Amalek Amelekites Allies Of The Amelekites Extermination Of The

The genealogy of Amalek, if it may be read as traditional ethnology rather than literally, relates the Amalekites to the Edomites (consequently also to the Hebrews). This can be concluded from the genealogy in Gen. 36:12; 1 Chr. 1:36. Amalek is a son of Esau's son Eliphaz and of the concubine Timna, a Horite and sister of Lotan. 'Timnah' appears as the name of an Edomite clan-chief in Gen. 36:4. Amalek, for what ever reason, has become eponymous for the Amelekites.

1 Amelekites

The Amalekites existed as early as the time of Abraham in what would later be known as the Roman province of Arabia Petraea [3] (Gen. 14:7).

In the Pentateuch, the Amelekites are nomads who attacked the Hebrews at RephidimRephidim supports, one of the stations of the Israelites, situated in the Wady Feiran, near its junction with the Wady esh-Sheikh. Here no water could be found for the people to drink, and in their impatience they were ready to stone Moses, as if he were in the desert of Sinai during their exodus from Egypt: "smiting the hindmost, all that were feeble behind," ( 1 SamuelThe Books of Samuel are two books in the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Old Testament. The Greek Septuagint translators regarded the books of Samuel and the Kings as forming one continuous history, which they divided into four books, which they called "Th 15:2). The Tanakh recognizes the Amalekites as indigenous tribesmen, "the first of the nations" ( NumbersThe Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar , i. in the wilderness. In the Septuagint version it is called Arithmoi ("Numbers"), and this name is now the usual title of the book. It is so called because 24:20) In the southern lowlands too, perhaps the dry grazing lands that are now the NegevThe Negev Standard Hebrew Negev / Nagev Tiberian Hebrew Nee / Ne Arabic an-Naqab is the desert region of southern Israel. In Biblical Hebrew Negev means south. Geographically, the over 13,000km² Negev forms an inverted triangle whose western side is conti (Num. 12, 14), there were aboriginal Amalekites who were daunting adversaries of the Hebrews in the earliest times. "They dwelt in the land of the south...from Havilah until thou comest to Shur " (Num. 13:29; 1 Sam. 15:7). At times said to be allied with the Moabites (Judg. 3:13) and the MidianAccording to the Bible, Midian "Strife; judgment", Standard Hebrew Midyan Tiberian Hebrew Miyn was a son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6). His descendants, the Midianites settled in the territory of the Mitanni (hence the name) east oites ( JudgesJudges is a book of the Bible; it appears in the Hebrew Bible and in the Christian Old Testament. Its title refers to its contents; it contains the history of judges who helped rule and guide the Israelites. Meaning of the title The book derives its name 6:3). Each of their kings bore the hereditary name of Agag (Num. 24:7; 1 Sam. 15:8). They also attacked the Israelites at Hormah (Num. 14:45). Saul defeated them utterly, but earned the wrath of God by sparing some for use as slaves, and failing to burn their treasures (1 Sam.).

2 Allies of the Amelekites

In the books of 1 Samuel and Judges, the tribe of Kenites are associated with the Amalekites, sometimes their allies, sometimes allied with the tribes of Israel. The Amalek people are invariably enemies of Israel. Saul's successful expedition against the unidentified "city of Amalek," in the plain (1 Sam. 15) resulted in the capture of the Amalekite king, Agag (the only Amalekite name that has been preserved).

3 Extermination of the Amelekites

As the Jewish Encyclopedia put it, "David waged a sacred war of extermination against the Amalekites," who subsequently disappeared from history. Long after, in the time of Hezekiah, five hundred Simeonites annihilated the last remnant "of the Amalekites that had escaped" on Mount Seir, and settled in their place.(1 Chr. 4:42-43)

The Biblical relationship between the Hebrew and Amalekite tribes was one of unmitigated enmity.

"Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." (1 Sam. 15:3).

The Jews manner of dealing with them was extreme, as they could be shown no mercy. Women and children were slain, and no slaves or gold could be taken from them. Rather all were killed, and their valuables were burned.

"He betook himself to slay the women and the children, and thought he did not act therein either barbarously or inhumanly; first, because they were enemies whom he thus treated, and, in the next place, because it was done by the command of God, whom it was dangerous not to obey." ( Flavius Josephus, Antiquites Judicae, Book VI, Chapter 7)

See Wipe Out Amalek for a current rabbinical teaching on the matter.

4 Symbolism of the Amalekites

In Jewish tradition, the Amalekites came to represent the archetypal enemy of the Jews. For example, Haman, from the Book of Esther, is called the Agagite, which is interpretted as being a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag.

The term has been used metaphorically to refer to enemies of Judaism throughout history, including the Nazis, and controversially, by some to refer to the Arabs.

4.1 Rejection of God

The concept has long been used by rabbis (particularly the Baal Shem Tov) to represent the rejection of God, or Atheism. Of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) followed by Orthodox Jews, three refer to the Amalekites: to remember what the Amalekites did to the Jews, to not forget what the Amalekites did to the Jews, and to destroy the Amalekites utterly. The rabbis derived these from Deuteronomy 25:17-18, Exodus 17:14 and 1 Sam. 15:3. Rashi explains the third mitzvah:

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".

5 Kings of the Amalekites

Agag (1 Sam. 15:8)

6 External links

7 References

The Punishment of Amalek in Jewish Tradition: Coping with the Moral Problem, Avi Sagi, Harvard Theological Review Vol.87, No.3 (1994) p.323-46.

Torah people Hebrew Bible/Tanakh people

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