Agagite

The term Agagite (Hebrew: אגגי, romanized: ’Ǎḡāḡî) is used in the Book of Esther as a description of Haman. The term is understood to be an ethnonym although nothing is known with certainty about the people designated by the name.

According to Cheyne and Black, this term is used to label Haman, figuratively, as a "descendant" of Agag, the enemy of Israel and king of the Amalekites.^[1] "Haman, as an Amalekite, is opposed to Mordecai, the descendant of Kish (Esth[er] 2:5) ... The meaning is that there is an internecine struggle between the Jews and their enemies, like that between Saul and Agag of old."^[1] With this understanding, the Greek translator rendered the term "Macedonian."^[2]

A well known Midrashic explanation of the term relates it to King Agag of the Amalekites whereby it is viewed as meaning either a literal descendant of Agag or a symbolic term for an antisemite, due to the Amalekites being a perennial enemy to the Israelites.^{[citation needed]} ^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Cheyne and Black (1899), Encyclopaedia Biblica, entry for "Agagite." [1]
^ This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Agagite" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
^
Reliable sources include this one:

"Who Were Amalek and the Amalekites?". (on Chabad dot org). Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
The mitzvah to destroy Amalek implies that no trace of Amalek's existence could be left.¹⁰ "Nothing," explain the sages, "could serve as a reminder of Amalek's name—not even an animal about which it could be said, 'This animal belonged to Amalek.'"¹¹

The first Jewish king, Saul, was commanded by the prophet Samuel to finally wipe out Amalek. Saul was victorious against the Amalekites, but spared the choicest of their flocks and the Amalekite king, Agag.

When Samuel found out about Saul's disobedience, Saul lost his right to kingship. Samuel then killed Agag himself.¹²

However, before he was killed, Agag sired a child who would keep Amalek's lineage alive. Some 500 years later, one of this child's descendants was Haman the (Agag)ite, of Purim fame.¹³
(from the "Chabad dot org" website) -- which is itself replete with footnotes. See e.g. the superscript numbers 10 through 13 in the "quote" field above -- [which are "expanded on" somewhat, here below]. It says that (or ... it explains "the sense in which") Agagites can be seen as both genetically [literally] and figuratively "descendants" of Amalek. Among the footnotes in that "chabad dot org" web page -- from which a portion of it is "d" above -- one can find these four "footnote" references to (biblical or 'commentary') sources:
- [10] "I Samuel 15:3."
- [11] "Rashi, [on] Deuteronomy 25:19."
- [12] "I Samuel 15."
and
- [13] "Esther Rabbah, Petichta 7." (Even if this source is not found on the "chabad dot org" web site, -- as "[10]" and "[12]" were -- it can be "looked up" at e.g. https://www.sefaria.org/Esther_Rabbah%2C_Petichta.7?lang=bi instead.) Note that the source referenced here ('Esther Rabbah') is considered to be a Midrashic source.

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[cb_agagite-1] Cheyne and Black (1899), Encyclopaedia Biblica, entry for "Agagite." [1]

[nie-2] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Agagite" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

[3] Reliable sources include this one:

"Who Were Amalek and the Amalekites?". (on Chabad dot org). Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
The mitzvah to destroy Amalek implies that no trace of Amalek's existence could be left.¹⁰ "Nothing," explain the sages, "could serve as a reminder of Amalek's name—not even an animal about which it could be said, 'This animal belonged to Amalek.'"¹¹

The first Jewish king, Saul, was commanded by the prophet Samuel to finally wipe out Amalek. Saul was victorious against the Amalekites, but spared the choicest of their flocks and the Amalekite king, Agag.

When Samuel found out about Saul's disobedience, Saul lost his right to kingship. Samuel then killed Agag himself.¹²

However, before he was killed, Agag sired a child who would keep Amalek's lineage alive. Some 500 years later, one of this child's descendants was Haman the (Agag)ite, of Purim fame.¹³
(from the "Chabad dot org" website) -- which is itself replete with footnotes. See e.g. the superscript numbers 10 through 13 in the "quote" field above -- [which are "expanded on" somewhat, here below]. It says that (or ... it explains "the sense in which") Agagites can be seen as both genetically [literally] and figuratively "descendants" of Amalek. Among the footnotes in that "chabad dot org" web page -- from which a portion of it is "d" above -- one can find these four "footnote" references to (biblical or 'commentary') sources:
[10] "I Samuel 15:3."

[11] "Rashi, [on] Deuteronomy 25:19."

[12] "I Samuel 15."

and

[13] "Esther Rabbah, Petichta 7." (Even if this source is not found on the "chabad dot org" web site, -- as "[10]" and "[12]" were -- it can be "looked up" at e.g. https://www.sefaria.org/Esther_Rabbah%2C_Petichta.7?lang=bi instead.) Note that the source referenced here ('Esther Rabbah') is considered to be a Midrashic source.

[4] [10] "I Samuel 15:3."

[5] [11] "Rashi, [on] Deuteronomy 25:19."

[6] [12] "I Samuel 15."

[7] [13] "Esther Rabbah, Petichta 7." (Even if this source is not found on the "chabad dot org" web site, -- as "[10]" and "[12]" were -- it can be "looked up" at e.g. https://www.sefaria.org/Esther_Rabbah%2C_Petichta.7?lang=bi instead.) Note that the source referenced here ('Esther Rabbah') is considered to be a Midrashic source.

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[3]

v t e Book of Esther
Bible chapters	Esther 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
People	Abagtha Ahasuerus Bigthan and Teresh Esther Haman Hegai Memucan Mordecai Vashti Zeresh
Phrases	Agagite Purim Fast of Esther
Analysis	Esther Rabbah Five Megillot Megillah (Talmud) Targum Sheni Esther in rabbinic literature Haman in rabbinic literature
Manuscripts	Papyrus 967 Oxyrhynchus 4443 Palau-Ribes 163
Sites	Tomb of Esther and Mordechai