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. The end of the age will involve first separation, and only then, renewal and restoration. In commemoration of the victory, Moses built an altar which he called "YHWH-Nissi," and proclaimed that "The Eternal will be at war against Amalek throughout the ages." To touch the people of God is to touch God. Matthew George Easton advocated that the Amalekites were not descendants of Amalek by taking a literal approach to Genesis 14:7. What we do have is historical documentation that shows that some Amalekites lived well beyond the time of Saul. 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. 15 And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore hearken to the words of the Lord. 7 Where did the Israelites go after leaving Rephidim? The Amalekites (/mlkats/[6]) were considered to be Amalek's descendants through the genealogy of Esau. Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. 5:23). [10] First-century Roman-Jewish scholar and historian Flavius Josephus refers to Amalek as a 'bastard' () in a derogatory sense. (Genesis 12:17 ESV). The focus of Psalm 84 is the delight of worship. 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). Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. Obviously, some Amalekites escaped Saul's army. 24:18, 20). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. They were nomadic and moved around. vs06 I edited your question, feel free to revert to original or edit further as you wish. Saul was severely rebuked for this incomplete job and his attempt at "spin" by suggesting that all had been eliminated when, clearly, they had not. Emmanuel Velikovsky, a relentless researcher, provided evidence for this possibility in his book Ages in Chaos. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. (Some scholars (Edeleman in Bibliography) have argued that there was a northern Amalekite enclave adjoining Ephraimite territory.) [56]John Gill also describes the cherem as an example of the law of retaliation being carried out. Pharoah took Abrahams wife Sarah for his own. Why did God tell Saul to destroy the Amalekites? 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. The last remnants appear to have been largely eliminated by the tribe of Simeon during the time of Hezekiah (1 Chron 4:42, 43). In the wilderness wanderings. Any offense against the line of promise is treated as an offense against God. 1 Samuel 15 Easy-to-Read Version Saul Destroys the Amalekites 15 One day Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel. They were among the nomadic raiders defeated by Gideon and were condemned to annihilation by Samuel. NY: Behrman House, Inc. 1976. Where did the Israelites go after leaving Rephidim? Were the previous Israelites living in Samaria called Samarians too? Who were the Amalekites? [8] He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. Human sin affects absolutely everything that it touches. 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. It was the Amalekites who raided David's city of Ziklag, stealing away his family and possessions ( 1 Samuel 30:1-3 ). It only takes a minute to sign up. [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. 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. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. 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? Both Joshua and Moses are a prophetic picture of Yeshua the Messiah. The King (and presumably many senior officials) survived and many others did as well. Where was Moses holding up his arms during the Battle of Refidim? 15:33). Num. Haman in the Book of Esther was a descendant of the king Agag that Samuel executed (see 4 above). ; Josh. The operative words in that statement are pass through. The valley of weeping is a place through which we pass; it is not where Gods people permanently dwell. It has no lasting place in his creation. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. 3. Schreiber, Mordecai (ed.). 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. First, God gave the Amalekites 400 years to repent before He judged them of . There is some evidence that they advanced into Egypt after the Israelites departed since Egypt was in ruins and could be easily conquered. 24:7). In the Book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Children of Israel on their journey to the land of Israel. Perhaps, the statement where Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur is hyperbolical. There the Amalekites appear to have found them and cruelly massacred them. rev2023.4.21.43403. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. [7] In the oracle of Balaam, Amalek was called the 'first of the nations'. (I Samuel 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. Next, the Amalekite who claimed he had finished killing Saul (cf. Who attacked Israelites? 30:14). 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The etymology is uncertain, according to John L. McKenzie (1995), while Cox (1884) suggested "High." [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. From this chapter, God reveals sevens lessons about His judgment. (I Samuel When God in judgment withdrew His hand of blessing and ordered them to go back S into the wilderness (14:1-25), the people again disobeyed God, and with their own feeble effort attacked the Amalekites. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The royal line of the Kings is what led to Haman. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amalekites, JewishEncyclopedia.com - Amalek, Amalekites, Amalekites - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 17:14). 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. [13] However, it is possible that some of the fortified settlements in the Negev highlands and even Tel Masos (near Beer-sheba) have Amalek connections. 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). In Genesis 12 God entered into covenant with the family of Abraham. Telushkin, Joseph. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991. It is unimaginable that such a juxtaposition would have been possible after the consciousness of the divine war of extermination against Amalek had taken root in Israel. Smiths Bible Dictionary Rephidim (Exodus 17:1,8; 19:2) The name means restsor stays, i.e. Thus, in 1 Samuel 15:3, it was considered necessary to destroy the livestock in order to destroy Amalek.[32]. 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. He was keeping track of the measure of their sins, and, during Abraham's time, it was not yet "full." So the Amorites were warned that judgment was coming. The psalmist (Ps 83:7) lists Amalek with the avowed enemies of Israel. There is an earlier reference to the word Amalek in Genesis 14:7 where Chedorlaomer (c. 1900 b.c.) In Genesis 1 we are told: Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. The flood did not just destroy rebellious adult men and women it killed everything and everyone not in the ark. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The place lies in the march of the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai. 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). 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Thus, in 1 Samuel 15:3, it was considered necessary to destroy the livestock in order to destroy Amalek. Amalek, a son of Esau's son Eliphaz, was presumably the eponymous ancestor of the Amalekites. That is why Gods partial acts of judgment and mitigation in the Old Testament tend to be broad and all-encompassing in their scope. Shur is on the edge of Egypt; Havilah is in Saudi Arabia. Based on the information in 1 Samuel 15:4-9, God instructs Saul to attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them; men, women, children, infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys. The most immediate answer would seem to be that unlike the people of Ninevah, the Amalekites did not repent, though they were given plenty of time to do so. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? I'd be interested if that Amalekite bloodline still survives aka Hitler etc. [29], According to a midrash, Amalek's mother Timna was a princess who had tried to convert to Judaism but had been rejected by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This principle is transposed by Jesus into a New Covenant key in the parable or metaphor of the sheep and the goats. 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. Maybe the name stuck to the new people group even if they had no direct blood ties to Amalek. When the nation was weak and vulnerable the Amalekites attacked the weakest and most vulnerable of the nation ( Deuteronomy 25:18 ). 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. - Amalek & Israel - Land & People - The Amalekites & the Kenites - In the Aggadah. According to the biblical account, the war began as a result of a divine command of the Lord to Saul through Samuel to smite Amalek and destroy it, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (I Sam. Therefore, all who are wise will forsake their sin and seek absolution through the means that he provides. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the Israelite army not because of his own weakness or advanced years but because he wished "to train Joshua in warfare" (Mekhilta, 179; Ex. 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." (1871). The shepherd would hold out the rod and have all the sheep pass under it one at a time, counting each animal as it passed. 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? 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy a . Rephidim (Hebrew: ) is one of the places visited by the Israelites in the biblical account of the Exodus from Egypt. This is borne out by Judges 12:15 where the area of Ephraim around the town Pirathon (not far from present-day Nablus) is called the hill country of the Amalekites. See 1 Samuel 27:5-7 and 30:1 for the fact that Amalek raided Philistine towns like Ziklag (a few m. N of Beersheba) which Achish, king of Gath, had given to David. 8, 9). Horeb. This may indicate that Agag's military success was proverbial. 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? 8:2627) except in special cases (Deut. 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. In the Book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Children of Israel on their journey to the land of Israel. Amalek (/mlk/;[1] Hebrew: , 'mlq, Arabic: 'Amlq) was a nation described in the Hebrew Bible as a staunch enemy of the Israelites. Start for FREE. Well, the city of Amalek (gotta attack the headquarters first before you plan a society's collapse) was located within the Havilah-Shur region. 1 Samuel 14 and 15 present Sauls encounter with the Amalekites. They did this for no reasons except violence and greed. It has been suggested by Moshe Kochavi that the ir Amaleq, (city of Amalek) referred to at 1 Samuel 15:5 may be identified with the site at Khirbet eI-Meshash (Tel Masos) on the periphery of the Wadi Beer-sheba, some 12 kilometres east of the city of Beer Sheva itself. Esau was the older brother of Jacob (who became Israel). Genesis 36:10These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau. [48], In addition, many rabbinic authorities ruled that the commandment only applies to a Jewish king or an organized community, and cannot be performed by an individual. 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. As a people, the Amalekites were identified as a recurrent enemy of the Israelites. [57], According to Christian Hofreiter, historically almost all Christian authorities and theologians have interpreted the herem passages as referring to real, historical events when God commanded the Israelites to exterminate all the members of particular nations. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" . 31:8; Judg. The war with Amalek did not end with their defeat, and the Israelites were commanded always to remember the deeds of Amalek (Deut. b. Can we reconcile with our eternal sworn enemies? These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Do not spare them. 600 Deut. Id say yes, if I had to guess. It is sad that they did not take advantage of their time of grace. 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 . is there such a thing as "right to be heard"? Although Samuel alludes to Amalek's provocation of Israel, "in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt" (15:2), there is no mention of the battle of Rephidim and of the victorious war of Moses and Joshua. 13:13 ff. 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. The district over which they ranged was south of Judah and probably extended into northern Arabia. The Amalekites survived by living amongst other tribes. How old was David when he fought Goliath? This implies that Israel is commanded to wage a holy war of extermination against Amalek (Deut. 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. It is difficult to imagine that Mt. So we should probably think of Agag as an important Amalekite clan leader, not a formal king of the 'nation' of Amalek. We are living in the part of the story wherein the opportunity to be on the right side of this process is being extended to all people, everywhere. The Amalekites. It is a reminder that those who persist in sin will face the certain and awful judgment of the Lord. and only as a remnant whom some of the Simeonites defeated at Mount Seir (i.e., Edom; Gen 32:3; 1 Chron 4:41-43). What positional accuracy (ie, arc seconds) is necessary to view Saturn, Uranus, beyond? This fits with their association with Esau/Edom, who established his lineage there. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, [1] oxen and . It was situated in the mountains where nomads brought cattle to drink. Here we have an example of not the extermination of the Northern Ten Tribes but exiling them and replacing them with other people groups. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have . Consider his excuse for not killing all the livestock, for example. Saul only targeted the Amalekites who lived in the Havilah to Shur region (1 Samuel 15:7). 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. 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. When they are in right relationship with God they mediate blessings; when they are in active rebellion, they mediate corruption, chaos and death. Horovitz and I.A. The Lord arrests him on the side of the road and says: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? (Acts 9:4 ESV). Deut 34:3). And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the How come David fought an Amalekite army that Saul has already eradicated a few years earlier? 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. Saul Defeats the Amalekites but Spares Their King. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Neither does the title "king," applied to Agag, necessarily imply an organized kingdom as customarily found in settled regions, and it may be presumed that Agag was a type of tribal chief called a king, like the kings of Midian (Num. [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. 6:17 ff.). The king attacked and conquered this foe with their city called Amalek (1 Sam 15:4-7) the exact location of which is not known. Because of Sauls failure to wipe out the Amalekites, they continued to harass and plunder the Israelites over hundreds of years. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23). What would outsiders refer to them as? 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. The record says that Saul took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. Save 15% on BibleGateway+ with code SPRINGSTUDY15. Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. also Judg 10:12). The immediate reason given for the destruction of the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15 is given in verse 2: 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. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. This group of Amalekites was reportedly destroyed by 500 Simeonite families who had migrated to the area, "because there was pasture for their flocks." 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.

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