Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Why did God tell Saul to destroy the Amalekites? Matthew George Easton advocated that the Amalekites were not descendants of Amalek by taking a literal approach to Genesis 14:7. It is also customary to recite Deuteronomy 25:1718 (see below) on the Shabbat before Purim. [25], In the exegesis of Numbers 24:20 concerning Balaam's utterance: "Amalek was the first one of the nations, but his end afterward will be even his perishing", Richard Watson attempts to associate this passage to the "first one of the nations" that developed post-Flood. (Some scholars (Edeleman in Bibliography) have argued that there was a northern Amalekite enclave adjoining Ephraimite territory.) This may be seen in the record of Saul's wars in which the war of Amalek receives special mention: "He did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them" (I Sam. 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. Shur is on the edge of Egypt; Havilah is in Saudi Arabia. [55], Theologian Charles Ellicott explains that the Amalekites were subject to cherem in the Book of Samuel for the purposes of incapacitation, due to their 'accursed' nature and the threat they posed to the commonwealth of surrounding nations. Haman was "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite" ( Esther 3:1 ), probably directly descended from the Amalekite king Samuel killed. The word baca means balsam but is also the Hebrew verb for weep. (The balsam tree weeps its resin.) Well, the city of Amalek (gotta attack the headquarters first before you plan a society's collapse) was located within the Havilah-Shur region. However, such an interpretation contradicts the meaning of the chapter whose purpose is to relate how various tribes and families became annexed to Judah, i.e., "the people." Num. Why Did God Command The Absolute Destruction Of The Amalekites? In Numbers 24:20 Balaam prophesied, Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction. This reference does not suggest that the early Genesis 14:7 reference to Amalek is in conflict with the Genesis 36:16 statement regarding Amalek, the grandson of Esau.
Clone Leaves Curling Up, Articles W