Israel collects a lot of enemies in the Bible. This can range from the Moabites to the Amalekites to pretty much anything that ends in “ites.” So when it comes to the Agagites, it’s no different. One more enemy for Israel to overcome in the Old Testament. But the Agagites come from Agag. What do we know about him?
One of Agag’s most famous is Haman, the evil mastermind in the Book of Esther—who seeks to kill all the Jewish people in the Persian empire. But to understand Haman better, we have to understand his ancestors. Today, we’ll uncover the person of Agag and why he stood against the people of God.
Who Is Agag in the Bible?
According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Agag means flame. Furthermore, it was usually a title rather than a name given to a king of the Amalekites.
Think of Agag as being like Pharaoh is to the Egyptians. Every ruler of Egypt had “Pharaoh” in his title. This helps us understand how a man named Agag is mentioned in Numbers 24:7 (in a prophecy made by Balaam) and 1 Samuel 15 (many generations later, when Saul is king over Israel).
The king Agan mentioned in Numbers 24:7 could be the man who started the Agag title business in the first place. So, what do we know about him? We know he was great. Balaam prophecies about how powerful Israel will become by saying, “Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.” Agag isn’t present when Balaam makes this prophecy, so it’s for the benefit of his listeners. They knew about Agag’s greatness, and hearing that Israel would be even greater angered them (Numbers 24:10-14).
The other Agag mentioned in the Bible appears in 1 Samuel 15. The prophet Samuel instructs Saul not just to defeat Agag and his people in battle but to wipe them out.
King Saul disobeys and spares Agag—along with some cattle. Samuel is furious when he finds out and kills Agag himself (1 Samuel 15:32-33). Before killing Agag, Samuel says, “As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women” (1 Samuel 15:33), which gives us at least one detail about this Agag. He was a warrior king responsible for many deaths—most of them probably merciless and brutal, if the biblical record tells us anything about Canaanite societies during this period.
Samuel also informs Saul that someone outside his family will succeed him as king because he disobeyed God (1 Samuel 15:24-29). Saul’s disobedience sets the stage for the famous story where Samuel anoints David as the next king of Israel.
Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t give us much information about the original Agag or the Agags who follow.
We can, however, get a better sense of who Agag was by looking at his people—the Agagites or the Amalekites.
What Were the Agagites Known For?
What does the Bible tell us about the Agagites (or the Amalekites)?
Genesis 14 indicates they also go by the name the Amorites. Whew, a lot of names to keep track of.
Exodus 17 says that Amalek (the founder of the Amalekites, perhaps the same person as the Agag in Numbers 24) fought against the Israelites at Rephidim not long after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. So, the Amalekites weren’t just any Canaanites fighting against Israel. They sought a fight with Israel and were the first to do so.
Deuteronomy 25 tells us that Amalek had some pretty shady war tactics. One of these tactics included attacking Israel from the rear when they were traveling. He would attack tired targets, picking off the easy prey at the group’s tail end. Amalek had few principles and no mercy in war, and the passage supports this point by saying he didn’t “fear God.”
Judges 3 says the Amalekites were sometimes successful when invading Israel, and they would rule over the people for short periods—before the judges defeated them.
Judges 7 indicates that they were great in number and hailed from lands east of Israel.
1 Samuel 27 says that David raided the Amalekites. We must understand that raiding villages and towns was a frequent practice in the Old Testament, practiced by all nations at the time.
From these passages, what do we know about Agag’s people?
First, they were warring people. Throughout Israel’s history—from when they left Egypt, to the time of the judges, to the time of the kings, and even to the time of the exile and post-exile (Haman), they were constantly trying to fight with Israel.
Secondly, they don’t fight fair. As indicated in Deuteronomy, they would strike Israel as they traveled across the desert. They would specifically target the weakest and would kill or raid them.
Thirdly, they were allowed to live, despite God’s wishes. This happened because of Saul. On multiple occasions in the Bible, God commands the Israelites to kill, defeat, or raid these people. But because of King Saul, at least one Agagite lives to see another day. This bites Israel in the butt by the time we get to the Book of Esther.
And it all comes down to one man. His name is Haman.
What Do We Know about Haman the Agagite?
One of the first things we learn about Haman in the Bible is that he’s an Agagite. The author of the Book of Esther doesn’t include this detail by accident. Right off the bat, the Bible makes it clear that Haman is no friend of Israel.
This gets amplified when Haman has a run-in with an Israelite named Mordecai.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Haman serves in the palace of the Persian king at the time, King Xerxes.
Haman gets promoted to a high position. Everyone in the court is commanded to bow to him. Everyone obeys this decree except for Mordecai. Scripture never tells us why. Perhaps Mordecai knew something that the other workers didn’t. Nevertheless, he refuses to pay homage to Haman, and word eventually reaches Haman.
Usually, in royal settings like this, we can expect Mordecai to be punished. We don’t know the Persian punishment for not bowing to an official, but we can probably guess it’s not genocide.
Yep, you read that right. Haman gets so upset by Mordecai that he decides he wants all the Jewish people in Persia dead. So he finds a way to convince the Persian king to agree.
We have to understand this decision didn’t come from nowhere. No one wakes up and decides they want to kill an entire people group. Haman knew his roots. He knew them well.
He knew that he hailed from Agag, from the Amalekites. He knew his people despised the people of Israel. It didn’t help that the Persian society at that time generally regarded the Israelites as backward, backwater people. The Israelites (or “the Jews,” as they first became known during this period) were seen as politically weak and culturally behind the times.
These combined details set the perfect stage for Haman to want Mordecai’s people dead.
Thankfully, God intervenes. Mordecai and his relative Queen Esther put a stop to this plot and kill Haman.
But it all started with a man named Agag, whose descendants kept trying to wipe out God’s people.
What Can We Learn from Agag?
Even though Agag (the original one or his successors) barely gets a mention in the Bible, we can learn a great deal from this man.
1. Ancient war practices didn’t play fair, nor does Satan. People in ancient times would target weaknesses. It’s an age-old war tactic. Go after the weakest links. And sadly, this is a war tactic from Satan. He will target weak points in the church and in our armor. This is why engaging with prayer and the Word of God daily matters.
2. People will always come after the people of God. The Agagites warred against God’s chosen people in the Old Testament. And the church, grafted into the family of God, has faced enemies since day one. Hence why the early church endured persecution right off the bat. It’s human nature to rebel against God and, therefore, against the people of God.
3. God’s people will always win in the end. Although the Agagites pop up time and time again to wipe out God’s people, they never succeed. The same goes for the church. Even though there are wars and rumors of wars, we ultimately know who wins. We can rest knowing that God will not abandon us, just as he did not abandon Israel all those years ago.
Further Reading:
Who Is King Ahasuerus in the Bible?
What Does Samuel Mean When He Says Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice?
What Is the Significance of ‘For Such a Time as This’ in Esther?
What Strength Did Queen Vashti and Queen Esther Show?
Purim: A Joyous Occasion for the Whole Family
Photo Credit: Public Domain, from 1891 book The Bible Panorama (Charles Foster Publishing Co.)
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
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