Search the encyclopedia
14 articles found for “Amalekites”
Amalek
Amalek was an ancient nomadic people whom the Bible presents as descendants of Esau. Because they attacked Israel shortly after the Exodus, the Amalekites are remembered throughout the Old Testament as Israel's archetypal enemy.
Agag
Agag was a king of the Amalekites during the reign of King Saul. First Samuel 15 records that Saul disobeyed God's command by sparing him, an act that led to Saul's rejection as king.
1 Samuel 30
1 Samuel 30 tells how the Amalekites burned Ziklag and carried off the families of David and his men, and how David inquired of God, pursued the raiders, and recovered everything. The chapter also records the establishment of the ordinance that those who went into battle and those who stayed behind should share the spoil equally.
1 Samuel 15
1 Samuel 15 is the chapter in which King Saul, though commanded to utterly destroy the Amalekites, spares King Agag and the best of the livestock. Samuel rebukes him, declaring that "to obey is better than sacrifice," and announces his rejection as king.
Ziklag
Ziklag was a town in the Negev region of southern Judah. Achish king of Gath gave it to David, who used it as his base while taking refuge in Philistine territory from Saul. It is known as the town raided by the Amalekites.
Brook Besor
The Brook Besor is a wadi in southern Judah mentioned in 1 Samuel 30. When David pursued the Amalekites, two hundred of his men were too exhausted to cross it and stayed behind there.
Amalek (son of Eliphaz)
Amalek was the son of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn, by Eliphaz's concubine Timna. He was one of the chiefs of Edom and is traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:23-24
In this scene the prophet Samuel compares rebellion to divination and idolatry and declares that King Saul, who had disobeyed God's command, has been rejected from the kingship; Saul then confesses his sin, explaining that he feared the people. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of obedience and repentance.
1 Samuel 16:13–14
In this passage, after Samuel anoints David, the Spirit of the LORD comes upon David and departs from Saul. It marks the turning point in the transfer of kingship and is frequently discussed with regard to the departure of the Spirit and the meaning of "an evil spirit from the LORD."
1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel's rebuke of Saul: "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." It is a key verse expressing the principle that obedience to God's word takes precedence over ritual worship, though it also raises questions of application concerning whom one is to obey.
Eglon
Eglon was a king of Moab who ruled over Israel for eighteen years during the period of the judges. He was killed by Ehud the Benjamite, as recorded in Judges 3.
1 Samuel 31
The final chapter of 1 Samuel recounts how Saul and three of his sons die after their defeat by the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, and how the men of Jabesh-gilead recover and bury their bodies.
2 Samuel 1
2 Samuel 1 is the chapter in which David hears of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, has the Amalekite who claimed to have killed Saul put to death, and composes the "Song of the Bow," a lament for the two men.
Cherethites
The Cherethites were an Old Testament people living near the Philistine coastal region. They are best known as part of King David's bodyguard, "the Cherethites and the Pelethites," and many scholars associate them with the island of Crete.