AMORITES (am'o-rites), (Heb. o-ree', dweller on the summits), the descendazits of one of the sons of Canaan; Audi. Vers. the Emorite.
The Amorites were the most powerful and distinguished of the Canaanitish nations. We find them first noticed in Gen. xiv:7 'the Amor ites that dwelt in Ilazezon-tainar,' the cuttin.i,r of the tam tree, afterwards called Engedi, fountain of the kid, a city in the wilderness of Judxa not far from the Dead Sea. In the prom ise to Abraham (Gen. xv :16.20, the Amorites are specified as one of the nations whose country would be given to his posterity. But at that time three confederates of the patriarch belonged to this tribe; Mamrc, Aner, and Eshcol (Gen. xiv: 13, 24). \Vhen the Israelites were about to en ter the promised land, the Amorites occupied a tract on both sides of the Jordan. That part of their territories which lay to the east of the Jordan was allotted to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
(1) Sihon and Og. They were under two kings—Silion, king of I Ieshbon ( frequently called king of the Amorites). and Or, king of Bashan, who 'dwelt at Ashtaroth [and] in [at) Edrei' (Dent. i .4. compared with Josh xii :4 xiii :12). Before hostilities commenced messengers were sent to Sihon, requesting permission to through his land ; but Sihon refused, and came to Jahaz and fought with Israel ; and Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and pos sessed his land from Arnim (Moiljel)) unto Jabbok (Zcrka) (Num. xxi :24). Og also gave battle to the Israelites at Edrei, and was totally defeated (Nom. xxi :33. 35; Dent. iii :1. 8I After the capture of Ai. five Icings of the Amor ites, whosk dominions lay within the allotment of the tribe of Judah, leagued together to wreak vengeance on the Gibeonites for having made a separate peace with the invaders.
(2) Joshua. Joshua, on being apprised of their design, marched to Gibeon and defeated them with great slaughter (Josh. x :to). Another confederacy was shortly after formed on a still larger scale (Josh. xi:4). Josephus says that
they consisted of 300,00o armed foot soldiers, to,000 cavalry, and 20,000 chariots (Antiq. v:t). Joshua came suddenly upon them by the waters of Al erom (the lake Samachonites of Josephus, Antiq. v :6, Sec. 1, and the modern Bahrat-al Hule), and Israel smote them until they left none (Josh. xi:8). (See JosuuA.) Still, after their severe defeats, the Amorites, by means of their war-chariots and cavalry, con fined the Danites to the hills, and would not suffer them to settle in the plains: they even succeeded in retaining possession of some of the mountainous parts.
It is mentioned as an extraordinary circum stance that in the days of Samuel there was peace between Israel and the Amorites (I Sam. vii:14). In Solomon's reign a tribute of bond service was levied on the remnant of the Amor ites and other Canaanitish nations (1 Kings ix:21 ; 2 Chron. viii :8).
(3) Stature. From the language of Amos (ii :9) it has been inferred that the Amorites in general were men of extraordinary stature, but perhaps the allusion is to an individual, Og, king of Bashan, who is described by Moses as being the last 'of the remnant of the giants.' His bedstead was of iron, 'nine cubits in length and four cubits in breadth' (Dent. iii Though the Gibeonites in josh. ix :7, are called Hivitcs, yet in 2 Sam. xxi:2, they are said to be 'of the remnant of the Amorites,' probably be cause they were descended from a common stock. After the conquest of Canaan nothing is heard in the Bible of the Amorites, except the mention of their name as the early inhabitants of the country.
AMOS (Vmos), (Heb. aw-moce', carried, or a burden).
1. One of the twelve minor prophets, a con temporary of Isaiah and Hosea, and not to be confounded with Amoz (which see). Gesenius con jectures that the name may be of Egyptian ori gin, and the same as Amasis or Amosis, which means son of the moon.