The Amorites were a prominent group among the Canaanite tribes inhabiting the land of Canaan during the time of the Israelite conquest. They are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the peoples that the Israelites encountered and ultimately displaced as they took possession of the Promised Land. The conquest of the Amorites is a significant event in the biblical narrative, illustrating God's fulfillment of His promises to the patriarchs and His judgment upon the Canaanite nations.

Biblical Background

The Amorites are first mentioned in the context of the patriarchs. In Genesis 15:16, God tells Abram that his descendants will return to the land of Canaan in the fourth generation, "for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." This indicates that the Amorites were already present in the land and that their moral decline would eventually lead to divine judgment.

Conquest under Moses

The initial conquest of the Amorites began under the leadership of Moses. As the Israelites journeyed toward the Promised Land, they encountered the Amorite kings Sihon and Og. In Numbers 21:21-35, the Israelites requested passage through the land of the Amorites, but King Sihon refused and attacked Israel. The Israelites, empowered by God, defeated Sihon and took possession of his territory. The Berean Standard Bible records, "But Israel struck him with the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified" (Numbers 21:24).

Following this victory, the Israelites turned their attention to Og, king of Bashan. In Deuteronomy 3:3, it is written, "So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and all his people into our hands, and we struck them down until no survivor was left" . These victories were significant as they secured the eastern territories of the Jordan River for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Conquest under Joshua

The conquest of the Amorites continued under Joshua's leadership after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. The Amorites formed a coalition to resist the Israelite advance, as described in Joshua 10. Five Amorite kings—those of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces to attack Gibeon, a city that had made peace with Israel. In response, Joshua led a surprise attack against the Amorite coalition. The Lord intervened miraculously, as recorded in Joshua 10:11, "As they fled before Israel on the descent from Beth-horon, the LORD cast down large hailstones on them from the sky, more than the Israelites killed with the sword" .

The battle culminated in the famous event where Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, allowing the Israelites to achieve a complete victory. Joshua 10:13 states, "So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies" . This victory was pivotal in breaking the power of the Amorite kings and securing the southern part of Canaan for Israel.

Significance in Israelite History

The conquest of the Amorites is a testament to God's faithfulness in delivering the land He promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also serves as a demonstration of divine judgment against the Amorites for their iniquity. The victories over the Amorite kings under Moses and Joshua were crucial in establishing Israel's presence in the land and setting the stage for the subsequent settlement and division of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the Amorites are often used as a symbol of the pagan nations that Israel was to displace and avoid emulating. The conquest of the Amorites underscores the theme of God's sovereignty and the importance of obedience to His commands as Israel took possession of the land.Numbers 21:21-30
And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
Nave's Topical Index

Joshua 10:11
And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven on them to Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
Nave's Topical Index

Joshua's Conquest.
... The Canaanites, who had been there about six centuries, and the Amorites, who had
lived there about ten centuries ... (3) Conditions favorable to its conquest. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter viii joshuas conquest.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... It was inhabited then, as at the time of the Babylonian conquest, by the Amorites,
who probably included Damascus also in their domain.**. ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

From Kadesh to the Death of Moses.
... was himself a giant and whose country was far more formidable than that of the Amorites. ...
on together in such a way as to show that their conquest was regarded ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter vii from kadesh to.htm

Achan's Sin, Israel's Defeat
... The whole conquest hung in the balance. ... the army would be a mob; and the mob would
break into twos and threes, which would get short shrift from the Amorites. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/achans sin israels defeat.htm

The Nations of the South-East
... When the Israelitish invasion, however, took place, the Amorites under Sihon had
thrust ... In the days of Assyrian conquest in the West it was already again ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iii the nations of.htm

Numbers
... Then Israel turned north, and began her career of conquest by defeating
Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan (xxi.). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/numbers.htm

Canaan
... with the rest of Asia Minor, and monuments of Hittite conquest or invasion ... whatever
might be their origin, under the general name of Amorites, the Assyrians ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

The Nations of the North-East
... Amorites; in the later inscriptions of Assyria the place of the Amorites is taken ...
an Aramaic kingdom which under Hadad-ezer was aiming at the conquest of the ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iv the nations of.htm

Afraid of Giants
... by the people to bring back reasons for not attempting the conquest, and so ... the
Jebusites held Jerusalem till David's time; that the 'Amorites,' or 'Highlanders ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/afraid of giants.htm

Introduction
... The highlands of Canaan had been peopled by the Amorites, a tall fair race, akin ...
The Israelitish conquest of Palestine was a slow process, and it was only in ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/introduction.htm

Who were the Perizzites in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Why did God send the Israelites to Egypt for 400 years (Genesis 15:13)? | GotQuestions.org

Is it true that the sun stood still? | GotQuestions.org

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