Deuteronomy 25:17-18
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What's easy to miss is that the Amalekites didn't just attack Israel; they specifically targeted the weakest, the stragglers falling behind. This wasn't a fair fight; it was a cruel ambush on those already weary from their journey and their past suffering.
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As Moses concludes his final instructions to Israel before they enter the Promised Land, he pivots from laws about how they should treat one another to a command about how they must deal with a specific enemy. This passage recalls the cowardly attack by the Amalekites on the vulnerable Israelites as they were emerging from Egypt, highlighting the treachery and inhumanity of this act. The focus here is on remembering this deep wound to prepare Israel for the future, where they will be commanded to utterly destroy Amalek once they are settled and secure.
Why would a nation attack a vulnerable people with no provocation? This act wasn't just a military assault; it was a profound violation of basic humanity.
The Amalekites, descendants of Esau (Jacob's brother), launched a vicious, unprovoked attack on the Israelites as they journeyed from Egypt.
A Cruel Ambush
This wasn't a fair fight. Amalek specifically targeted the weakest among the Israelites – the elderly, the sick, and the very young who had fallen behind the main group. They ambushed these vulnerable people, showing no mercy or regard for natural human compassion.
Defying God Himself
This attack was not only a horrific act against people but also a direct affront to God. Israel had just witnessed God's mighty acts in freeing them from slavery. Amalek's assault showed a complete disregard for the God who had demonstrated His power and favor towards Israel. It was a rebellious act against Jehovah.
God commands Israel to 'remember' Amalek's actions. But is this a call for personal revenge, or something deeper?
The command to 'remember' what Amalek did is a solemn instruction, not to fuel personal hatred, but to ensure a just and lasting response to profound evil.
A Divine Mandate for Judgment
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Amalek's attack was so wicked, so devoid of humanity and so defiant of God, that it earned a unique and severe judgment. God declared perpetual war against them, a sentence rooted in their deliberate malice and 'fear not God' attitude. This wasn't about Israel's emotional response, but God's righteous judgment against a nation that embodied pure opposition to His people and His purposes.
Erasing the Evil, Not the People
While the command sounds harsh, it's crucial to understand the intent. It was a command to eradicate the remembrance and influence of Amalek's evil deeds and their hostile spirit. It was about ensuring that such calculated cruelty and rebellion against God would not persist or threaten His people's future. This echoes God's commands concerning other nations in the land, aiming to purify the land and protect His covenant people from corrupting influences.
Understand the original words
yare · Hebrew Verb
Refers to a state of reverential awe, obedience, and submission toward God; it is the beginning of wisdom and the proper response to His sovereignty and holiness.
This passage describes the initial encounter where Amalek attacked the vulnerable Israelites in the wilderness, providing the historical context for the command to remember and act in Deuteronomy.
1 Samuel 15:1-3This text shows Saul receiving the direct command from God to remember what Amalek did and to destroy them, illustrating the ongoing divine directive rooted in this initial offense.
Judges 3:12-13This passage details how Israel again fell into sin and how God raised up oppressors, including the Amalekites, showing Amalek's persistent opposition to God's people over time.
Galatians 5:19-21While not mentioning Amalek directly, this passage describes 'works of the flesh' which include enmity and hatred, mirroring the spirit of cruelty and defiance Amalek displayed.
pooleDeuteronomy 25:17: "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;"
Which circumstance greatly aggravates their sin, that they should do thus to a people, who had been long exercised with sore afflictions, to whom pity and help was due by the laws of nature and humanity, and for whose rescue God had in so glorious a manner appeared, which they could not be ignorant of. So this was barbarousness to Israel, and setting the great Jehovah at defiance.
calvinDeuteronomy 25:17-19: "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt;"
Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.
Erit ergo quum dederit requiem Jehova Deus tuus tibi ab omnibus inimicis tuis per circuitum, in terra…
What's easy to miss is that the Amalekites didn't just attack Israel; they specifically targeted the weakest, the stragglers falling behind. This wasn't a fair fight; it was a cruel ambush on those already weary from their journey and their past suffering.
As Moses concludes his final instructions to Israel before they enter the Promised Land, he pivots from laws about how they should treat one another to a command about how they must deal with a specific enemy. This passage recalls the cowardly attack by the Amalekites on the vulnerable Israelites as they were emerging from Egypt, highlighting the treachery and inhumanity of this act. The focus here is on remembering this deep wound to prepare Israel for the future, where they will be commanded to utterly destroy Amalek once they are settled and secure.
As Moses concludes his final instructions to Israel before they enter the Promised Land, he pivots from laws about how they should treat one another to a command about how they must deal with a specific enemy. This passage recalls the cowardly attack by the Amalekites on the vulnerable Israelites as they were emerging from Egypt, highlighting the treachery and inhumanity of this act. The focus here is on remembering this deep wound to prepare Israel for the future, where they will be commanded to utterly destroy Amalek once they are settled and secure.
"“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God." — What's easy to miss is that the Amalekites didn't just attack Israel; they specifically targeted the weakest, the stragglers falling behind. This wasn't a fair fight; it was a cruel ambush on those a…
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Last reviewed October 2026
