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Amorites

Old TestamentFemaleCanaanites

The Amorites were a Canaanite people group who lived in the hill country and were among the enemies the Israelites faced when entering the Promised Land.

Amorites illustration
Amorites

Biography

The Amorites were one of the most prominent Canaanite peoples encountered throughout the biblical narrative, inhabiting both the hill country of Canaan and the Transjordanian highlands. They appear as early as the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:16), where God foretells their eventual displacement. By the era of the conquest, powerful Amorite kings such as Sihon of Heshbon and Og of Bashan had established substantial kingdoms east of the Jordan River (Numbers 21:21-35). Joshua's campaigns decisively broke their power in Canaan (Joshua 10-11), though isolated communities persisted through the period of the judges and monarchy. Their name in Hebrew likely means "westerners" or "highlanders."

Significance

The Amorites serve as a theological measuring rod in Scripture. God told Abraham that his descendants would not inherit Canaan prematurely because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Genesis 15:16), revealing divine patience and moral governance over history. When Israel finally defeated them, it demonstrated God's faithfulness to covenant promises made centuries earlier. The Amorites also stand as a cautionary example of cultural and spiritual contamination, their practices repeatedly tempted Israel toward idolatry, underscoring the recurring biblical theme that spiritual compromise with surrounding cultures poses the gravest danger to God's people.

Verse Appearances (79)

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Nehemiah

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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