slaughter of the Amalekites
2 Samuel 1:1
1:1 slaughter of the Amalekites. The account of this event was given in I Samuel 30:1-20. These rather mysterious people were mentioned in Abraham’s time (Genesis 14:7), tried to defeat Israel at the beginning of their escape from Egypt (Exodus 17:8-14), frequently troubled them during the period of the judges, and were supposed to have been destroyed by Saul (I Samuel 15:1-20). Yet here they appear again, to be partially destroyed by David. They may have been descendants of a man named Amalek who was Esau’s grandson (Genesis 36:10-12), but it is also quite likely that there was an earlier Amalek who was the original progenitor of this persistent tribe. Some scholars have even argued that the infamous Hyksos invaders and kings of Egypt were Amalekites. In any case, they were enemies of Israel.