If hypothetically Paris were to be invaded and all the Parisians were killed, but Paris infrastructure was still usable, would it be too much to consider another group of people move in? 599 Deut. The Amalekites clearly survived well after the time of Saul, despite his hollow boasts. You can also download the Into The Word app on iTunes or Google Play. [23] C. Knight elaborates this concept by making a comparison: one might say "Caesar went into France", though Gaul only later became known as France. Israel rebelled. Timna was a Horite and sister of Lotan. It seems that somehow or other, an Amalekite or two continued to survive and their theme always seems to be the destruction of the Jewish people: Aka Haman. In this particular case, therefore, YHWH, who according to Exodus 17:16 had sworn eternal enmity to Amalek, permitted Amalek to defeat Israel, but, since He had specifically warned Israel against this particular undertaking, there is no real contradiction between Exodus 17:16 and Numbers 14:45. What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:4043 ESV). When these peoples came with considerable forces and camped in the Valley of Jezreel (6:33), Gideon and his 300 men, under the direction of the Lord, routed and killed many of them (7:19-23). Human beings have a special dignity and status relative to God and the rest of his creation. 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). 1 Sam. 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. Corrections? 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. Now if the Hebrew Samarians went to war with Assyria and lost and the New Samarians went to war with Assyria decades later did Assyria fight the same people group? In the biblical genealogical system, Amalek is the son of Esau's son Eliphaz by Eliphaz's concubine Timna (Gen. 36:12). [58], "Amalekites" redirects here. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Later Amalek raided the Negeb and, in Davids absence, completely conquered Ziklag, taking captive the inhabitants including Davids two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail (1 Sam 30:1-6). Was David responsible for Saul's insane order to slaughter everyone in the city of Nob (1 Sam. In Judaism, the Amalekites came to represent the archetypal enemy of the Jews. Seir means Edom, in light of the fact that the concept "Seir" may be applied to a variety of regions (e.g., Josh. 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. Israel had many enemies and it is possible that the Amalekites who had not been killed by Saul sought the help of neighbouring tribes to harass David by stealing and by abduction. So we should probably think of Agag as an important Amalekite clan leader, not a formal king of the 'nation' of Amalek. What were the sins of the Amalekites? - Wise-Answer God hates it when the strong take cruel advantage over the weak, especially when the weak are His people. The Good News of the Gospel is that because of the person and work of Jesus, all human beings may receive the free gift of God which is eternal life. The proposed identification of the Amalekites with the Amaw or the Shasu of Egyptian sources is untenable. 15:4; Ezek. [7] This role appears in several stories: In Genesis 14:7, the "field of the Amalekites" is mentioned, though the person Amalek had not yet been born. What was the sin of the Amalekites? - Quora 17:14). 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). 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. Thus, in 1 Samuel 15:3, it was considered necessary to destroy the livestock in order to destroy Amalek.[32]. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Some believe that this Amalekite patronage of the Kenites is also mentioned in Judges 1:16, reading (in accordance with a few Septuagint manuscripts and the Latin Vulgate version) "and they settled with the Amalekite" instead of "and they settled with the people." Life of David + DAVID Flashcards | Quizlet M. Weippert, Semitische Nomaden des zweiten Jahrtausends. In the Book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Children of Israel on their journey to the land of Israel. It only takes a minute to sign up. Judg 12:15 and remarks earlier). 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. . Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. (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). 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. Schreiber, Mordecai (ed.). The command itself leaves little room for compassion or mercy: 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. Amalek - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway 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. [12] They appear to have lived a nomadic or seminomadic lifestyle along the fringes of southern Canaan's agricultural zone. Saul Defeats the Amalekites but Spares - BibleGateway [3] The end of the age will involve first separation, and only then, renewal and restoration. and Gr. Telushkin, Joseph. Amalek, a son of Esau's son Eliphaz, was presumably the eponymous ancestor of the Amalekites. The battle (or the main one) was waged in "the wadi," by which is perhaps meant the Wadi of Egypt (cf. The reason for the Lords concern about disobedient Israels encountering Amalek and other enemies without His special power was that the Amalekites who dwelt in both the hill country and in the valleys of S Canaan and the Negeb, were effective fighters in both areas (Num 14:25, 44, 45). This book was written to address and resolve the 600 year disparity between Biblical history and secular ancient history. 3 Why did God want to destroy the Amalekites? What the Bible says about Amalekites - Bible Tools Why did God want to destroy the Amalekites? Contrary to Gods command, Saul kept alive the Amalekite king and the best of their livestock (vv. Matthew George Easton advocated that the Amalekites were not descendants of Amalek by taking a literal approach to Genesis 14:7. The BIBLE never said every single Amalekite lived in their area of settling. 15:10; and perhaps also Judg. [9] But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambseverything that was good. From the scanty information in I Samuel 15, it may be concluded that Saul achieved victory over the Amalekites and advanced all the way to their headquarters, "the city of Amalek." 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. That is the danger of dominion. Where did the Israelites go after leaving Rephidim? The New Jewish Encyclopedia. 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 . If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. 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. 24:7). The. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Amalekites oppresses Israel with the help of Moab (Judges 3:12, 13), Amalekites appressed Israel with the help of Midian (Judges 6:3, 7:12). The focus of Psalm 84 is the delight of worship. Can the game be left in an invalid state if all state-based actions are replaced? Amalek was not destroyed, however, and at the end of this war Moses was ordered to write in a document, as a reminder, that the Lord would one day blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. Each rebelled against God and refused to repent out of pride. Their story is that they, unprovoked, attacked Israel from behind as they had just finished crossing the Red Sea, and Israel went to war with them. David pursued the Amalekites, defeated all but four hundred of them, and took back all that had been stolen ( 1 Samuel 30:17-20 ). The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the territories of Amalek, which they inhabited. Haman was "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite" ( Esther 3:1 ), probably directly descended from the Amalekite king Samuel killed. This brought a curse of ultimate annihilation from Moses (Ex 17:14-16, Deut 25:19) and Balaam (Num 24:20). 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. Assuming that everyone who died in the city of Amalek equates to the entire Amalek nation being exitinct is like assuming you've met every single American that exists upon visiting New York. They lived amongst the Kenites, Canaanites, etc and if they lived amongst them there was definitely mixing and thus they was preserved. But 1 Sam 15 reports that Saul defeated them "from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt." An Amalekite remnant is also described as still active during the reign of King Hezekiah in the eighth century B.C.E. Emmanuel Velikovsky, a relentless researcher, provided evidence for this possibility in his book Ages in Chaos. What would outsiders refer to them as? He only attacked one city in Havilah. For Sauls failure to fulfill completely the divine command, Samuel announced to the monarch the Lords rejection of him as king (1 Sam 15:10-23). contradiction - Is God still at war with Amalek? - Biblical They were to be under him and over everything else. What happened in Massah in the Bible? From this chapter, God reveals sevens lessons about His judgment. During the period of the Judges, the Amalekites participated with other nations in attacks on the Israelite tribes. 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. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 24:20), had no wish to fight alone against Israel but rather, with the help of many nations (Mekhilta, ed. Deut 34:3). The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt and attacked them at Rephidim near Mount Sinai, where they were defeated by Joshua. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. What risks are you taking when "signing in with Google"? They were among the nomadic raiders defeated by Gideon and were condemned to annihilation by Samuel. For an Rabbanic explanation of Timna lineage see. The Amalekites, descendants of Amalek, were an ancient biblical nation living near the land of Canaan. What happens at the Split Rock of Rephidim? All human beings stand under a sentence of death: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 ESV). 8, 9). The Defeat of Amalek. This reading which occurs only in secondary versions of the Septuagint and not in original ones can be explained as an attempt to interpret a difficult passage in the light of I Samuel 15:6, i.e., the verse in the Song of Deborah where it says of Ephraim "they whose root is in Amalek" (Judg. The psalmist (Ps 83:7) lists Amalek with the avowed enemies of Israel. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. "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. 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. For this sin, God damned the Amalekites, commanding the Jews to wage a holy war to exterminate them. Amalekites are presented as descendants of Amalek, a grandson of Esau. Whereas the Kenites passed into permanent settlement during the First Temple period and were assimilated in Judah (I Chron. Their final defeat occurred in the time of Hezekiah. This is the inner logic that explains the sequence of redemption. Perhaps the author merely wishes to define the normal range of the nomadic Amalekites in the time of Saul. Esau was the older brother of Jacob (who became Israel). They lived primarily south of Canaan, in the Negev area and sometimes in the Sinai region. (Some scholars (Edeleman in Bibliography) have argued that there was a northern Amalekite enclave adjoining Ephraimite territory.) The Amalekites were a people of the Negev and adjoining desert that were a hereditary enemy of Israel from wilderness times to the early monarchy. The Amalekites harassed the Hebrews during their Exodus from Egypt and attacked them at Rephidim near Mount Sinai, where they were defeated by Joshua. It is a reminder that the wages of sin is death. 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to 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. Moses goes on to command that for this wicked treatment of an oppressed people, Israel later, when in the land of Canaan, was to exterminate the Amalekites (Deut 25:19). After Rephidim, the next major encounter with Amalek came following the report of the spies to Israel that the enemy to the N of Kadesh-barnea in the wilderness of Paran in S Canaan, including the Amalekite forces which dwelt in the land of the Negeb, were too strong to conquer, despite the pleadings of Caleb and Joshua to the contrary (Num 13:25-33; 14:38). But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 1 Sam 31:3-5; 2 Sam 1:4-10) was killed by David because he had slain the Lords anointed king (1:14-16), and also had confessed he was an Amalekite (1:8, 13). It was situated in the mountains where nomads brought cattle to drink. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Rephidim (Hebrew: ) is one of the places visited by the Israelites in the biblical account of the Exodus from Egypt. There is some evidence that they advanced into Egypt after the Israelites departed since Egypt was in ruins and could be easily conquered. Saul conducted military campaigns against the Amalekites that while under God's instruction did not please God because the annihilation was far from complete and probably only included most of the army. 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. [26] However, the modern biblical scholar David Freedman uses textual analysis to glean that the use of Amalekite in Genesis 14:7 is actually an anachronism,[13] and in the early 19th century, Richard Watson enumerated several speculative reasons for having a "more ancient Amalek" than Abraham. 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. For this sin, God damned the Amalekites, commanding the Jews to wage a holy war to exterminate them. Within this period of the Judges the Amalekites were associated with the Moabites, Ammonites, and Midianites in their marauding activities. 13:29; 21:13, 434; Deut 1:44). Answer The Amalekites were a formidable tribe of nomads living in the area south of Canaan, between Mount Seir and the Egyptian border. Though the Amalekites are not mentioned in the table of nations in Genesis 10, in Numbers 24:20 they are referred to as "first among the nations.". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Otherwise, their fate, will be identical to that of the Amalekites. Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim, assisted by Hur and Aaron, in John Everett Millais Victory O Lord! The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Amalek (/mlk/;[1] Hebrew: , 'mlq, Arabic: 'Amlq) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. The decisive clash between Israel and Amalek came only with the advent of the monarchy, in the famous Amalekite war of Saul. 14:45). You never know. 1 Samuel 15 NIV - Bible Hub What sin did the Amalekites commit? The Amalekites were the descendants of Amalek, who was the son of Eliphaz (son of Esau, ancestor of the Edomites) and Eliphaz's concubine Timna (Genesis 36:12). When the Israelites left Egypt and set out toward Canaan (see Exodus 17:8 ff. For this sin, God damned the Amalekites, commanding the Jews to wage a holy war to exterminate them. In doing so he created a line of promise and blessing that was intended to encompass all the people in the world. The Amalekites, throughout their history, were aggressive to the Israelites. @Bach The problem stands: Samuel told Saul to kill all men, women, children and animals (15:3) and yet it only says that he spared Agag and the animals (15:9) implying that he did kill all men, women and children, This is extremely FASCINATING for many reasons. 30:14). This is seen in Judges 3:12-14 in the account of how Eglon, the king of Moab, collected the forces of the Amalekites and the Ammonites and defeated Israel and took the city of palms (evidently Jericho, cf. Both Joshua and Moses are a prophetic picture of Yeshua the Messiah. The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia. This is perhaps the most widely ignored command in the Bible. temple (E. F. Campbell and G. E. Wright, Tribal League Shrines in Amman and Shechem, BA, XXXII, No. So Saul puts together an army of two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. This is seen by observing the Kenites who lived with the Amalekites at the city of Amalek (1 Sam 15:5, 6) and that they earlier had taken up this residence with the people in the region of the Negeb near Arad (Judg 1:16), which was only about twenty m. S of Hebron. This implies that Israel is commanded to wage a holy war of extermination against Amalek (Deut. Samuel executed their king Agag (1 Sam 15) because Saul had not! Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. According to the Bible, Amalek was the first enemy that Israel encountered after the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Thus, the continuing oppressive spirit of this pagan nomadic tribe required a different treatment by the Lord from that which was to be normally carried out; namely, that terms of peace be first offered to a potential enemy (Deut 20:10-12). Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. (1 Samuel 15:23 ESV). Maybe the name stuck to the new people group even if they had no direct blood ties to Amalek. servant of an Amalekite (30:11-15), found the Amalekite camp, defeated the enemy, and recovered his wives and possessions (30:16-20). 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. What was the reason for David to leave no man or women alive? He states that "there is practically no historical evidence that anyone in the Great Church" viewed them as being purely an allegory. 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. (1871). The place lies in the march of the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai. history - Did The Amalekites survive? - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack The rabbis derived these from Deuteronomy 25:1718, Exodus 17:14 and 1 Samuel 15:3. So this explains why David would still be fighting Amalekites in his time. Killing the Amalekites | Precept Austin In the wilderness wanderings. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23). Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:1920 ESV). Who were the Amalekites and what do they Represent to us? [podcast] You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Haman in the Book of Esther was a descendant of the king Agag that Samuel executed (see 4 above). https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amalekites, JewishEncyclopedia.com - Amalek, Amalekites, Amalekites - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 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. Smiths Bible Dictionary Rephidim (Exodus 17:1,8; 19:2) The name means restsor stays, i.e. [56]John Gill also describes the cherem as an example of the law of retaliation being carried out. God had a very good reason for wanting Saul to destroy the Amalekites. What is this brick with a round back and a stud on the side used for? Completely destroy all that they have. What did the Amalekites do wrong? - Studybuff What does a shepherd do with his rod and staff? Why do you think they all lived in that city? [50], Maimonides explains that the commandment to destroy the nation of Amalek requires the Jewish people to peacefully request that they accept upon themselves the Seven Laws of Noah and pay a tax to the Jewish kingdom. As David Firth argues, this was probably "only one encampment was attacked, it would explain why Amalek continued to pose problem later" (1 & 2 Samuel, Downers Grove, IL/Nottingham, UK: InterVarsity/Apollos, 2009).