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Secular historians regularly associate the Amorites of the Bible with the people called the Amurru in early Akkadian (Assyro-Babylonian) cuneiform texts. The Amurru are represented as invading Mesopotamia early in the second millennium B.C.E. and as having had a kingdom in Babylonia for several centuries. Hammurabi, the famed lawgiver of that period, is often referred to as of “Amorite” origin.

Genesis 10:15-16 lists the descendants of Canaan, one of Noah’s sons, and includes the Amorites among them. The passage states: “Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.” The Amorites are mentioned in several other places in the Bible as well, and they are often associated with the land of Canaan. They are described as a powerful and warlike people who lived in the region of Palestine and Syria. The name “Amurru” is thought to be related to the name “Amorite,” and some think that it is likely that the Amurru and the Amorites are the same group of people.

Amorites

“Semitic people found throughout the Fertile Crescent of the Near East at the beginning of the second millennium B.C.E. Amorites are first mentioned in the Bible as descendants of Canaan in a list of ancient peoples (Gen. 10:16; cf. 1 Chron. 1:13–16). Some of these nomadic people seem to have migrated from the Syrian desert into Mesopotamia, others into Palestine.” (Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 1, p. 76)^[1] How can the Amorites be Semitic when the following texts say,

Genesis 10:6 (UASV)

⁶The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

Genesis 10:15-16 (UASV)

¹⁵Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, ¹⁶and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

1 Chronicles 1:13-14 (UASV)

¹³Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, ¹⁴and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

“The Amorites” In Genesis 10:15-16 above is listed as the sons of Canaan. However, elsewhere the Hebrew term is always in the singular but is used collectively for the major tribe in Canaan, which was the descendants of the original Amorite. Thus, they were not Semitic, but were of the Hamitic race, as is shown by Genesis 10:6. Most sources, like Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, say of the Amorites, “People who occupied part of the promised land and often fought Israel. Their history goes back before 2000 B.C.E. They took control of the administration of Babylonia for approximately 400 years (2000–1595), their most influential king being Hammurabi (1792–1750).” (p. 61.)^[2]

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 1, p. 76^[3] says, “Akkadian cuneiform inscriptions mention a relatively uncivilized people called Amurruƒ (translation of the Sumerian Mar-tu), perhaps named for a storm god. They overran the Sumerians and eventually most of Mesopotamia. The city of Mari, on the upper Euphrates River, fell to them about 2000 B.C.E.; Eshunna a short time later; Babylon by 1830 B.C.E.; and finally Assur around 1750 B.C.E. Mari had been an Akkadian city; archaeological investigations there from 1933 to 1960 uncovered more than 20,000 clay tablets written in Akkadian but full of Amorite words and expressions.” However, there is another possibility that the Amurru are not to be associated with the biblical Amorites, which descended from the original Amorite, which was fathered by Canaan, the son of Ham. The Amurru found in the Akkadian cuneiform inscriptions, means “west,” in other words, geographically, the region “west” of Mesopotamia.

A. H. Sayce, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Varying Use of the Name Amorites appears first in Mesopotamia in a divinatory text of the time of Sargon I (ca 2360–2305). There they are a nomadic people, possibly from the northwestern hill countries, but more likely (so Dossin) from the western deserts (kur-mar-tu=the desert countries). The name (“the Westerners”) is therefore a purely geographical indication of their immediate origins, from the perspective of Mesopotamia, and conveys no information about their ethnic composition or their real name.”^[4] (Vol. 1, p. 113)

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia goes on to say under part B, “Early Amorite Kingdoms and Nomads in Syria and Mesopotamia Between the 23rd and 21st [centuries] B.C.E. the Amorites penetrated into Babylonia, where, after the fall of the 3rd Dynasty of Ur (ca1950), they settled down. Thereafter Northwest Semitic dynasties ruled over Larsa (ca 1961–1699), Isin (ca 1958–1733), Mari (until 1693), and Babylon (ca 1830–1531, the 1st Dynasty of Babylon), further in Syria over Aleppo, Qatna, Alalakh, etc., showing a consistent ethnic and institutional pattern from Mesopotamia to Syria.^[5] (Vol. 1, p. 113) However, we must keep in mind that the 20,000 clay tablets were written in the Semitic Akkadian, with “some names of West Semitic origin.” As was mentioned at the outset, the biblical Amorites were Hamitic, not Semitic. Nevertheless, we would not dismiss the possibility that some branch of them may have assumed the Semitic tongue. We must admit that it is also just as possible that the Amurru were simply “westerners” of Semitic origin who happened geographically to live west of Babylonia.

Professor John Bright says,

Of the greatest interest is the part played in these events by a people called the Amorites (a name known to the reader of the Bible but with a narrower connotation). For some centuries [latter half of the 3^rd millennium B.C.E. and early 2^nd millennium B.C.E.], the people of northwestern Mesopotamia and northern Syria had been referred to in cuneiform texts as Amurru, i.e., ‘Westerners.’ This became, apparently, a general term applying to speakers of various Northwest-Semitic dialects found in the area, including, in all probability, those strains from which later sprang both Hebrews and Arameans.^[6]

The Encyclopædia Britannica (1959 ed., Vol. 1, p. 829) refers to these Amurru as “forerunners of the Aramaeans”; and G. Ernest Wright (Biblical Archaeology, p. 42) also says that some of the Amurru “may well have been early Arameans who settled in Paddan-Aram, or at least a group from which the later Arameans descended.” Finally, referring to the Babylonian dynasties of the Amurru (including that of Hammurabi), Douglas’ New Bible Dictionary (1962, p. 31) states: “. . . While these dynasties were clearly of western origin, their right to the name ‘Amorite’ is disputed.”

It may also be noted that the time when the Amurru dynasties were in power in Mesopotamia was the same period when the four kings from Mesopotamia threatened Palestine and there, after defeating the five kings around the Salt Sea, attacked “the Amorites who were dwelling in Hazazon-tamar.” (Gen. 14:7) This seems unlikely if the ruling element of Mesopotamia were of the same race as the Biblical Amorites.

In a later time period of secular history, toward the middle and latter half of the second millennium B.C.E., Egyptian texts refer to a city-state of Amor located N of Palestine in the region of Syria-Lebanon. Also of that period, cuneiform tablets found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt use the term Amurru, but always with reference to such a region N of Palestine. In the Assyrian inscriptions of the early part of the first millennium B.C.E., the name Amurru was also used to refer to an individual city or city-state in the vicinity of Lebanon. Some associate these references with Biblical mention of Amorites to the N of Palestine in Joshua 13:4, where the “border of the Amorites” is listed in connection with the Sidonians of Phoenicia (Lebanon). Whether such connection exists or not, it is of interest to note that on the Egyptian monuments, “the Amorites are depicted as a tall race, with fair skins, light (also black) hair, and blue eyes . . . They thus resembled the Libyans (the Berbers of today), . . . ” (Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. I, pp. 84, 85) The Libyans of North Africa were also apparently descended from Ham, probably through the Lehabim (descendants of Ham’s son Mizraim).—Gen. 10:13.

Amurru kingdom

The geopolitic map of the Middle East during the Amarna Period, before Amurru became part of the Hittite zone of influence
Religion	Ancient Levantine religion
Government	Monarchy

• c. 14th century BC	Abdi-Ashirta
• c. 14th century BC	Aziru
Historical era	Bronze Age

• Established	c. 2000 BC
• Disestablished	c. 1200 BC
Today part of	Syria Lebanon

The geopolitic map of the Middle East during the Amarna Period, before Amurru became part of the Hittite zone of influence

Amurru was an Amorite kingdom established c. 2000 B.C.E. in a region spanning present-day western and north-western Syria and northern Lebanon. The inhabitants spoke the Amorite language, an extinct early Northwest Semitic language classified as a westernmost or Amorite-specific dialect of Ugaritic. The kingdom and its people were synonymous with their god Amurru, also known as Martu, a storm and weather deity and patron god of the unknown Mesopotamian city of Ninab, titled as bêl šadê and sometimes compared to the Canaanite and Mesopotamian god Hadad/Iškur.

The first documented leader of Amurru was Abdi-Ashirta (14th century B.C.E.), under whose leadership Amurru was part of the Egyptian empire. His son Aziru made contact with the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I and eventually defected to the Hittites.

The Amurru kingdom was destroyed around 1200 B.C.E.

Accordingly, we can see from the above information that the term Amurru early on in history was used in a very broad and general way. However, later it applied to a distinct political region or state. Considering this change, we cannot be certain whether it applied to the Amorites of the Bible, even in the later periods.

SUMMARIZING THE INFORMATION

Genesis 10:15-16 is part of the “Table of Nations,” a genealogical account in the book of Genesis that outlines the descendants of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. This section provides a biblical ethnographic map of sorts, delineating the origins of various nations and peoples in the ancient Near East. The verses in question read:

“Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites…”

Here, the “Amorites” are mentioned as one of the descendants of Canaan, who was a son of Ham.

In the broader context of historical and archaeological studies, the term “Amorites” is used to describe a group of people who inhabited parts of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Canaan from around 2000-1600 BC. They are mentioned frequently in the Old Testament, often as inhabitants of Canaan who were in conflict with the Israelites.

The term “Amurru” is actually the Akkadian term for “Amorite,” and it is often used in cuneiform texts from the period. The Amurru were known to the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Egyptians.

The identification of the “Amurru” with the biblical “Amorites” is generally accepted among scholars. This is because the geographical location, time period, and descriptions of the Amorites in the Bible align well with what we know of the Amurru from historical and archaeological sources.

It’s important to note that the Bible often uses “Amorite” as a general term for the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan, regardless of their specific ethnic or linguistic identities. In this sense, the biblical “Amorites” could include a wider range of people groups than the historical “Amurru.”

As far as specific Bible verses go, the Amorites are mentioned many times in the Old Testament. For example, in Genesis 15:16, God tells Abram (later renamed Abraham) that his descendants will return from Egypt to take the land of Canaan from the Amorites after the latter’s iniquity is complete.

In Deuteronomy 20:17, the Amorites are listed among the peoples that the Israelites are to utterly destroy. In Joshua 10:5, the Amorite kings unite to fight against Joshua and the Israelites. The Amorites continue to play a significant role in the narrative of the conquest of Canaan throughout the book of Joshua.

Therefore, while recognizing the complexities of ancient ethnography and the potential for overlap in the use of these terms, it is generally considered accurate to equate the “Amurru” of ancient Near Eastern texts with the “Amorites” of the Bible.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).

Sources

“The Amorites and the Bronze Age Near East: The Making of a Regional Identity” by Aaron Burke.
“The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts” by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman.
“Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture” by William H. Stiebing Jr. and Susan N. Helft.
“Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament” edited by James B. Pritchard.
“Peoples of the Old Testament World” by Alfred J. Hoerth, Gerald L. Mattingly, and Edwin M. Yamauchi.
“The Amorites of the Ur III Period” by Piotr Steinkeller.
“Canaanites” by Jonathan N. Tubb.
“A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 – 323 BC” by Marc Van De Mieroop.
“Who Were the Amorites?” by W. F. Albright.
“Understanding the Old Testament: A Reader’s Guide” by Bernhard W. Anderson.