Not just defeat them, but destroy every man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey (1 Samuel 15:13). Bibliography G. A. Smith, The Historical Geography of the Holy Land (1896), 282; D. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1957), 159. Girl Child -Still a Burden for Indian Wives? Davids initial encounter with the Amalekites, in the OT record, took place during the time of his association with Achish, king of Gath, when the young Israelite made raids in the S against the Amalekites and others (1 Sam 27:8). . 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. First and foremost, Amalek is doubt in divine providence. Rabbi Berger quoted Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, an 11th century French Torah scholar who is known by the acronym Rashi, who explained the verse. Judaism, which is based on the chesed (loving kindness) of Abraham, is intellect over emotions., Amalek: Leading the Nations to Hate Israel. They were nomads as a people dwelling in that tract would naturally be. 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. Finally they flee, and Gideon, with his tiny little force, pursues. That is because Amalek in gematria (Hebrew numerology) is 240, equal to the word safek (doubt); they want you to doubt what you know is clearly the word of God., Amalek puts emotions over the intellect. He lays out some wool fleece and asks God to contain the dew to the fleece that night and keep the ground dry, if He really intends to save Israel. Ishmaelites were recorded as the descendants of Ishmael in the Bible. Rabbi Dayan paraphrased Rabbi Moshe Charlap, a leader in the religious Zionist movement of the first half of the 20th century. There had previously been an agreement between the king of Elam and these five other kings, and the other kings were sick of it, so they rebelled. 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. This demonstrates again Israels strong antipathy to Amalek. In the same way, you might say that the Algonquians inhabited Virginia, long before Virginia was a Commonwealth or the US was a country or Queen Elizabeth I was called the Virgin Queen. 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 was the grandson of Esau, Jacobs older brother. They were completely defeated and chased as far as Hormah (near Arad and Ziklag) (Num 14:39-45; Josh 12:14; 15:30). After Saul dies, David kills the Amalekite who killed him (2 Samuel 1:1516) and conquers the Amalekites along with many other nations (1 Samuel 30; 2 Samuel 8:1112; 1 Chronicles 18:11). God is a fan of raising up youngest sons, and Gideon is no exception. But great for God, whose goal is glory for Himself, not glory for Gideon. Among the victims of the four kings during this war was all the country of the Amalekites (Genesis 14:17). The Amalekites - Jewish Virtual Library That they were of obscure origin is . Exodus 17:8 After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites - Amalek & Israel - Land & People - The Amalekites & the Kenites - In the Aggadah Amalek and Israel The archetypal enemies of Israel, Torah commands the Jews to wipe out the memory of Amalek. Prophecy from the Bible is revealing itself as we speak. If youve read this far, Im sure youd like to know how this ancient Biblical story relate to our lives today! The Nazis clearly did this. King Jehoshaphats Prayer: A Scriptural Response to Fear, From Sodom and Gomorrah to Jesus: The Story of the Moabites, Sitting In the Shadows of History: The Story of the Ammonites, Everywhere and Nowhere: The Story of the Amalekites you are here. ", "ISIS a Reenactment of Biblical War Between Israel and the Amalekites, Military Analysts Say", "Unmasking Purim, Fighting Amalek: Behind the whimsy of this holiday lie some deep lessons for living", "Esther 3 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges", "Ethical Criticism of the Bible: The Case of Divinely Mandated Genocide", "Religion, nationalism and genocide: ancient Judaism revisited", "1 Samuel 15: Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers", "Metaphysical Hatred and Sacred Genocide: The Questionable Role of Amalek in Biblical Literature", Amalek, Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Remember Amalek: A lesson in Divine Providence, Latznu: Popular Culture and the Disciples of Amalek, Antiquities of the Jews - by Josephus Flavius, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amalek&oldid=1142186514, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia without a Wikisource reference, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 00:22. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Exodus 17 describes Israels first encounter with the wandering Amalekites at Rephidim, a place between the wilderness of Sin and the wilderness of Sinai (Exod 17:1; 19:2), at which the Israelites camped in their Exodus journey from Egypt. But wait, if this war happened while Abraham and Lot were still alive this was two generations before Jacob and Esau, which means it was four generations before Amalek was even born! Thus the people of Amalek lived on, to continue to torment the Jews for generations. So its anachronistic, but convenient. Therefore, it is forbidden to perform the commandment. Ishmael and the Ishmaelites - Amazing Bible Timeline Merely two weeks after the tragedy of Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, it is hard to turn sorrow into merriment. The Amalekites, descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau, fall naturally into the anti-Israel alliance. This commandment requires killing all the men, women, and children, anywhere and at any time. That is because Amalek in gematria (Hebrew numerology) is 240, equal to the word, (doubt); they want you to doubt what you know is clearly the word of God., Amalek puts emotions over the intellect. Who were the Amalekites? | GotQuestions.org a. Amalek reappears as the enemy in the famous story of Moses controlling the tide of battle with his hands. Amalek seeks Israel's physical as well as spiritual annihilation. It is to wipe him out from the world because as long as there is a memory of Amalek in the world, the Moshiach (Messiah) cannot come., Obama was not satisfied in setting his countrys policy against Israel. [22] 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. Today we look at the Amalekites, descendants of Amalek. . Some of those Amalekites were presumably descendants of Agag, because of what we read in the book of Esther. They spread out around the camp, and on Gideons signal, they all smash their jars and blow their trumpets and light their torches and yell! ADr PremGuides and MagazinesWebsite Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. [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. The etymology is uncertain, according to John L. McKenzie (1995), while Cox (1884) suggested "High." But theres a slight twist here that changes the course of Israels history. the descendants of Amalek as well, and thus sanction and legitimate their own at times violent actions. Amalek in later history. And then Moses instructs Israel to make it happen: Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget. Oh yeah? b.c. 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). In modern terminology, Amalek has come to represent those who want to exterminate the Jews. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Local leaders urged Orthodox Jews, who were the victims of the racist violence, to atone for their imaginary crimes of racism and to take up the hateful slogan of Black Lives Matter. Moses sits on a hill overlooking the battlefield, holding his staff (the one God turned into a snake). Gideons not convinced. Liberalism is what happens when you take God and meaning out of life. Some have made the connection that Sadaam Hussein and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran (modern Persia), are also descendants of Agog and Amalek and given what they want(ed) to do to the Jews and where they come from, it would come as no surprise if there was ever biological evidence to support this. Haman was probably a descendant . In the wilderness wanderings. According to the midrash (homiletic teachings), after killing Jewish men, Amalek cut off the brit milah (circumcision) of the male Jewish casualties and threw them up at heaven. Answer (1 of 7): Amalekites are mixed with the edomites or the descendents of Esau, which in the bible is called the ruddy red faced hairy one (white People) They are who the lord calls the fake Jews! Thus the people of Amalek lived on, to continue to torment the Jews for generations. Although he scalded himself, he succeeded to make others think that it was cooler than it really was. The Amalekite people are the epitome of evil. Consequently, America is presently in a battle, not only for its physical well-being but also for its spiritual values. This can even be left-wing Jews in Israel.. Whoever goes in the ways of Amalek will most certainly be wiped out., Amalek: Preventing the Jews From Settling Israel. They also have meaningful things to do with their lives. Who were the Amalekites? - Bible Portal Those who are claiming this are trying to find an ancient history to tie themselves to it to lay claim to the land of Israel. And then Gideon goes out to meet them and slaughters the enemies of Israel in the strength of the Lord and everyone rejoices and they make him king and apologize for all the mean things they said about him when he pulled down the statue.