Amalek

About Amalek

Amalek is mentioned in the genealogy of Esau, the son of Isaac and the brother of Israel (or 'Jacob'), who became the ancestor of the Edomites. Amalek was the son of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn son, and his concubine Timna. (Gen.36.12)

As a grandson of Esau, Amalek became the ancestor of the Amalekite people, a nomadic tribe that inhabited the Negev desert region south of Canaan. The Amalekites became a significant enemy of the Israelites during their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land and in the period of the judges and early monarchy.

In the book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, but they were defeated by Joshua and the Israelite army under the leadership of Moses. (Exo.17.8-16) God declared that He would be at war with the Amalekites from generation to generation because of their opposition to Israel. (Exo.17.16)

Later, during the period of the judges, the Amalekites joined forces with the Moabites and Ammonites to attack Israel, but they were defeated by Ehud and the Israelite army. (Jdg.3.12-30)

In the time of King Saul, God commanded him to completely destroy the Amalekites because of their past hostility towards Israel. (1Sa.15.1-3) However, Saul disobeyed God's command by sparing the Amalekite king Agag and some of the livestock. This act of disobedience led to God's rejection of Saul as king. (1Sa.15.4-35)

The Amalekites continued to be a threat to Israel until the time of King David, who defeated them and secured Israel's borders. (1Sa.27.8; 30.1-20)

Amalek's mention in the genealogy of Esau and the subsequent history of the Amalekites highlight the ongoing conflict between the descendants of Jacob and Esau and the fulfillment of God's prophecy that the two nations would be in opposition to each other. (Gen.25.23)

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.