Amorites

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Meaning: highlanders, or hillmen

The name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan (Gen 14:7), called Amurra or Amurri in the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. On the early Babylonian monuments all Syria, including Palestine, is known as "the land of the Amorites." The southern slopes of the mountains of Judea are called the "mount of the Amorites" (Deut 1:7, Deut 1:19f).

They seem to have originally occupied the land stretching from the heights west of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:7) to Hebron (Gen 14:13. Comp. Gen 13:8; Deut 3:8; Deut 4:46ff), embracing "all Gilead and all Bashan" (Deut 3:10), with the Jordan valley on the east of the river (Deut 4:49), the land of the "two kings of the Amorites," Sihon and Og (Deut 31:4; Josh 2:10; Josh 9:10). The five kings of the Amorites were defeated with great slaughter by Joshua (Josh 10:10). They were again defeated at the waters of Merom by Joshua, who smote them till there were none remaining (Josh 11:8). It is mentioned as a surprising circumstance that in the days of Samuel there was peace between them and the Israelites (1Sam 7:14).

The discrepancy supposed to exist between Deut 1:44 and Num 14:45 is explained by the circumstance that the terms "Amorites" and "Amalekites" are used synonymously for the "Canaanites." In the same way we explain the fact that the "Hivites" of Gen 34:2 are the "Amorites" of Gen 48:22. Comp. Josh 10:6; Josh 11:19 with 2 Sam 21:2; also Num 14:45 with Deut 1:44.

The Amorites were warlike mountaineers. They are represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins, light hair, blue eyes, aquiline noses, and pointed beards. They are supposed to have been men of great stature; their king, Og, is described by Moses as the last "of the remnant of the giants" (Deut 3:11). Both Sihon and Og were independent kings. Only one word of the Amorite language survives, "Shenir," the name they gave to Mount Hermon (Deut 3:9).