Amalek was the son of Eliphaz and Timna, making him a grandson of Esau and a nephew of Jacob. Though an Edomite, his tribe settled in the Negev and became the first nation to attack Israel after the Exodus. God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely, but Saul disobeyed, sparing King Agag. The Amalekites appear throughout Scripture as the embodiment of opposition to God’s people, culminating in Haman the Agagite (Esther’s adversary), who was likely a descendant.
Scripture References
4