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.

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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)

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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

But he was not an Arab nor an Amalekite; he was one of the chosen people.

From I.N.R.I. A prisoner's Story of the Cross by Peter Rosegger

The Amalekite alone continued what he had always been, the untamable nomad of the southern desert.

From Patriarchal Palestine by A. H. (Archibald Henry) Sayce

According to a second account of the death of Saul in 2 Sam. i. ff., an Amalekite came unexpectedly to Mount Gilboa.

From The History of Antiquity, Vol. II (of VI) by Max Duncker

And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

From The Bible, Old and New Testaments, King James Version by

The contempt with which Mordecai regarded him roused all the ancient malignity of the Amalekite, and his hot blood called for vengeance.

From Notable Women of Olden Time by Anonymous

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 Midianites and Amalekites, who must have been timid and nervous people, are much frightened, and begin to kill one another, and to run away as fast as possible.

From The Bible: what it is by Charles Bradlaugh