Lexical Summary Amaleqi: Amalekite Original Word: עֲמָלֵקִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Amalekites Patronymically from Amaleq; an Amalekite (or collectively the Amalekites) or descendants of Amalek -- Amalekite(-s). see HEBREW Amaleq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom Amaleq Definition desc. of Amalek NASB Translation Amalekite (3), Amalekites (9). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֲמָלֵקִי adjective, of a people 1 Samuel 30:13; 2 Samuel 1:13, also (as predicate) 2 Samuel 1:8; collective = (the) Amalekites 1 Samuel 15:6,15; 1 Samuel 30:1, elsewhere with article ׳הָע Numbers 14:25,43,45 (J; all + הַכְּנַעֲנִי), 1 Samuel 27:8; ׳שְׂדֵה הָע Genesis 14:7; ׳הַר הָע Judges 12:15 (in Ephraim); read ׳הָע also Judges 1:16 (for הָעָם) Bu GFM, > עֲמָלֵק Hollenb Mey KitKau; on 2 Samuel 1:1 see foregoing. I. עָמַם verb (√ of following compare Arabic Topical Lexicon Identity and Lineage The Amalekite is the descendant of Amalek, grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12). As a tribal designation, “Amalekite” marks a nomadic, trans-Sinai people who emerge in Scripture as the archetypal foe of the covenant line. First Biblical Appearance Genesis 14:7 records Abram’s victory over “all the territory of the Amalekites,” situating them early in Canaanite history and linking them to the Negev’s rugged hill country. Territorial Habitat From the Negev to the Sinai Peninsula and extending toward the eastern desert (Numbers 13:29; 1 Samuel 15:7), Amalekite encampments exploited caravan routes and pasturelands. Judges 12:15 preserves settlement in the remote hill country of Ephraim, demonstrating their mobile nature. Enduring Enmity with Israel Exodus 17 (verbal root, not 6003) narrates the first organized assault on Israel after the Exodus. The covenant response culminates in divine oath: “The LORD will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). Every subsequent mention of an Amalekite fulfills or recalls that pledge. The Kadesh-Barnea Failure Numbers 14:25, 43, 45 highlights the Amalekites as instruments of discipline when Israel refused entry into Canaan. The defeated Israelites “were struck down all the way to Hormah” (Numbers 14:45), reinforcing that victory requires obedience to divine timing. Period of the Judges Judges 12:15 lists an Amalekite‐dominated region even after repeated routs, indicating Israel’s incomplete obedience to earlier commands and foreshadowing later crises. Saul’s Commission and Collapse 1 Samuel 15 concentrates on the singular command: “Now go and strike down Amalek” (1 Samuel 15:3). Saul’s partial compliance leaves Agag alive, prompting Samuel’s rebuke: “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). The repeated notice “Amalekites” (15:6, 15) underscores Saul’s failure to eradicate the threat and leads to the loss of his kingdom. David’s Conflicts and Covenant Faithfulness David’s raids against Amalekite bands (1 Samuel 27:8) align with the earlier mandate. The retaliatory burning of Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:1) momentarily imperils his rise, yet David’s inquiry of the LORD and subsequent victory (1 Samuel 30:7–20) display the blessings of seeking divine guidance. The captured young Amalekite servant (30:13) testifies to God’s providence in delivering the raiders into David’s hand. Death of Saul and the False Report 2 Samuel 1:8, 13 features an Amalekite claiming to kill Saul. His self-incrimination invites David’s justice, again portraying Amalek as the antithesis of covenant loyalty and sealing its fate in Israel’s narrative. Prophetic and Theological Significance The Amalekite embodies hostility toward God’s redemptive plan (Deuteronomy 25:17–19). Throughout Scripture their name becomes shorthand for persistent sin that must be utterly judged. The irrevocable divine sentence anticipates eschatological themes where “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Ministry Applications • Partial obedience, as with Saul, forfeits blessing. The Amalekite therefore serves both as a historical adversary and as a perpetual moral type, urging God’s people to wholehearted allegiance to divine command and to steadfast reliance on the LORD for triumph over every entrenched foe. Forms and Transliterations הָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י הָעֲמָלֵקִ֨י הָעֲמָלֵקִֽי׃ הָעֲמָלֵקִי֙ העמלקי העמלקי׃ וְהָֽעֲמָלֵקִ֥י וְהָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י וַעֲמָלֵקִ֣י והעמלקי ועמלקי מֵעֲמָלֵקִ֣י מעמלקי עֲמָֽלֵקִ֔י עֲמָלֵקִ֖י עֲמָלֵקִ֗י עמלקי ‘ă·mā·lê·qî ‘ămālêqî amalKi hā‘ămālêqî hā·‘ă·mā·lê·qî haamaleiKi haamalKi mê‘ămālêqî mê·‘ă·mā·lê·qî meamalKi vaamalKi vehaamalKi wa‘ămālêqî wa·‘ă·mā·lê·qî wə·hā·‘ă·mā·lê·qî wəhā‘ămālêqîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 14:7 HEB: כָּל־ שְׂדֵ֖ה הָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י וְגַם֙ אֶת־ NAS: the country of the Amalekites, and also KJV: all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, INT: all the country of the Amalekites and also the Amorites Numbers 14:25 Numbers 14:43 Numbers 14:45 Judges 12:15 1 Samuel 15:6 1 Samuel 15:15 1 Samuel 27:8 1 Samuel 30:1 1 Samuel 30:13 2 Samuel 1:8 2 Samuel 1:13 12 Occurrences |
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be comprehensive, include; 
company; also paternal uncle; perhaps Assyrian ummanu, people; Sabean עם either (a) people, or (b) paternal uncle CISiv. p. 20; plural suffix אעממהו = (b) MordtmHimj. Inschr. 45. 70; also often in proper name CISiv. No. 5, 1, 99, 7 etc., PrätNeue Beitr. 25 HomChrest. 12, 133; A. und A. 6 WeGGN 1893, 480).