am ́a-lek, a-mal ́e-kīt, am ́a-lek-īt (עמלק, ‛ămālēḳ, עמלקי, ‛ămālēḳī): A tribe dwelling originally in the region south of Judah, the wilderness of et-Tih where the Israelites came into conflict with them. They were nomads as a people dwelling in that tract would naturally be. When they joined the Midianites to invade Israel they came “with their cattle and their tents” (Judges 6:3-5). They are not to be identified with the descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12, 16) because they are mentioned earlier, in the account of the invasion of Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:7) and in Balaam’s prophecy (Numbers 24:20) Amalek is called “the first of the nations,” which seems to refer to an early existence. We are uncertain of their origin, for they do not appear in the list of nations found in Genesis 10. They do not seem to have had any relationship with the tribes of Israel, save as, we may surmise, some of the descendants of Esau were incorporated into the tribe. It is probable that they were of Semitic stock though we have no proof of it.
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Author: International Std. Bible Encyclopedia
Keywords: Amalek, Amalekite
Bible reference(s): Genesis 14:7, Genesis 36:12, Genesis 36:16, Exodus 17:8, Exodus 17:9, Exodus 17:10, Exodus 17:11, Exodus 17:13, Exodus 17:14, Exodus 17:16, Numbers 13:29, Numbers 14:25, Numbers 14:43, Numbers 14:45, Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 25:17, Deuteronomy 25:19, Judges 3:13, Judges 5:14, Judges 6:3, Judges 6:33, Judges 7:12, Judges 10:12, Judges 12:15, 1 Samuel 14:48, 1 Samuel 15:2, 1 Samuel 15:3, 1 Samuel 15:5, 1 Samuel 15:6, 1 Samuel 15:7, 1 Samuel 15:8, 1 Samuel 15:15, 1 Samuel 15:18, 1 Samuel 15:20, 1 Samuel 15:32, 1 Samuel 27:8, 1 Samuel 28:18, 1 Samuel 30:1, 1 Samuel 30:13, 1 Samuel 30:18, 2 Samuel 1:1, 2 Samuel 1:8, 2 Samuel 1:13, 2 Samuel 8:12, 1 Chronicles 1:36, 1 Chronicles 4:43, 1 Chronicles 18:11, Psalms 83:7
Source: James Orr (editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 5 volume set.
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