Exodus 17:8

“Then came Amalek, etc.] The Amalekites, who were not the posterity of Amalek, a son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, by Timna the concubine of Eliphaz, (<013612>Genesis 36:12) who dwelt in the desert, to the south of Judea, beyond the city Petra, as you go to Aila, as Jerom says f550; and so the Targum of Jonathan describes them as coming from the south; and Aben Ezra interprets them a nation that inhabited the southern country. Josephus f551 calls them the inhabitants of Gobolitis and Petra; but they were the descendants of Cush, and the same with those who were in Abraham’s time long before Amalek, the descendant of Esau, was in being, (<011407>Genesis 14:7) and who bordered eastward on the…”

“ATTACK OF AMALEK. (Exo 17:8-16) Then came Amalek--Some time probably elapsed before they were exposed to this new evil; and the presumption of there being such an interval affords the only ground on which we can satisfactorily account for the altered, the better, and former spirit that animated the people in this sudden contest. The miracles of the manna and the water from the rock had produced a deep impression and permanent conviction that God was indeed among them; and with feelings elevated by the conscious experience of the Divine Presence and aid, they remained calm, resolute, and courageous under the attack of their unexpected foe. fought with Israel--The language implies that no…”

“Then came Amalek - The attack occurred about two months after the Exodus, toward the end of May or early in June, when the Bedouins leave the lower plains in order to find pasture for their flocks on the cooler heights. The approach of the Israelites to Sinai would of course attract notice, and no cause of warfare is more common than a dispute for the right of pasturage. The Amalekites were at that time the most powerful race in the Peninsula; here they took their position as the chief of the pagans. They were also the first among the pagans who attacked God’s people, and as such were marked out for punishment (see the marginal references). return to 'Top of Page'”

“Then Amalek came and fought with Israel - The Amalekites were the posterity of Esau, who hated Jacob because of the birth - right and blessing. They did not boldly front them as a generous enemy, but without any provocation given, basely fell upon their rear, and smote them that were faint and feeble. Exodus 17:9”

“17:8-16 Israel was enabled to defeat the Amalekites only by God’s blessing and providential care. 17:8 Amalek was Esau’s grandson (Gen 36:11-12). His descendants were nomadic, though loosely based in the land of Edom. They seem to have supported themselves by raiding more settled peoples.”

“Gen 36:12, Gen 36:16; Num 24:20; Deu 25:17; Sa1 15:2, Sa1 30:1; Psa 83:7 Exodus 17:9”

“The want of water had only just been provided for, when Israel had to engage in a conflict with the Amalekites, who had fallen upon their rear and smitten it ( Deu 25:18). The expansion of this tribe, that was descended from a grandson of Esau (see Gen 36:12), into so great a power even in the Mosaic times, is perfectly conceivable, if we imagine the process to have been analogous to that which we have already described in the case of the leading branches of the Edomites, who had grown into a powerful nation through the subjugation and incorporation of the earlier population of Mount Seir. The Amalekites had no doubt come to the neighbourhood of Sinai for the same reason for which, even in…”