Amalekite

American  

[am-uh-lek-ahyt, uh-mal-i-kahyt] / ˈæm əˌlɛk aɪt, əˈmæl ɪˌkaɪt /

noun

Amalekites, plural Amalekite plural

1. a member of the tribe of Amalek.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the Amalekites.

Amalekite British  

/ əˈmæləˌkaɪt /

noun

1. Old Testament a member of a nomadic tribe descended from Esau (Genesis 36:12), dwelling in the desert between Sinai and Canaan and hostile to the Israelites: they were defeated by Saul and destroyed by David (I Samuel 15–30)

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Amalekite
  plural
• Amalekites
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Amalekite

From Hebrew ʿămālēq Amalek + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Amalekite Amalekites

Agag, i.e., the fiery one, is not a proper name, but a surname of all Amalekite kings.

From Christology of the Old Testament: And a Commentary on the Messianic Predictions, Vol. 1 by Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm

Horite and Amalekite Bedâwin were alike absorbed into the new-comers, whose position in Edom resembled that of the Israelites in Canaan.

From Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations by Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)

In the Song of Deborah and Barak, Judah is not mentioned; Ephraim and Benjamin, and not Judah, are still regarded as forming the bulwark of Israel against the Amalekite marauders of the southern wilderness.

From Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations by Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)

At a single glance the Amalekite saw that there was a circlet of gold about the brow, that the face was fine and that the garments swept the sands.

From The Yoke A Romance of the Days when the Lord Redeemed the Children of Israel from the Bondage of Egypt by Miller, Elizabeth

Had he a "Thus saith the Lord" for his warrant in refusing a single nod of the head to the proud Amalekite?

From The Assembly of God Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, volume III by Mackintosh, C. (Charles) H. (Henry)

Meanwhile, the Israelites face threats from the rival army of Philistines and the menacing scavenger tribe of Amalekites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

Then Samuel said, ‘Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.’

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024

Exactly when did the Amalekites wage war against the Hebrews in the wilderness?

From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

The Hebrew Bible repeatedly has God ordering genocides, as of the Amalekites; and the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata, contains contradictions with no neat unifying message.

From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2019

The use which, as we have seen, he made of his troop was to invade the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites.

From The Expositor's Bible: The First Book of Samuel by Blaikie, William Garden