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). It is possible that this tradition is based on abortive attempts by Israel to expand its holdings in the South during the premonarchic period (see Num. The Vulgate also names David as the author. [24][25] It is, however, possible that the name Amalek may have been given to two different nations. The Hebrew word used in 1 Samuel 15:7 has the same meaning as in 1 Samuel 15:4 (and 15:20). The Amalekites were a fierce race of nomads who inhabited the desert to the south of Judaea towards Egypt. This is perhaps the most widely ignored command in the Bible. As enumerated by Maimonides, the three mitzvot state: 598 Deut. But 1 Sam 15 reports that Saul defeated them "from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt." also Judg 10:12). An offense against the line of promise invites judgment and recompense from the Lord as in the Old Testament, so in the New. 25:1219), for in the early days "the wars of Israel" and the "wars of the Lord" were synonymous expressions (cf., e.g., Judg. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Timna was a Horite and sister of Lotan. [58], "Amalekites" redirects here. According to the Bible, Amalek was the son of Eliphaz (himself the son of Esau, ancestor of the Edomites) and Eliphaz's concubine Timna. 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. This principle is transposed by Jesus into a New Covenant key in the parable or metaphor of the sheep and the goats. Evidently the Amalekites had some cities, as this one, in which they sometimes settled, and possibly fulfilled religious obligations as has been shown was the case of nomadic tribes in the Trans-Jordan in connection with a 15th cent. The focus of Psalm 84 is the delight of worship. Was Samuel referring to Saul in 1 Samuel 8:10-17? rev2023.4.21.43403. The Amalekites clearly survived well after the time of Saul, despite his hollow boasts. Saul's act of extermination was not absolute, for he spared the best of the sheep and cattle setting aside part for a sacrifice to God and Agag, king of Amalek. [14][15] An earlier hypothesis held that the Tel Masos site was an Israelite settlement mentioned in the Bible as Hormah. This put the line of promise in immediate danger: But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abrams wife. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991. [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. It is a reminder that those who harass and abuse the people of God invite the curse of God. M. Weippert, Semitische Nomaden des zweiten Jahrtausends. men, who rode upon camels and fled. 3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have . These verses relate that some of the Simeonites went to Mt. Its site is not certain, but it is perhaps Wady Feiran, a rather broad valley about 25 miles from Jebel Musa(Mount Sinai). In Jewish folklore, the Amalekites are considered to be the symbol of evil. We have many examples including the giant king Og. What was the sin of the Amalekites? - Quora (1 Samuel 15:23 ESV). They were created to be his vice regents over all creation. This was because Haman was considered to be an Amalekite although this label is more likely to be symbolic rather than literal.[37][38][39]. First, God gave the Amalekites 400 years to repent before He judged them of . He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:4043 ESV). That Amaleks unrelenting and destructive spirit and action against God and the cause of His people Israel was heinous to the Lord is seen later in the reminder to Saul concerning these wilderness incidents and in Gods command that the king is to destroy these God-defying Amalekites (1 Sam 15:2, 3; cf. That means that God gave the Amalekites more than 400 years to turn from their wicked ways as compared to the 40 days that he gave to the people of Nineveh but unlike the Ninevites, the Amalekites did not repent. servant of an Amalekite (30:11-15), found the Amalekite camp, defeated the enemy, and recovered his wives and possessions (30:16-20). 17:14). Horeb. 24:20), had no wish to fight alone against Israel but rather, with the help of many nations (Mekhilta, ed. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" . An Amalekite is a name for a member of the Amalekite nation. Rather than there being a contradiction in scripture, the more obvious reason for the conundrum is that although Saul attacked the Amalekite army he did not not complete the task according to Gods instructions. 25:17). 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zeph. It seems probable that the wanderings of the Amalekites, or of a particular part of them, extended as far as Transjordan in the neighborhood of Moab or Ammon. history - Did The Amalekites survive? - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack (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). Matthew George Easton advocated that the Amalekites were not descendants of Amalek by taking a literal approach to Genesis 14:7. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. Nur Masalha, Elliot Horowitz, and Josef Stern suggest that Amalekites have come to represent an "eternally irreconcilable enemy" that wants to murder Jews, that Jews in post-biblical times sometimes associate contemporary enemies with Haman or Amalekites, and that some Jews believe that pre-emptive violence is acceptable against such enemies. The name Amalek is not mentioned in writings outside the Bible. When Adam and Eve sin they are exiled from the garden and condemned to die: you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19 ESV). God had a very good reason for wanting Saul to destroy the Amalekites. But if we remain in our sins, then we will perish in our sins, as Jesus himself said in the Gospel of Luke: No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3 ESV). [25] According to Samuel Cox, the Amalekites were the "first" in their hostility toward the Israelites. 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). Source: Did Saul lie to Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:7? They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 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. (1 Samuel 30:17-18) Perhaps the Amalakites conscripted the help of their friendly neighbours. This fits with their association with Esau/Edom, who established his lineage there. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:1517 ESV). 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). This principle remains active throughout the entire Old Testament. . 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way, when they came up out of Egypt. A similar expression occurs in the description of the much wider range of the Ishmaelites: "From Havilah, by Shur, which is east of (or close to) Egypt, etc." They were among the nomadic raiders defeated by Gideon and were condemned to annihilation by Samuel. Can you still use Commanders Strike if the only attack available to forego is an attack against an ally? People are free to rebel, if they choose, but the consequence of such rebellion will be death. King Saul Disobeys God - Mission Bible Class You can also download the Into The Word app on iTunes or Google Play. There is an earlier reference to the word Amalek in Genesis 14:7 where Chedorlaomer (c. 1900 b.c.) Then the future king, through the help of an abandoned Egyp. As this text makes abundantly clear, enjoyment of Gods creation is dependent upon our obedience. [4] Amalek is described as the "chief of Amalek" among the "chiefs of the sons of Esau",[5] from which it is surmised that he ruled a clan or territory named after him. 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. David Samuel's words more closely parallel the narrative about the attack of Amalek in the Book of Deuteronomy (25:1719), which relates that the Amalekites attacked the Israelites on their way out of Egypt, "when you were famished and weary," and cut down the stragglers in the rear, without mentioning any victorious Israelite counteraction. AMALEK m lk, AMALEKITES m l k ts (, ; Gr , ). 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The New Testament Apostles did not understand that reality to have been nullified by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, rather they understood this Old Testament story, and others like it, as: an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly (2 Peter 2:6 ESV). For "the enemy comes only on account of sin and transgression" (ibid.). [Genesis 36:12], Regarding Samuel's destruction of them, a casual reading can lead to the assumption that one big battle was described. --This decree was entrusted to Joshua in the first instance, as the "servant of the Book" ( Exodus 17:14 ); here it is enjoined upon the nation of Israel. The Biblical text states that the Israelites argued with Moses about the lack of water, with Moses rebuking the Israelites for testing Yahweh, hence the name Massah, which means testing. 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. So we should probably think of Agag as an important Amalekite clan leader, not a formal king of the 'nation' of Amalek. The New Jewish Encyclopedia. 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to