"Was Haman an Agagite?" (Alleged Contradiction #E3922)
After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
Esther 3:1
Saul (and Samuel) killed all the Amalekites in I Samuel 15, including Agag the king. How then is Haman a descendant of Agag?
Response
Some of Agag’s descendants escaped. The Bible says Saul killed the Amalekites only “from Havilah until thou comest to Shur”. 1
For instance, note that although Jericho and Israel were “utterly destroyed” (Jeremiah 25:9, Joshua 10:1), a few escaped or remained (Rahab, some Israelites). Thus, although most of the Amalekites were destroyed, some of Agag’s descendants escaped, eventually giving rise to Haman. 2
Site Under Construction
This site is still under construction. It needs more references, citations, and debate arguments. If you would like to help, please view the community page.