Book of Mormon Evidence: Amalekites, Amlicites, and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies

The account of the children of Israel—including their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, their miraculous passage through the Red Sea, and their subsequent experiences in the wilderness—were foundational for how biblical writers and prophets understood their story. Millard C. Lind explains that the Exodus was “a paradigm for Yahweh’s saving action in Israel’s difficult experiences of the future” and an “archetype” through which they interpreted their history.1

One of these foundational events occurred after the Lord’s miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea, when the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8–16). “Remember,” said God, “what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt. How he met thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God” (Deuteronomy 25:17–18). The crime of the Amalekites was serious enough in the eyes of the Lord that he singled them out for eventual annihilation (Deuteronomy 25:19; 1 Samuel 15:3; 1 Chronicles 4:43).

The Amalekite Crime

Biblical scholars have shed light on this matter. Concerning the Israelites’ status as refugees, Benno Jacob explains, “The emigrant and fugitive bore a certain degree of sacredness; as they were seeking a special goal, and a new home, they deserved humane treatment. They should be helped, advised, certainly not hindered. Their treatment, good or bad, during this period of need would never be forgotten.” Seen in this light, Amalek’s crime is particularly heinous. Jacob further elaborates,

Israel was not only a fleeing refugee (Jer 31:1) seeking haven, but also a pilgrim to Sinai. A pilgrim dedicated to God must not be harmed; this has been universally accepted. He sought no material gain through his journey and so was considered divinely protected …. Amalek had attacked Israel on such a journey and even done so through the ambush of laggards who could hardly undertake the pilgrimage. Amalek clearly demonstrated that it did not fear e-lo-him; nothing was sacred, not even weak and defenseless pilgrims. This inhumanity led Amalek outside the circle of civilized nations.2

Nahum Sarna states that, with the Amalekites, “what occurred was treacherous, brutal, unprovoked aggression against an unsuspecting and largely defenseless Israel at the moment of its national liberation.” The Amalekites did not fear God and were apparently “impervious to any considerations of morality.”3 Philip Stern notes the irony of the Amalekite attack occurring shortly after the unprecedented and miraculous event at the Red Sea. “It was the timing of this attack, at a time when Israel was helpless even to feed itself, that rendered Amalek’s attack so heinous to biblical writers, so that Amalek became officially set apart as the enemies of Yahweh’ and ‘worthy’ of being hated from generation to generation.”4

Amlicites/Amalekites in the Book of Mormon

In a separate evidence article, it has been shown how the account of the Nephite missionary and prophet Ammon evokes the story of Moses in the book of Exodus.5 These correlations suggest that Mormon intended to portray this son of King Mosiah as a Moses figure. Additional correlations between the Israelites and groups known as the Amlicites and Amalekites also recall the biblical exodus story.

As a result of the missionary efforts of Ammon and his brethren, thousands of Lamanites were brought to salvation. Mormon mentioned seven lands or cities where the people were converted (Alma 23:7–13). However, the conversions did not include those groups or individuals who were dissenters from the Nephites (Alma 24:1). Mormon specifically stated that “the Amalekites were not converted, save only one, neither were any of the Amulonites; but they did harden their hearts” (Alma 23:14).

Recalling the Amalekite attack on Israel, these groups later engaged in two separate massacres of the Lamanite converts who had entered into a covenant never to shed blood again (Alma 24:21–23; 27:2–3). Several other parallels are outlined in the sections below.

Similar Names

The names of these antagonist groups are phonetically similar. The account of the sons of Mosiah mentions a group in the Lamanite lands that our current edition of the text calls “Amalekites” (Alma 21:2). However, in the Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, the name of this group is rendered as “Amlikites.”6 Based on his analysis of the Book of Mormon’s earliest manuscripts, Royal Skousen concludes that the original spelling was “Amlicites,” and that this was the same group that had been followers of the rebel Amlici during the reign of Alma (Alma 2:1). Skousen argues that the “c” in the names Amlici and Amlicites would have been pronounced with a k sound. This would leave us with a name that is phonetically similar to the Amalekites in the Bible.7

Allies with Enemies Against the Lord’s People

The Amalekites in the Bible frequently allied themselves with other enemies that oppressed and afflicted Israel (Judges 3:13; 6:3; 7:12; 1 Samuel 15:33; 30:1; 2 Samuel 8:12). Similarly, the Amlicites/Amalekites in the book of Alma were aligned with other Nephite enemies, including the Lamanites (Alma 2:24; 21:2–3), the Amulonites (Alma 21:2–3), and the Zoramites (Alma 43:13).

An Attack after Unprecedented Miracles

The Amalekites attacked the children of Israel following their miraculous deliverance from Egyptian bondage and their deliverance at the Red Sea. The Lamanites were in the bondage of sin, and their conversion, in light of the rebellion of their ancestors, was unthinkable for most of the people of Nephi (Alma 26:23). It also involved an unprecedented series of miracles that shook the people of the Lamanites almost as much as the Exodus shook Egypt.8 Through their faith in Christ, they were delivered from the bondage of sin and could look forward with hope to deliverance from death and the blessings of eternal life (Alma 26:3, 9).

Attacks Connected to An Exodus

The Amalekites attacked the camp of Israel as the Israelites journeyed to the place of God’s presence at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:1–12). Similarly, the Amalekite attacks on the converted Lamanites in the Book of Mormon led to their own exodus event. This can be seen in the beginning and ending elements of the word of the Lord given to Ammon, which can be arranged chiastically (Alma 27:12):

On a more symbolic level, these Lamanites were also on a spiritual exodus, leaving behind their sins and embarking on the covenant path of the Lord. As we read in Alma 25:14, they “began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.”

Attacking the Weak

The Amalekites attacked those who were in the rear of Israel’s camp, those who were weak and unable to defend themselves (Deuteronomy 25:17–18). Similarly, the Amlicites attacked and encouraged others to attack the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi (Alma 24:1–2, 28; 27:2, 12). Because of their faith in Christ and repentance, these converts had entered into a covenant with God and refused to take up weapons any more to shed blood, even to defend themselves (Alma 24:6, 16–19). The cruelty of the Amalekites in the Book of Mormon, much like that of the biblical Amalekites, is shown in their willingness to kill those who were unable or unwilling to fight back.

The Lord’s People Resist

When the Amalekites attacked the camp of Israel, the Lord’s people defended themselves (Exodus 17:8–16). When the Amalekites in the Book of Mormon massacred some of the Lamanite converts, Ammon, like Moses, led the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi through the wilderness and down to the Nephite land of Zarahemla where they found a place of refuge (Alma 27:22–23) where the Nephites could protect them (Alma 28:1). And, indeed, the Amalekites were specifically named as a group that was defeated by the Nephites in Alma 43–44.

Conclusion

In the Book of Mormon, the Amlicites/Amalekites were unrepentant dissenters who sought to kill those who were determined to maintain the gospel covenant. By evoking the story of the biblical Amalekites and the children of Israel, Mormon cast the Amlicites/Amalekites in the role of a people whom King David specifically characterized as “the enemies of the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:26). Such a connection would have been understandable and symbolically meaningful to the Nephites, who likely had an account of that predatory people on the plates of brass.