Thus, the continuing oppressive spirit of this pagan nomadic tribe required a different treatment by the Lord from that which was to be normally carried out; namely, that terms of peace be first offered to a potential enemy (Deut 20:10-12). Jews, "especially those lacking an authentic Jewish education, consider that the well-being of the world and politically correct standards of social values must be their priority -- with disregard to the harm this inflicts on them as a community." By accepting progressivism, Jews are implicitly "downgrading the seriousness of anti-Semitism." 4. Thus the people of Amalek lived on, to continue to torment the Jews for generations. CAIR or the Council on American-Islamic Relations has connections with the Muslim Brotherhood which seeks to infiltrate America and destroy the country. It is making God in the image of man, making man the ultimate authority, freeing him to do what he wants. They were nomads as a people dwelling in that tract would naturally be. There is no real purebred Amalek today since, according to the Talmud, King Sennacherib mixed up the nations, Rabbi Winston told, . In modern terminology, Amalek has come to represent those who want to exterminate the Jews. [51], 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. Weve talked about two of the ancient enemies of Israel, the Moabites and the Ammonites. In Numbers 24:20 Balaam refers to the Amalekites as "first among the nations," but he most likely meant only that the Amalekites were the first ones to attack the Israelites upon their exodus from Egypt or that the Amalekites were "first" in power at that time. Near the beginning of this period, King Eglon of Moab ruled Israel for eighteen years. Amalek didnt just do random evil, Rabbi Dayan told Breaking Israel News. Introduction to positive commandments, Beer Mayim Hayim, letter Alef, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Timna, concubine of Eliphaz: Midrash and Aggadah", "Shabbat Zachor: "Remember what Amalek did to you!" Therefore, when Hashem your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that Hashem your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Gideon, not surprisingly, is victorious. 2. It is clear to me that the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah may not genetically be the descendants of Amalek, but ideologically, they are one and the same. We know both his mothers name (Timna, a concubine of his father Eliphaz) and his grandmothers name (Adah, wife of his grandfather Esau) (Genesis 36:912; 1 Chronicles 1:3436). - Amalek & Israel - Land & People - The Amalekites & the Kenites - In the Aggadah Amalek and Israel A tribe dwelling originally in the region south of Judah, the wilderness of et-Tih where the Israelites came into conflict with them. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. Therefore, it is forbidden to perform the commandment. {amount} donation plus {fee_amount} to help cover fees. 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. Sure enough, Saul is defeated by the Philistines, but when Saul is injured, the man who ultimately kills him and takes his crown is an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:810). [52]John Gill also describes the cherem as an example of the law of retaliation being carried out. This commandment requires killing all the men, women, and children, anywhere and at any time. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In some rabbinical interpretations, Amalek is etymologised as am lak, 'a people who lick (blood)',[2] but most specialists regard the origin to be unknown.[3]. Ibn-Arabshh purported that Amalek was a descendant of Ham, son of Noah. Those who are claiming this are trying to find an ancient history to tie themselves to it to lay claim to the land of Israel. '", Obama went even farther in his transformation of the country and it should surprise no one that the riots, and the acceptance of a Marxist terrorist group such as BLM is now roundly applauded. The commandment isnt to conquer Amalek. Now go in this strength of yours and defeat Midian. The Bible tells us that when the Israelites left Egypt, they were attacked from behind by Amalek and his people. Just a few years later, the cycle repeats, except this time Amalek is helping Midian defeat Israel, destroying crops and livestock (Judges 6:14). They are leading a meaningless existence. Oh yeah? This curse begins the forty years of wandering, making sure an entire generation dies before they reach the land God gave Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. As enumerated by Maimonides, the three mitzvot state: 598 Deut. And if you think that is enough, the Torah goes on to say that every animal belonging to Amalek needs to be put to death. The story of Amalek and the kings of Israel is very much like the stories of Moab and Ammon. 15-33. The Amalekites, like many other people groups, ceased to exist or completely mingled with other nations sufficiently long ago that they left no distinct records. And he saw the possibilities of mobilizing left-leaning ethnic, racial, and religious groups against 'Israeli oppression.' Moreover, a pogrom recently occurred in Fairfax, Los Angeles as the people proudly held up Black Lives Matter signs. [3] Accordingly, a "Catholic teacher is fired for criticizing the Black Lives Matter Movement.". Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com. They slaughtered those who could not defend themselves. By the time he catches up with the enemy, there are only 15,000 left of the 135,000 who had originally gone to war against Israel. The name "Amalek" can refer to the nation's founder, a grandson of Esau; his descendants, the Amalekites; or the territories of Amalek, which they inhabited. Instead of confronting the Israelite people in a traditional battle or war, Amalek ambushed them, as a terrorist would. See how the latest updates in Jerusalem and the world are connected to the prophecies we read in the Bible. Years later, when Saul is under attack by the Philistines, he consults a medium who brings up the spirit of Samuel, and Samuel reminds him of his disobedience and tells him the consequences have arrived: the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me [in Sheol] (1 Samuel 28:1519). Amalekite, member of an ancient nomadic tribe, or collection of tribes, described in the Old Testament as relentless enemies of Israel, even though they were closely related to Ephraim, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. A summary of Davids conquests of Amalek is given in 2 Samuel 8:12 and 1 Chronicles 18:11. He said that he has a tradition from the Gaon of Vilna that the Germans are the descendants of Amalek (Horowitz, p. 428). Later, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, and Hagar and Ishmael were driven away because of Ishmael's attitude toward Isaac ( Genesis 21:9-10, 14 ). You will not be surprised that the wars continue. The story we remind ourselves of each year, by reading Parshah Zachor, is that of the attack of the Amalekites, who are the descendants of Eliphaz, son of Esau (the patriarch Jacob's brother and sworn enemy) and his concubine Timna. "Timna was a Princess, but she wanted to convert. Deut 34:3). [20], By the 19th century, there was strong support by Western theologians for the idea that the nation of Amalek could have flourished before the time of Abraham. This perfectly describes the other component of Amalek -- that some elements of Amalek exist within ourselves. Breaking Israel News asked several rabbis their opinion: Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific author and end-of-days expert, has written several books on the subject of Amalek. Yet, the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis (MBR) joined forces with the Hamas front group CAIR. Further, in their song (Judg 5:14) Deborah (who was from Ephraim, 4:5) and Barak speak of how Ephraim had shown strength in rooting out those of the Amalekites who were in its midst (cf. [23], Although Egyptian and Assyrian monumental inscriptions and records of the period survive which list various tribes and peoples of the area, no reference has ever been found to Amalek or the Amalekites. they are not philistines or cannanites or Amorites or jebuzites or hittites. Gods call was (as usual) timely, because the Amalekites and Midianites are on the move. How can that be? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. An ancient marauding people in the S of Canaan and the Negeb who were fierce enemies of Israel particularly in the earlier part of her history. They were the first nation to attack the Jewish people after the . Marilyn Wind, President, MERCAZ USA; Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women; Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, Chief Executive, Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union of Reform Judaism; Leslie Lichter, Interim CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; Rabbi Marla Feldman, Executive Director, Women of Reform Judaism; Rabbi Hara Person, Chief Executive, Central Conference of American Rabbis; and, Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields, Executive Director, Women's League for Conservative Judaism, Moreover, in 2017 progressive Jews released an open letter in defense of anti-Semite Linda Sarsour this, despite Sarsour's praise for Nation of Islam leader and rabid anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan, and the claim that "sharia law is reasonable.". Certainly, "chaos is the order of the day throughout the entire democratic world. And weve seen the Ammonite capital Rabbah also tied up with King Davidits where his army was when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! "Amalek from Generation to Generation." So CAIR, a terrorist-linked group goes from influencing the War College to influencing Congress. Observing this connection, there is no need, as some have attempted, to emend the text of Judges 1:16 from the people (Heb. Saul fought a war with King Agog, a descendant of Amalek, and was commanded to kill him, but didn't, out of pity. [21] Some Muslim historians claimed that the Amalekites who fought Joshua were descendants of the inhabitants of North Africa. Not only that, but the Amalekites continued to be a thorn in Israel's side throughout their history. 25:19 Wipe out the descendants of Amalek [48], A few authorities have ruled that the command never included killing Amalekites. And just as God raised up Ehud to defeat Eglon with his left-handedness, God raised up Gideon to defeat Midian very nearly by himself. Anyway, God has work for Gideon. They were among the nomadic raiders defeated by Gideon and were condemned to annihilation by Samuel. However, some other genealogies point out at a . In fact, in 1990,JamesZogby, presidentof the Arab American Institute, established a . After Rephidim, the next major encounter with Amalek came following the report of the spies to Israel that the enemy to the N of Kadesh-barnea in the wilderness of Paran in S Canaan, including the Amalekite forces which dwelt in the land of the Negeb, were too strong to conquer, despite the pleadings of Caleb and Joshua to the contrary (Num 13:25-33; 14:38). Numbers 24:20 ESV. When a person gets to this point, Amalek has won., People who acknowledge a covenant with God, his existence and presence in this world, they appreciate life as a gift. This can be the United Nations or even movements like BDS (Boycott Divest Sanctions). Contrary to Gods command, Saul kept alive the Amalekite king and the best of their livestock (vv. He believed that Purim documented the fate of the enemies of the Jewish people. Omissions? [22] However, the modern biblical scholar David Freedman uses textual analysis to glean that the use of Amalekite in Genesis 14:7 is actually an anachronism,[13] and in the early 19th century, Richard Watson enumerated several speculative reasons for having a "more ancient Amalek" than Abraham. Warnings are being issued about specific roads and areas. Some of those Amalekites were presumably descendants of Agag, because of what we read in the book of Esther. [12] They appear to have lived a nomadic or seminomadic lifestyle along the fringes of southern Canaan's agricultural zone. In Esther, the Jew-hating Haman is called "the Agagite" (Esther 3:1). [24] While considerable knowledge about nomadic Arabs has been recovered through archeological research, no specific artifacts or sites have been linked to Amalek with any certainty. Not just defeat them, but destroy every man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey (1 Samuel 15:13). Amalek was the grandson of Esau whose descendants became a nation infamous for attacking the Hebrews after they came out of Egypt. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites . It is to wipe him out from the world because as long as there is a memory of Amalek in the world, the Moshiach (Messiah) cannot come., Obama was not satisfied in setting his countrys policy against Israel. Consequently, anti-Semitism is in full vogue. First and foremost, Amalek is doubt in divine providence. Way back in the War of the Nine Kings, the one where Lot gets kidnapped and Abraham has to rescue him and they meet Melchizedek on the way back and accidentally invent a priestly order both older and higher than the sons of Aaron that the author of Hebrews later uses to point to Jesus as the Messiah, there were, um, nine kings. This is an amazing story since it took place decades before the Holocaust. On one side were the four kings of Shinar (Babylon), Ellasar, Elam1, and Goiim. America encompasses the idea that the laws of our land are G-d given to protect our freedoms; the belief that there needs to be equal justice under the law is integral to America. God sends the enemy into disarray. It seems like angels just appear to everybody in Scripture, but thats because those are the stories worth telling. Can we reconcile with our eternal sworn enemies? 8, 9). In fact, for millennia Amalek has stood for the archetypal enemies of the Jews, so that whatever nation was oppressing the Jews at any time was associated with Amalek. Rabbi Berger quoted Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, an 11th century French Torah scholar who is known by the acronym Rashi, who explained the verse. Contact Us Now. Based on when it happens to fall this year, the holiday will last for a full three days in Jerusalem. Amalek reappears as the enemy in the famous story of Moses controlling the tide of battle with his hands. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill . . Ultimately, liberalism is idolatry. The Amalekites refer to a shifting collection of tribes throughout Biblical history, so they never had enough cultural identity to leave records. "And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam and Lotan's sister was Timna." 1. . Amalek's spirit has continued through the millenniaits viciousness culminating in the Shoa. There are sixty-six books, but only five naming strategies. The Amalekites had their origin within the Edomites, being descendants of Esau. We have many reasonable accounts of Amalek in Scripture, from Genesis to Psalms, that we have no reason to disbelieve and every reason to believe. ADr PremGuides and MagazinesWebsite 7 speaks of Amalekites, in southern Palestine, in the time of Abraham. The Amalekites were descendants of Esau's grandson, Amalek. But this one,came forward and started and showed the way to others. During the Purim festival, the Book of Esther is read in the commemoration of the saving of the Jewish people from Haman who plotted to kill all Jews in Persian Empire. Israel is, quite simply, visual and undeniable proof that God rules the world. Sign up to our free daily newsletter today to get all the most important stories directly to your inbox. Remember how He swore to blot out the memory of Amalek? Saul fought a war with King Agog, a descendant of Amalek, and was commanded to kill him, but didnt, out of pity. The etymology is uncertain, according to John L. McKenzie (1995), while Cox (1884) suggested "High." They have forgotten that the Jew is always the canary in the mine. Zogby saw the power of framing Israelis as 'white oppressors' of innocent, indigenous, darker-skinned Palestinians. ; LXX ) to Amalekite (), to try to make agreement with 1 Samuel 15:6, since the connection of the Kenites in these two passages is clear and evidence for changing the text is lacking. And obviously, the residents of Ashkelon, Sderot, and other Israeli cities in shooting range of Gaza, are expecting an increase in rocket attacks. Instablogs.com A Dr Prem Guides Magazines Site. Answer Ishmael was a son of Abraham, born of Sarah's maidservant Hagar in an attempt to bring into the world the son God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Amalek was one of the sons of Eliphaz and a grandson of Esau ( Gen 36:15, 16; 1 Chron 1:36 ). First, God has Gideon invite anyone who is afraid to take off, no questions asked. Nonetheless, Israel has peace for forty years, until Gideon dies, at which point they apparently abandon the golden ephod and go back to worshiping Baal until the next invasion. Alongside this story, we read a portion from the Writings (part of the larger cannon of the Bible, but not part of the Five Books of Moses) about King Saul. (This is the same God who defeats enemies before Israels army even gets there.). Amalek resides in our society. Who Was Amalek Eliphaz, son of Esau (the patriarch Jacob 's brother and sworn enemy), and his concubine Timna had a child named Amalek. ", As Mark Alexander writes "[b]ut today, the ability of Americans to discern 'between true and false, right and wrong, virtue and vice,' is being systematically eroded by leftist politicos, in collusion with their 24/7 Left media and Big Tech enablers, relentlessly seeking to empower the state.". In a tradition that encourages questioning and disagreement over text, there is only one way to read this story. This is seen in Judges 3:12-14 in the account of how Eglon, the king of Moab, collected the forces of the Amalekites and the Ammonites and defeated Israel and took the city of palms (evidently Jericho, cf. And then Moses instructs Israel to make it happen: Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget. In it, he referred to Hamas as the seed of Amalek.. For their crime of attacking Israel in its flight from Egypt, God declares eternal war on the Amalekites: Then the Lord said to Moses, Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, A hand upon the throne of the Lord! It is not a coincidence that liberals are atheists. Eynei Kol ai, 73, on Sanhedrin 96b. There is no further Biblical reference. Updates? But it scares me to know that there are Jews prepared to act in Amaleks name as well. According to 1 Samuel 14:47, 48 the king had fought against this enemy. They want the IDF to attack, as long as it means bad for Israel. There had previously been an agreement between the king of Elam and these five other kings, and the other kings were sick of it, so they rebelled. The birthright (bekorah) that Esau forfeited and Jacob procured, involves both position and inheritance. So as soon as Moses tells them to go around the enemy armies, they immediately want to go through the land and fight. On the other hand, Gen. xiv. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. [44], In addition, many rabbinic authorities ruled that the commandment only applies to a Jewish king or an organized community, and cannot be performed by an individual. God promised that Amalek will be wiped out. All are driven by jealousy. . Moses sits on a hill overlooking the battlefield, holding his staff (the one God turned into a snake). In the period of the Judges. Instead, this is the part of the story where Israel gets angry with God for taking them out of Egypt, and God declares that nobody who left Egypt will make it to the Promised Land. Ironically, many of them come from the same area of the world what we know today as Iran, formerly known as Persia. The people try to make Gideon king, but hell have none of it: God is your king, he says. Then why are we servants to the Midianites? (He builds an altar there and calls it Yahweh-shalom, which is a fantastic name for an altar. Verses 8-16. Dont worry, theyll be back. Haman was probably a descendant . Thus, in 1 Samuel 15:3, it was considered necessary to destroy the livestock in order to destroy Amalek.[28]. In the light of Amaleks past harassment of Israel the Lord commanded Saul to exterminate this enemy (1 Sam 15:1-3). Jews are confusing genuine justice with social justice. Finally they flee, and Gideon, with his tiny little force, pursues. At the same time, an extremist rabbi has called for revenge attacks on Arabs, a protest of right-wing settlers turned into an attempt to bring down the home of the Mercaz HaRav terrorist, and a prominent Haredi rabbi, known for his legal decisions, issued a ruling that yeshivot (learning centers) have to fire the Arabs working for them, and already the ruling has begun being followed. They need to tempt death to confirm that they are living. Bibliography G. A. Smith, The Historical Geography of the Holy Land (1896), 282; D. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1957), 159. At this place, following the Amalekite attack, Israel defeated her enemy (Exod 17:8-16). Amalek came to kill Israel after they saw all the wonders Hashem did for us when we came out of Egypt., The Torah says they came upon us by happenstance., How, undeterred by fear of Hashem, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. Amalek was a nation near the land of Canaan. Girl Child -Still a Burden for Indian Wives? The angel touches it with his staff and fire consumes the whole meal, at which point Gideon believes. Origen of Alexandria is sometimes cited as having viewed the herem passages allegorically; Hofreiter argues that although Origen viewed a spiritual interpretation as having primary importance to Christians, he did not deny that the herem passages described historical events.[54]. The district over which they ranged was south of Judah and probably extended into northern Arabia. [47], In addition, the Amalekites, as a physical nation, have been extinct since the time of Hezekiah's reign, according to the Hebrew Bible. And they do seem to show up alongside all of Israels other enemieswith Moab in Balaams oracle, with Ammon in Psalm 83, with Midian in the story of Gideon, and with all of them at the same time in Davids wars. They were completely defeated and chased as far as Hormah (near Arad and Ziklag) (Num 14:39-45; Josh 12:14; 15:30). Theyve gotten hangry, so God has sent them quail and manna from heaven (Exodus 16:4) and water from a rock (Exodus 17:56). It also means that Amalek has gotten mixed into the other nations and a little bit of Amalek is in everyone., Amalek is more than a physical people. Consequently, "[p]rotesters from the Black Lives Matter movement vandalized and toppled a statue . This demonstrates again Israels strong antipathy to Amalek. But Israel has more enemies, of course. Amalek is a son of Esau's first-born son Eliphaz and of the concubine Timna, the daughter of Seir, the Horite, and sister of Lotan (Gen. xxxvi. The Nazis clearly did this. 25:17 Remember what Amalek did to the Israelites Israel is on its way through the wilderness toward Mount Sinai. This continued until the plague of the death of the firstborn and finished him completely.. First and foremost, Amalek is doubt in divine providence. The prescient Zogby understood how the Jewish left could easily become the willing lynchpin of his strategy. Along came an irresponsible man and jumped headlong into it! The Amalekite people are the epitome of evil. . Consider the never ending virtue signaling that businesses, schools, and Hollywood proudly demonstrate while displaying no understanding of the irony [emphasis mine] of it all. Merely two weeks after the tragedy of Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, it is hard to turn sorrow into merriment. Thus, we must be strong and alert in order to prevail. Exodus 17:14-16 ESV. Without direct divine guidance, it is impossible to say with certainty who is Amalek, Berger told, . An angel and a miraculously burnt feast werent enough. Feminists and homosexuals coexist in blissful harmony with Muslims, who are for the oppression of women and the murder of homosexuals. Even though these same synagogues had to rush out their Torah scrolls to protect them from a racist mob, they did not voice any pain or outrage, or offer solidarity to their fellow vandalized synagogues. The police are warning that this week marks 40 days after Mugniyah was killed in Syria an event that Hizbollah attributes to Israel and are on high alert for revenge attacks on Israel. In a broader sense, I would say that Amalek represents the senseless hatred, the murderous impulse, and the love of seeing other people suffer.