Saul spared only the best of the sheep and of the oxen, besides Agag. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have . God hates it when the strong take cruel advantage over the weak, especially when the weak are His people. An ancient marauding people in the S of Canaan and the Negeb who were fierce enemies of Israel particularly in the earlier part of her history. Furthermore, it is possible that Saul is primarily engaged in battle against Agag (/ e /; Hebrew: gg) is a Northwest Semitic name or title applied to a biblical king.It has been suggested that "Agag" was a dynastic name of the kings of Amalek, just as Pharaoh was used as a dynastic name for the ancient Egyptians. Accordingly, the main Amalekite center was on the Sinai Peninsula in the region of "the waters of Meribath-Kadesh," which may have been in the vicinity of Kadesh-Barnea, as the Amalekite attack at Rephidim was also in the same area. As descendants of Esau they had despised the covenant themselves and now were determined that none others could have access to what they had rejected. They lived primarily south of Canaan, in the Negev area and sometimes in the Sinai region. When the nation was weak and vulnerable the Amalekites attacked the weakest and most vulnerable of the nation ( Deuteronomy 25:18 ). Saul's act of extermination was not absolute, for he spared the best of the sheep and cattle setting aside part for a sacrifice to God and Agag, king of Amalek. They did this for no reasons except violence and greed. Evidently the Amalekites had some cities, as this one, in which they sometimes settled, and possibly fulfilled religious obligations as has been shown was the case of nomadic tribes in the Trans-Jordan in connection with a 15th cent. In Genesis 1 we are told: Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. [55], Theologian Charles Ellicott explains that the Amalekites were subject to cherem in the Book of Samuel for the purposes of incapacitation, due to their 'accursed' nature and the threat they posed to the commonwealth of surrounding nations. Perhaps, the statement where Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur is hyperbolical. So this explains why David would still be fighting Amalekites in his time. Etymology [ edit] 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. By the time Aaron died, the final location of the Staff was lost, although it was believed to have been stolen from Solomons Temple around the same time as the Ark of the Covenant. ; LXX ) to Amalekite (), to try to make agreement with 1 Samuel 15:6, since the connection of the Kenites in these two passages is clear and evidence for changing the text is lacking. Matthew George Easton advocated that the Amalekites were not descendants of Amalek by taking a literal approach to Genesis 14:7. It only takes a minute to sign up. Rather in Numbers 24:20 Amalek as first is to be understood as its being the first among the nations to attack Israel in her Exodus experiences (cf. Exod 17:8; Num 14:45). In Genesis 15 God says to Abraham that his people shall sojourn in Egypt until the time of their redemption corresponds with the end of the grace period extended to the Amorites: And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. (Genesis 15:16 ESV). The. 3942); it seems most likely that the reference is to the western Negev, where the Amalekites roamed from early times. To touch the people of God is to touch God. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. In the wilderness wanderings. He was rebuked by God for not doing just that. 14:4445) against the divine command and was punished by sustaining a shattering blow at the hands of the Amalekites and Canaanites who inhabited the hill country, the former no doubt being confined to its southernmost end (Num. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The Amalekites were not completely destroyed by Saul, since at the end of his reign they were still raiding the Negev of the Cherethites, of Judah, and of Caleb, and the town of Ziklag, that had been assigned by King Achish of Gath to David (I Sam. 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. He Was a Descendant of Amalek The Book of Esther tells us that Haman was a descendant of Amalek , a nation known for its hatred of the Jewish people. The Defeat of Amalek. [3] Why did God tell Saul to destroy the Amalekites? William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991. 2:345; Josh. David This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. This fits with their association with Esau/Edom, who established his lineage there. When righteous human beings exercise dominion everything they touch is blessed. [8] He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. The Hebrew word which is usually translated as "the nation" or "the people" can also refer to military troops as in 1 Samuel 15:4. What would outsiders refer to them as? by H.S. Saul only targeted the Amalekites who lived in the Havilah to Shur region (1 Samuel 15:7). c. Moses builds and altar. - Amalek & Israel - Land & People - The Amalekites & the Kenites - In the Aggadah. Suppose something similar occurred here, the Amalekites were completely killed off and some neighbors seeing the Amalekite cities empty sought to take advantage, moves in and became a people. Hence the meaning of the name in this context is not merely geographic (Judg. Therefore, the archaeologist and historian Hugo Winckler suggested in 1895 that there were never any such people and the Biblical stories concerning them are entirely mythological and ahistorical. How old was David when he fought Goliath? If you are interested in more Bible teaching from Pastor Paul you can access the entire library of Into The Word episodes through the Audio tab on the Into the Word website. The dispute between Samuel and Saul with regard to the erem was not over the command itself, but the extent to which it had been put into effect. 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). Thus says the LORD of hosts, I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. If it helps, 1 Samuel 15:8-9, Saul did spared the king of Amalekites, Agag. They were created to be his vice regents over all creation. d. In the time of David. When some men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who exercised some control over the Negeb and the area of Hebron, presumably they also came in contact with the Amalekites who roamed the same general area. But why did he do it? He states that "there is practically no historical evidence that anyone in the Great Church" viewed them as being purely an allegory. [24], Alternatively, during the Islamic Golden Age, certain Arabic writings claimed that the Amalekites existed long before Abraham. The Amalekites committed a terrible sin against Israel. Eynei Kol ai, 73, on Sanhedrin 96b. Saul then made a statement of repentance and obtained some public reconciliation with the prophet Samuel, following which the prophet then killed Agag, the Amalekite king (15:24-33). Amalek and Israel. 1 Samuel 14 and 15 present Sauls encounter with the Amalekites. More closely historical than the Pentateuch's accounts of Amalek are the traditions set in the period of the Judges and the monarchy. The Amalekites and the people of the East joined the Midianite raids on the Israelites in the time of Gideon, and, like true desert tribes, undoubtedly participated in the destruction of the crops, as related in the Book of Judges (6:17). It is related that when Samuel put Agag to death he said "As your sword has bereaved women, so shall your mother be the most bereaved of women" (I Sam. and more. An offense against the line of promise invites judgment and recompense from the Lord as in the Old Testament, so in the New. Introduction to positive commandments, Beer Mayim Hayim, letter Alef, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Timna, concubine of Eliphaz: Midrash and Aggadah", "Shabbat Zachor: "Remember what Amalek did to you!" I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The Amalekites, descendants of Amalek, were an ancient biblical nation living near the land of Canaan. 1998. Where was Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim? Despite the title "king" the Amalekites were not a nation with fixed borders and a centralized administrative structure. Rashi explains the third commandment: From man unto woman, from infant unto suckling, from ox unto sheep, so that the name of Amalek not be mentioned even with reference to an animal by saying "This animal belonged to Amalek". King Saul , ancestor of Esther and Mordechai , failed to follow Gd 's command to get rid of the Amalekite king Agag , and the events of Purim can thus be seen as a "rematch" for this . In the period of the Judges. [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. Without raising the possibility of textual reconstruction in detail, it may be established, by drawing a parallel with the element "people," which appears repeatedly in this song, that the name Amalek in the masoretic text is the authentic one. In the Book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Children of Israel on their journey to the land of Israel. in "hill country of Seir." 24:7). According to the Bible, Amalek was the first enemy that Israel encountered after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. In particular, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin have defended a literal reading of these passages at length. Seir, killed the survivors of Amalek, and settled there. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. They persisted and progressed in sin and wickedness. 47:19), then this battle was waged in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. [14][15] An earlier hypothesis held that the Tel Masos site was an Israelite settlement mentioned in the Bible as Hormah. and his associate kings subdued among others, all the country of the Amalekites, which reference need not be taken as an anachronism, but is to be understood as possibly a different Amalek, or better, that the term is used to identify the land which later became the home of the Amalekite descendants of Esau. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. This is perhaps the most widely ignored command in the Bible. 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. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Since they were descendants of Esau, some may well have lived in Edom. R. 26:3). If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 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. The etymology is uncertain, according to John L. McKenzie (1995), while Cox (1884) suggested "High." Otherwise, their fate, will be identical to that of the Amalekites. 3:1213). Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, 1998 - 2023 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Timna was a Horite and sister of Lotan. [25] According to Samuel Cox, the Amalekites were the "first" in their hostility toward the Israelites. The district over which they ranged was south of Judah and probably extended into northern Arabia. [7] In the oracle of Balaam, Amalek was called the 'first of the nations'. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:23 ESV). The Amalekites as a nomadic desert tribe moved in the area from the Sinaitic region and the steppe land of the Negeb in S Canaan, S of Beersheba, over E to include the Arabah region N of Elath and Ezion-geber and possibly the more interior Arabia. He said: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. He only attacked one city in Havilah. Because of Sauls failure to wipe out the Amalekites, they continued to harass and plunder the Israelites over hundreds of years. Does a password policy with a restriction of repeated characters increase security? Amalekites are presented as descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. According to the Bible, Amalek was the son of Eliphaz (himself the son of Esau, ancestor of the Edomites) and Eliphaz's concubine Timna. Amalek is described as the "chief of Amalek" among the "chiefs of the sons of Esau," from which it is assumed that he ruled a clan or territory named after him . [8] One modern scholar believes this attests to Amalek's high antiquity,[9] while traditional commentator Rashi states: "He came before all of them to make war with Israel". For this sin, God damned the Amalekites, commanding the Jews to wage a holy war to exterminate them. This is the sequence taught by Jesus himself: Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 17:14). During the reign of Hezekiah, 500 Simeonites annihilated the remnant of the Amalekites, so God is not still at war with the Amalek. What should I follow, if two altimeters show different altitudes? 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. The Amalekites are not simply threatening a people group with their determination to wipe out Israel, but they are a threat to the salvation plan of God for all other nations. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt and attacked them at Rephidim near Mount Sinai, where they were defeated by Joshua. 17:6, 7, 816; 18:5), is in the neighborhood of Horeb; if the locality Massah and Meribah (17:7) is to be found in the region of Kadesh-Barnea or is identical with it (Num. Each rebelled against God and refused to repent out of pride. The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt and attacked them at Rephidim near Mount Sinai, where they were defeated by Joshua. King David fought several battles with the Amalekites (1 Sam 27:8, 30:1, 17, 18). What are the advantages of running a power tool on 240 V vs 120 V? 15:15 ASV). The Amalekites seem to have been fairly well controlled under the monarchy, for the OT does not mention them again until the time of Hezekiah (c. 700 b.c.) b. Amalekites attack. Both Joshua and Moses are a prophetic picture of Yeshua the Messiah. Also Minchat Chinuch, parshat Ki Tetze, mitzvah 434. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 4 [Dec., 1969], 104-111). There may have been multiple enclaves of Amalekites scattered throughout the Sinai peninsula. In other words, those Amalekites who lived in the area mentioned, and who adhered closely to Agag, may have been wiped out; but those who lived elsewhere could have survived or blended in with other Edomite groups. Sauls rebellion against God was so serious that he was rejected by God as king: For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. 3. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" . 20:114, 24; Ezek. Their first encounter with Israel was when they attacked the rear of Israel but were defeated by Joshua at Rephidim (Ex 17:8-13, Deut 25:17, 18). So we should probably think of Agag as an important Amalekite clan leader, not a formal king of the 'nation' of Amalek. Who a person is toward the line of promise is who that person is before God. In rabbinic literature, the reasons for the unusual eternal remembrance of Amalek are the following: (1) Amalek is the irreconcilable enemy and it is forbidden to show mercy foolishly to one wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel (PR 12:47). The Amalekites are not listed in the table of nations in Genesis 10, as they did not originate until after Esau's time. God had a very good reason for wanting Saul to destroy the Amalekites. 34:5; Josh. In the course of time this biblical injunction became so deeply rooted in Jewish thought that many important enemies of Israel were identified as direct descendants of Amalek. Rabin (19602), 176; Jos., Ant., 3:40). the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. [51], In addition, the Amalekites, as a physical nation, have been extinct since the time of Hezekiah's reign, according to the Hebrew Bible. The matter was, therefore, a war of rescue as were the wars of the Judges, and it seems that because of its difficulty Saul vowed that in the event of success he would devote the spoil to the Lord by erem. The Biblical text states that the Israelites argued with Moses about the lack of water, with Moses rebuking the Israelites for testing Yahweh, hence the name Massah, which means testing. Corrections? But does that mean the entire nation of the Amalekites was destroyed, including all the women and children? "Amalek was the first of the nations, But his end shall be destruction." Amalekites Defeated by david 1 Samuel 27:8-9 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt.
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