Exo 17:8 A came and fought against Israel at Rephidim
Exo 17:16 hand of A.. Jehovah will have war with A
Num 13:29 A inhabits the Negev, and the Hittites, the Jebusites
Num 24:20 seeing A, he took up his parable and said
Deu 25:17 remember what A did to you in
1Sa 15:3 wounds A, and destroys everything he has
1Sa 30:1 those from A had invaded the Negev and
Amalek (Heb. Amâlêq, “warlike” or “people that licks”). 1. Son of Eliphaz and Timna, Eliphaz’s concubine; hence Esau’s grandson (Gen 36:12, 16; 1Ch 1:36). The word is also frequently used in a collective sense, and thus means Amalekites* (Exo 17:8; Num 13:29; etc.). 2. Mount (Jdg 12:15) in the Amalekite territory of the Negev; unidentified. 3. City (1Sa 15:5) that some scholars consider to be more of a camp, since the Amalekites were nomads.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
son of Elifaz, grandson of Esau Gn 36, 12. From him derives the name of the Amalekites, a very ancient people who lived to the north, in the Negeb and on Mount Seir Gn 14, 7; Numbers 13, 29; 1 Chr 4, 42-43. These peoples permanently made war against Israel Ex 17, 8-16; Dt 25, 17-19. Israel was defeated at Hormah by the Amalekites Nm 14, 3945; Dt 1, 41-46. Balaam in his oracle announces the extermination of Amelec Nm 24, 20. When the judges, the Amalekites, together with the Ammonites, joined Eglon, king of Moab, and defeated Israel Jc 3, 13. They also joined the robbers Midianites and the children of the East, to attack the Israelites, invade and plunder them Jc 6, 3-6, but Gideon defeated them Jc 7. Saul defeated the Amalekites and captured their king Agag alive, disobeying Yahweh’s orders to exterminate him 1 S 15. King David also fought against this people, when he was a refugee in Gath, 1 S 27, 8; 30, 17-18.
After the battle of Gelboé against the Philistines, when King Saul was wounded, he asked one of Amalek to kill him. He carries out the king’s wish and then, along with the diadem and bracelet taken from Saul’s corpse, brings the news to David, who orders the Amalekite’s death, 2 S 1, 1-16.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Son of Eliphaz (Eldest son of Esau) with his concubine Timna (Gen 36:12; 1Ch 1:36). A chief of Edom (Gen 36:16).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
(Amalekites in the Douay Version, or Amalek, Amalekites)
A people primarily remembered as the most hated of all Israel’s enemies, and traditionally regarded as the fiercest of the Bedouin tribes.
Contents
- 1 ORIGIN
- 2 LOCATION
- 3 AMALEK AND ISRAEL UNDER MOSES
- 4 PERIOD OF THE JUDGES
- 5 SAUL
SOURCE
According to a widely accepted interpretation of Genesis 36, 10-12, his descent can be traced back to Amalek, son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau, and therefore Abraham; this version is considered by the most modern academics since it points to the Arab origin of the Amalekites and to the racial affinity with the Hebrews. The Amalek of Genesis 36:12, however, is not mentioned as the ancestor of the Amalekites, although the purpose of the text, which fixes the origin of several of the Arabian tribes, supports that view; but, on the other hand, there is the older version of Genesis 14 which can only be objectively interpreted as indicating that the Amalekites, instead of descending from Abraham, were a perfectly identifiable tribe in their day, when they were defeated at Kadesh by Chedorlaomer, King of the Elamites. This evidence of his antiquity would be confirmed by the most likely interpretation on the part of those who consider Balaam’s dubious prophecy, referring to “Amalek, the first of the nations” as an indication not of his greatness, but of his antiquity relative to the other nations mentioned in the oracle. The origin of the Amalekites cannot be fixed in other sources; the Arab traditions are very recent and do not add reliable evidence to the biblical data; and while almost every passage of Scripture relating to their origin is subject to varied and sometimes contradictory interpretation by highly competent scholars, there is little doubt that the Amalekites were of Arabian origin and much older than the Israelites. . The belief in their Arab descent is confirmed by their customs and their habitat.
LOCATION
The Amalekites were nomads and warriors and therefore their name is related in the Bible to various regions. Its place of origin, however, as indicated in 1 Samuel 27, 8 was in the desert, to the south and southwest of Judea, which extends to the border with Egypt and in the lower part of Mount Sinai and which today is called Et Tih; a region too arid for planting, but fertile enough to provide excellent pasture. This indication that we find in 1 Samuel 27, 8 is confirmed in other passages. It was in this desert, at Kadesh, that they suffered defeat at the hands of Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14); here, further south, at Rephidin, near the bottom of Mount Sinai, they confronted Moses (Exodus 17); here they were attacked by Saul (1 Samuel 15), and here the rest of them perished under Hezekiah. But they were not always limited to the desert; they continued farther north and during the time of Moses at least some of them found themselves within the borders of Palestine and frustrated the attempts of the Israelites to invade their country from the south (Num. 13). On two occasions the Hebrew texts of our days place them as far north as in the territory of Ephraim (Judges 5, 14; 12, 15); but in both cases there seems to be an erroneous interpretation in the Hebrews which allows us to excuse the frequent speculations, based on these texts, in relation to the great extensions and diverse fortunes of the Amalekites and their doubtful possessions of Mount Ephraim. (See Moore and Lagrange’s comments on the Book of Judges, and Moore’s Hebrew text on the Judges found in Paul Haupt’s Polychrome Bible.) The Amalekites, as nomads and conquerors of the Sinai Peninsula, entered in contact and, almost inevitably, in conflict with the Israelites.
AMALEK AND ISRAEL UNDER MOSES
Their first meeting took place during the first year of their nomadic life, after Israel left Egypt, and was of such a nature that it gave rise to a hatred of the Amalekites that lasted until their extermination under King Hezekiah many centuries later. The first meeting was at Raphidin, where the Israelites under Moses had camped on their journey to Mount Sinai; It was at this place in the desert of the Amalekites, where Moses, having placed Joshua in command, climbed to the top of the mountain together with Aaron and Hur and it was on this occasion that the fate of the battle was decided by “the staff of God” held in the hands of Moses; Israel was victorious while Moses had his hands raised; but when he lowered them, Amalek won. The victory was finally for the Israelites (Exodus 17). There is very little in this account of Exodus to show why the Amalekites were singled out for the hatred of the Israelites; however, it concludes with Yahweh’s sentence that he would completely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens and that his hand would be raised against Amalek from generation to generation. Amalek, however, was the aggressor (ibid., 8); Although this historical account must be taken into consideration, it is necessary to remember that the Israelites had invaded the Amalekites. The reason for the hatred of Israel, which is missing from this historical account, can be found in Deuteronomy 25 where it is commented that the reason for the offense of Amalek is based on his cruel and treacherous attack that ignored the laws of Bedouin hospitality which represented an offense to God and man. Instead of being compassionate towards the weak and exhausted Israelite army, “hungry and mistreated”, they mercilessly threw them into the swamp. Now, “in accordance with the ancient standards of hospitality and in fear of God, the Amalekites should have forgiven and actually helped those who had lagged behind and were unfit for battle. That they did the opposite was an inhumane and barbaric act.” Such behavior gave rise to the tribe being considered unworthy of life. In such a way that hatred towards the Amalekites until their extermination was considered by the Israelites as a religious obligation. Aside from this cruelty, rivalry between the two tribes was inevitable, as Amalek could not be expected to look complacently at the encroachment of his rich pastures by the Israelites.
No other persecutions of the Amalekites are known to have taken place during the Israelites’ journey to Mount Sinai, their stay there, or their march to Kadesh, near the southern border with Palestine. It was from this place that the Israelites first attempted to enter the Promised Land, and here again they clashed with the Amalekites at the place whose ancestors had been defeated by Queorlamoer. The Israelites had reached the desert of Faran and from there they sent spies to Palestine to observe its people, lands and cities. The Amalekites were found in the south of the country and, apparently, faced with a confederation of different tribes or nations, since they very soon began a combined effort to attack the Israelites; but the spies also reported giants living in those lands and “we looked to them like grasshoppers and we looked the same to them” (Num. 13, 34). These tales of the giants frightened the people and “the whole community began to shout and weep all night” and began to murmur and wish that they had died in Egypt or in the desert instead of having been sentenced by God to undertake the death. conquest of the land of the giants. Moses, Aaron, and Joshua tried to quell the rebellion, but only provoked their hatred; and God condemned them to wander for forty years in the desert and that none of them would enter the Promised Land. This greatly distressed the people and they decided to attack the Amalekites and Canaanites. But Moses forbade them prophesying that God would not be with them. However, they decided to continue with their plans even if Moses was not with them. And Moses’ prophecy was fulfilled: the Amalekites and their allies attacked them and destroyed them until they reached Jormah (Num. 14, 45). The subsequent history of the Amalekites during the time of Moses is confusing. Its destruction is predicted by Balaam in his famous oracle pronounced on Mount Peor, while observing the nations around him: “And when he saw Amalek, he spoke and said: ‘Amalek, the first of the nations, your end will be your end. destruction’” a prophecy (whatever its date) showing at least that the Amalekites held an important place for a time among the Semitic tribes or nations surrounding Israel (Num. 24). The fulfillment of this prophecy is pronounced upon the Israelites by Moses…