samuel? | GotQuestions.orgWho were the Amalekites? | GotQuestions.orgWhy is obedience better than sacrifice? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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