אֱמֹרִי H0567
Amorite — a Canaanite people group inhabiting both sides of the Jordan before Israel's conquest
The Amorites (אֱמֹרִי) appear as one of the most prominent pre-Israelite peoples in Scripture, listed repeatedly among the nations of Canaan. Nearly always used with the article, the term may derive from a root meaning 'mountain-dweller,' fitting their association with the hill country (Num 13:29; Deut 1:7). They controlled significant territory both east and west of the Jordan, including the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. The name corresponds to Akkadian Amurru and Egyptian ʾAmara, confirming their wide regional importance. Multilingual glosses consistently render this as a proper gentilic: Spanish el-amorreo, French le-Amorite, German der-Amoriter.
Senses
1. Amorite (people group) — A gentilic proper noun designating the Amorites, a major Canaanite people group inhabiting the hill country on both sides of the Jordan. Called a 'son of Canaan' in the Table of Nations (Gen 10:16), they are most prominent in the conquest narratives as rulers of Transjordan (Num 21:13; Deut 3:9). The term's near-universal use with the article marks it as a collective ethnic designation rather than an individual name. 87×
AR["الأموريُّ", "الأموريّينَ", "الْأَمُورِيَّ", "الْأَمُورِيِّ", "الْأَمُورِيِّينَ", "الْـ-أَمُورِيَّ", "الْـ-أَمُورِيِّ"]·ben["-ইমোরীয়দের", "-ইমোরীয়রা", "ইমোরীয়দের"]·DE["der-Amoriter"]·EN["the-Amorite"]·FR["le-Amorite"]·heb["ה-אמורי", "ה-אמרי"]·HI["-एमोरियों-का", "-एमोरियों-के", "-एमोरी", "-एमोरी-के", "-देश", "-हाथ-में", "एमोरी", "एमोरी-का", "एमोरी-की", "एमोरी-के"]·ID["orang-Amori"]·IT["il-Amoreo"]·jav["tiyang-Amori"]·KO["그-아모리-사람", "그-아모리-사람-을", "그-아모리의", "그-아모리인", "그-아모리인-의", "그-아모리인을", "그-아모리인이", "아모리인의"]·PT["o-Emori", "o-amorreu"]·RU["-Аморей", "-Аморея", "-Эмореев", "Аморея", "Аморреев", "Аморреем", "Аморрея"]·ES["el-amorreo"]·SW["Mwamori", "Waamori", "kumficha", "wa-Waamori", "ya-Waamori"]·TR["-Amorluları", "-Amorluların'ın", "Amorilerin", "Amorilerin-", "Amorili", "Amorili'nin", "Amorlular'ı", "Amorlular'ın"]·urd["-اموری", "-اموری-کے", "اموری", "اموریوں-کے"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)H3162a 1. together, all together, alike (44×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֱמֹרִי n.pr.m.coll. (construed as pl. Dt 3:9 + 5 times) Amorites (perhaps = mountain-dwellers, cf. Nu 13:29; Dt 1:7, 19 f. etc. & Di Gn 10:16 al.)—always c. art., except Nu 21:29; Ez 16:45. Meaning mountain-dwellers very dub.; on א׳ = Egyptian ʾA-ma-ra v. WMMAs. u. Eur. 229 ff., = TelAm. and Assyrian Amurru, v. WklTelAm. 36 JastrEB Canaan, § 10 SayHastDB Amorites al.; cf. also GFM; Ju 4,5 Dr Dt…