Amorites, the.

• 1 min. read • grade level: 12

Descent of. Gen. 10:15, 16¹⁵And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, ¹⁶And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, (Genesis 10:15‑16). 1 Chr. 17:13, 14¹³I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: ¹⁴But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore. (1 Chronicles 17:13‑14).

One of the seven nations of Canaan Gen. 15:21²¹And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. (Genesis 15:21). Exo. 3:8, 17⁸And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8)
¹⁷And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:17).

Governed by many independent kings. Jos. 5:1¹And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. (Joshua 5:1). Jos. 9:10¹⁰And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. (Joshua 9:10).

Kings of, great and powerful. Psa. 136:18, 20¹⁸And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: (Psalm 136:18)
²⁰And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever: (Psalm 136:20)

Originally inhabited a mountain district in the south. Num. 13:29²⁹The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. (Numbers 13:29), Deu. 1:7, 20. Jud. 1:36.

Acquired an extensive territory Moab east of Jordan. Num. 26, 30.

Had many and strong cities. Man 32:17, 33.

Of gigantic strength and Stature. Amos 2:9⁹Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. (Amos 2:9).

CHARACTER OF:

Profane and wicked. Gen. 15:16¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:16) Idolatrous. Jos. 24:15¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15).

Defeated by Chedorlaomer, &c. Gen. 14:7⁷And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. (Genesis 14:7).

Joined Abram against the kings. Gen. 14:13, 24¹³And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. (Genesis 14:13)
²⁴Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Genesis 14:24).

Jacob took a portion from. Gen, 48:22.

Forbearance of God towards. Gen. 15:16¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:16).

Doomed to utter destruction. Deu. 20:17, 18.

Refused a passage to Israel. Num, 21:21-23. Deu. 2:30.

Deprived of their eastern territory by Israel. Num. 21:24-35²⁴And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. ²⁵And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. ²⁶For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. ²⁷Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say, Come into Heshbon, let the city of Sihon be built and prepared: ²⁸For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon: it hath consumed Ar of Moab, and the lords of the high places of Arnon. ²⁹Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites. ³⁰We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon, and we have laid them waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba. ³¹Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. ³²And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there. ³³And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. ³⁴And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. ³⁵So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land. (Numbers 21:24‑35)

Land of, given to Reubenites, Jos. 13: 15-31.

Western kings of, confederated against Israel. Jos. 10:1-5¹Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; ²That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. ³Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. ⁵Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. (Joshua 10:1‑5).

Miraculous overthrow of. Jos. 10:11-14¹¹And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. ¹²Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. ¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. ¹⁴And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. (Joshua 10:11‑14).

Kings of, degraded and slain. Jos, 10:24-27.

The Gibeonites a tribe of, deceived Israel into a league. 2 Sam. 21:2²And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) (2 Samuel 21:2), with Jos. 9:3-16³And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, ⁴They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; ⁵And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. ⁶And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. ⁷And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? ⁸And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? ⁹And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. ¹¹Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. ¹²This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: ¹³And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. ¹⁴And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁵And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. ¹⁶And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them. (Joshua 9:3‑16).

The Israelites unable to expel, but exacted tribute from. Jud 1:34, 35.

Had peace with Israel in the days of Samuel. 1 Sam. 7:14¹⁴And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. (1 Samuel 7:14).

Brought into bondage by Solomon. 1 Kin. 9:20, 21.

Ahab followed the abominations of. 1 Kin. 21:26.

Manasseh exceeded abominations of. 2 Kin. 21:11.

The Jews after the captivity condemned for intermarrying with. Ezra. 9:1, 2.

Descent from, illustrative of man's natural state. Eze. 16:3³And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. (Ezekiel 16:3).

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The New Topical Textbook

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• Affections, the.

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