Amalek - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. Save 15% on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. If they defeat me, you flee, and if not, come and help me against Israel.". 25:17). [24], By the 19th century, there was strong support by Western theologians for the idea that the nation of Amalek could have flourished before the time of Abraham. Corrections? The Book of Exodus relates that Joshua fought against Amalek under the inspiration of Moses, who was supported by Aaron and Hur, and that he mowed them down with the sword. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. Similarly, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah did not just fall upon adult men and women, it fell generally upon the city as a whole men and women, boys and girls, and cattle. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. [1 Chronicles 4] The mention of Haman the 'Agagite' [Esther 3.1] as the villain in the book of Esther provides further food for thought at a much later period. 20:114, 24; Ezek. 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to But why did he do it? Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. [25], In the exegesis of Numbers 24:20 concerning Balaam's utterance: "Amalek was the first one of the nations, but his end afterward will be even his perishing", Richard Watson attempts to associate this passage to the "first one of the nations" that developed post-Flood. Surely, there were Amalekites who lived beyond this region. That is possible but we do not have any documentation. The RSV in Judges 5:14 wrongly changes the words in Amalek to into the valley, although that v. indicates in a footnote that the Heb. In effect, by setting encounters with Amalek in the days of Moses and Joshua, the writers of the Bible were saying that hostilities existed from time immemorial. 12 Facts About the Wicked Haman - Chabad.org According to the Bible, Amalek was the first enemy that Israel encountered after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. Perhaps, the statement where Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur is hyperbolical. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. According to I Samuel 15:7, "Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of (or close to) Egypt." Im not suggesting this is the answer but its worth considering. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Can we reconcile with our eternal sworn enemies? When it says that the iniquity of the Amorites has not reached its fullness, one way of looking at it is that there was still a chance to eliminate the gene pool of the seed of the elohim. The end of the age will involve first separation, and only then, renewal and restoration. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. There is an earlier reference to the word Amalek in Genesis 14:7 where Chedorlaomer (c. 1900 b.c.) Consider his excuse for not killing all the livestock, for example. The BIBLE never said every single Amalekite lived in their area of settling. What does a shepherd do with his rod and staff? In some rabbinical interpretations, Amalek is etymologised as am lak, 'a people who lick (blood)',[2] but most specialists regard the origin to be unknown.[3]. Start your free trial today. What's the cheapest way to buy out a sibling's share of our parents house if I have no cash and want to pay less than the appraised value? It will ever conflict, but need not conquer. The total destruction of the Amalekites was an echo of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as also an anticipation of the final judgment at the end of the age. Since they were descendants of Esau, some may well have lived in Edom. balsam Four key events at Rephidim: a. Israel complains about water, but Moses strikes the rock 5 days later at Mt. The royal line of the Kings is what led to Haman. On the analogy of the genealogies of the sons of Nahor by concubinage (Gen. 22:24) and of Abraham's sons by Keturah and Hagar it may be surmised that Amalek's genealogy was intended to imply his special status as a nomad as distinct from the sedentary Edomites, in the same way as the Ishmaelites or the children of Keturah were distinct from the sedentary descendants of Abraham. It is sad that they did not take advantage of their time of grace. According to the allusion in verse 41, it is possible to say that the destruction of the survivors of Amalek took place during the reign of Hezekiah. Indefensible? Saul and the Amalekite Genocide 2:345; Josh. King Saul Disobeys God - Mission Bible Class The New Testament Apostles did not understand that reality to have been nullified by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rather they understood this Old Testament story, and others like it, as: an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly (2 Peter 2:6 ESV). For this sin, God damned the Amalekites, commanding the Jews to wage a holy war to exterminate them. 13:13 ff. They lived amongst the Kenites, Canaanites, etc and if they lived amongst them there was definitely mixing and thus they was preserved. Despite the "pre-deuteronomic" literary framework of chapter 15 and its prophetic-ideological aim, embedded in it is an ancient historical tradition about a war of extermination that reflects Saul's war against Amalek. When wicked human beings exercise dominion, everything they touch is cursed. The rabbis derived these from Deuteronomy 25:1718, Exodus 17:14 and 1 Samuel 15:3. The Amalekites are not listed in the table of nations in Genesis 10, as they did not originate until after Esau's time. Haman was "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite" ( Esther 3:1 ), probably directly descended from the Amalekite king Samuel killed. That is pretty large distance of battle between Arabia and Egypt. And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. The Amalekites committed a terrible sin against Israel. Ed. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the Gods command to utterly and entirely destroy the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15 has been a cause of stumbling for many Bible readers over the years. . It is possible that this tradition is based on abortive attempts by Israel to expand its holdings in the South during the premonarchic period (see Num. The Amalekites - Jewish Virtual Library Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. Origen of Alexandria is sometimes cited as having viewed the herem passages allegorically; Hofreiter argues that although Origen viewed a spiritual interpretation as having primary importance to Christians, he did not deny that the herem passages described historical events. In Numbers 24:20 Balaam prophesied, Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction. This reference does not suggest that the early Genesis 14:7 reference to Amalek is in conflict with the Genesis 36:16 statement regarding Amalek, the grandson of Esau. An Amalekite is a name for a member of the Amalekite nation. So why did God command the absolute destruction of the Amalekites men, women, children and cattle instead of sparing them as he did in the case of the Ninevites? In particular, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin have defended a literal reading of these passages at length. Joshua the valiant warrior defeated the Amalekites militarily, while at the same time Moses was perched on a hill overlooking the battlefield with his arms raised to heaven. The Amalekites clearly survived well after the time of Saul, despite his hollow boasts. Schreiber, Mordecai (ed.). Any offense against the line of promise is treated as an offense against God. The biblical account records events as described by Saul, which, given his character, may not have been the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. On what basis are pardoning decisions made by presidents or governors when exercising their pardoning power? Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom. The new inhabitants are now referred to as Samarians. However, such an interpretation contradicts the meaning of the chapter whose purpose is to relate how various tribes and families became annexed to Judah, i.e., "the people." Therefore, Saul's boast the he had destroyed the Amalekites was not true and he was rebuked for this and other matters. Answer: The Amalekites were a tribe first mentioned during the time of Abraham ( Genesis 14:7 ). The name Amalek is not mentioned in writings outside the Bible. 6 Where was Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim? (3) The verse "Remember" is meant to remind all men of "the rule which holds good for all generations, namely, that the scourge [the staff of God's indignation] with which Israel is smitten will itself finally be smitten" (Mekhilta, 181). What does the word Baca mean in the Bible? When those privileged to enter the eternal kingdom express surprise over the grace being shown to them, Jesus says: Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40 ESV). God saved the Jews in Persia, however, and Haman, his sons, and the rest of Israels enemies were destroyed instead (Esther 9:510). In which made it possible for Haman the Agagite [descendant of Agag] to appear (Esther 3:1); his cruel plot against the Jews could only be counteracted by another descendant of Kish, Mordecai. A comparison of texts like Deuteronomy 1:44 and Numbers 14:45 suggests that the Amorites and the Amalekites were two ways of referring to the same people. In the period of the Judges. Deuteronomy explicitly admonishes the Israelites to remember Amalek and blot out its memory from under heaven, whereas in the Exodus version this can only be inferred (see above). During the reign of Hezekiah, 500 Simeonites annihilated the remnant of the Amalekites, so God is not still at war with the Amalek. Seir means Edom, in light of the fact that the concept "Seir" may be applied to a variety of regions (e.g., Josh. It is customary for the audience to make noise and shout whenever "Haman" is mentioned, in order to desecrate his name, based on Exodus 17:14. Michael Heiser Giant Clans | Sin Of The Amorites (Genesis 15:16)