Who Were The Amalekites In The Bible?

Who were the Amalekites mentioned in the Bible?  Why is it important that we should know about them?

The Origins of the Amalekites

The Amalekites are descendants of Amalek who was the grandson of Esau.  Genesis 36:15-16 states “These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.”  The Amalekites, like the Edomite’s, were a continual source of strife for Israel as they occupied land that was rightfully assigned to Israel and later Judah.  This includes the Trans Jordanian states.  When Israel was in the wilderness from their exile from Egypt, the Amalekites attacked them as we read in Exodus 17:8 “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim” which was completely unprovoked.

Arch Enemies of Israel

During the period of the Judges, “the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them (Israel).  They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey” (Judges 6:3-4).  The Amalekites were historically invasive and consistent raiders throughout Judea.  In the reign of King David, he once “recovered all that the Amalekites had taken” (1 Sam 30:18). Frequently, the Amalekites would join together with other nations in an attempt to destroy Israel as we read in 1 Samuel 6:33 which say that “the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.”   The odds were stacked against Israel as “the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance” (Judges 7:12) but with Gideon’s small army of 300 plus the Mighty God fighting for them “the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath” (Judges 7:22).   The very last thing we ever hear about the Amalekites is that Israel “defeated the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day” (1 Chron 4:43).

The Amalekites and the Edomite’s

The Amalekites and the Edomite’s were both of the stock or family lineage of Edom so the Amalekites were actually considered to be part of the Edomite’s in a sense much like the Australian’s are considered to be descendants of the British.  Some biblical scholars believe that they are not actually Arabs but a separate people, being descendants of Esau’s first-born son Eliphaz.   That is, Amalek, the father of the Amalekites was the first-born son of Esau’s first-born son Eliphaz.  The Amalekites were sometimes referred to as the “first of the nations” (Numb 24:20) and were the first nation outside of Egypt to have a conflict with Israel (Ex 17:8).  Like the Edomite’s the Amalekites were typical of the enemies that Israel would face throughout their history as a nation.   As Amalek is a descendent of Esau, his descendants, the Amalekites, inherited Esau’s hostility toward Jacob (or Israel which his name was later changed to).

Conclusion

It is hard to find any remnants of the Amalekites today but we do know that those who have never repented of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ are, at this moment, still enemies of God.  For those who have been born again, we were once God’s enemies because “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10).  This is how “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8) and we now “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).  Here is the choice that you have before you today: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).