הָֽאוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ תַּ֥מּוּ חֳרָב֗וֹת לָ֫נֶ֥צַח וְעָרִ֥ים נָתַ֑שְׁתָּ אָבַ֖ד זִכְרָ֣ם הֵֽמָּה׃
Hai musuh, reruntuhan-reruntuhan telah berakhir untuk selama-lamanya; kota-kota telah kaucabut, lenyaplah ingatan akan mereka, ya, mereka itu.
Rav Hirsch
— את זכר עמלק. Nicht Amalek ist das Verderbliche, das Andenken, das Ruhmesgedächtnis Amaleks ist das Verderbliche für die sittliche Zukunft der Menschheit. So lange die Annalen der Menschheit das Gedächtnis der Helden des Schwertes mit Ruhm bedecken, so lange Würger und Mörder des Menschenheils nicht in Vergessenheit begraben werden, so lange blickt jedes jüngere Geschlecht bewundernd zu diesen Größen der Gewalt hinauf und weckt deren Andenken die Lust zu gleicher Gewalt und gleichem Ruhm. Erst wenn das göttliche Sittengesetz das einzige Maß für Kleinstes und Größtes geworden und nicht in umgekehrtem, sondern in gleichem Verhältnis der Anspruch des Sittlichen wächst mit der Größe und der Macht, und je größer und mächtiger der Mensch, um so weniger eine Versündigung gegen das Sittengesetz entschuldbar gefunden wird, und Verbrechen Großer und Mächtiger um so tiefer mit Abscheu erfüllen: erst dann wird Amaleks Reich auf Erden für immer dahin sein. Dass dies das endliche Ziel der Gotteswaltung in der Geschichte sei, das hat Gott hier nach der ersten Schwächung Amaleks ausgesprochen: "Auslöschen, auslöschen werde ich das Andenken Amaleks, so weit der Himmel reicht." — So ist auch Ps. 9, 7 der Gedanke prägnant ausgesprochen, daß erst mit dem Untergang des Gedächtnisses der Verheerungen und Eroberungen, diese selbst von der Erde verschwunden sein werden: אבד זכרם המה!
Ramban
FOR THE HAND UPON ‘KEIS Y-AH’ (THE THRONE OF THE ETERNAL). “The hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, is raised to swear by His throne that He will maintain [a state of] war and enmity against Amalek forever. Now what is the significance of the word keis, and why does it not say kisei [as usual]? Furthermore, even the Divine Name is divided into half!482The Tetragrammaton consists of four letters, while here only the first two letters are mentioned. [The answer is that] the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that the throne will not be perfect and the Name will not be full until He will blot out the name of Amalek the son of Esau.483Amalek was a grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12). And when his name will be blotted out, then will G-d’s Name be full and the throne perfect, as it is said, The foe — they are destroyed; perpetual ruins.484Psalms 9:7. [This refers to Esau,485In our Rashi: “Amalek.” of whom it is said, And he kept his wrath for ever.]486Amos 1:11. Their very memorial is perished.484Psalms 9:7. What is written after that? And the Eternal is enthroned for ever.487Psalms 9:8. Thus you see [that after Amalek’s memory has perished], G-d’s Name is full. He hath established ‘kis’o’ (His throne) for judgment.487Psalms 9:8. Thus you see that the throne will be perfect.” Thus far the language of Rashi, and it is a Midrash of the Sages.488Tanchuma, Ki Theitzei 11.
Some scholars489Mentioned in Ibn Ezra in the name of Rabbi Yeshuah. explain the verse as meaning that “when there will be a ‘hand,’ [i.e., king, as explained further], upon the throne of the Eternal,490The expression found in this verse before us. the Eternal will have war with Amalek, and so shall it be from generation to generation.” The purport of this is that when there will be a king in Israel sitting upon the throne of the Eternal,490The expression found in this verse before us. he shall wage war against Amalek, thus alluding to Saul, the first king [of Israel]. And so shall it continue from generation to generation, that every king of Israel shall be duty-bound to fight with them until their name will extinct.
The following is also a Midrash of the Gemara,491See Seder Bo, Note 204. as found in [Tractate Sanhedrin] in the chapter of the High Priest:492Sanhedrin 20b. See also Maimonides’ “The Commandments,” I, pp. 202-203. “By saying, The hand upon the throne of the Eternal: the Eternal will have war with Amalek from generation to generation, Scripture intimates that the Israelites must first appoint a king over themselves [before they are to annihilate the offspring of Amalek], for the throne of the Eternal refers only to the king, as it is said, Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Eternal.493I Chronicles 29:23. Ramban thus brought proof to the opinion of those scholars mentioned above, who interpret this verse as containing a hint that the reckoning with Amalek is to be deferred until there will be a king in Israel. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, this is correct.
And by way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala, the verse is to be understood as meaning] that the Hand, [i.e., the attribute of justice], which is upon the throne of Y-ah, and which is the war from the Eternal, will continue with Amalek from generation to generation, for the high attribute of justice will pursue his extinction forever from generation to generation. The Midrash of the Sages [mentioned above] concerning “the full Divine Name” and “the perfect throne” allude to this [interpretation by way of the Truth].
Now the reason for the punishment of Amalek, i.e., why punitive measures were meted out to him more than to all other nations, is that when all the nations heard [of G-d’s visitation upon the Egyptians], they trembled. Philistia, Edom, and Moab and the inhabitants of Canaan melted away494Above, 15:14-15. from before the terror of the Eternal, and from the Glory of His majesty,495Isaiah 2:10. whereas Amalek came from afar as if to make himself master over G-d. It is for this reason that it is said concerning him, and he feared not G-d.496Deuteronomy 25:18. Besides, he was a descendant of Esau and related to us,497As a relative he was obligated to show kindness towards us. Instead, he behaved very cruelly: he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou was faint and weary (ibid.) a passer-by who meddles with a quarrel not his own.498Proverbs, 26:17. Amalek had no reason to fear attacks from Israel, as they were not bent on taking his land. Amalek’s interposition was thus “meddling with a quarrel not his own.”
Yithro
Some scholars489Mentioned in Ibn Ezra in the name of Rabbi Yeshuah. explain the verse as meaning that “when there will be a ‘hand,’ [i.e., king, as explained further], upon the throne of the Eternal,490The expression found in this verse before us. the Eternal will have war with Amalek, and so shall it be from generation to generation.” The purport of this is that when there will be a king in Israel sitting upon the throne of the Eternal,490The expression found in this verse before us. he shall wage war against Amalek, thus alluding to Saul, the first king [of Israel]. And so shall it continue from generation to generation, that every king of Israel shall be duty-bound to fight with them until their name will extinct.
The following is also a Midrash of the Gemara,491See Seder Bo, Note 204. as found in [Tractate Sanhedrin] in the chapter of the High Priest:492Sanhedrin 20b. See also Maimonides’ “The Commandments,” I, pp. 202-203. “By saying, The hand upon the throne of the Eternal: the Eternal will have war with Amalek from generation to generation, Scripture intimates that the Israelites must first appoint a king over themselves [before they are to annihilate the offspring of Amalek], for the throne of the Eternal refers only to the king, as it is said, Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Eternal.493I Chronicles 29:23. Ramban thus brought proof to the opinion of those scholars mentioned above, who interpret this verse as containing a hint that the reckoning with Amalek is to be deferred until there will be a king in Israel. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, this is correct.
And by way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala, the verse is to be understood as meaning] that the Hand, [i.e., the attribute of justice], which is upon the throne of Y-ah, and which is the war from the Eternal, will continue with Amalek from generation to generation, for the high attribute of justice will pursue his extinction forever from generation to generation. The Midrash of the Sages [mentioned above] concerning “the full Divine Name” and “the perfect throne” allude to this [interpretation by way of the Truth].
Now the reason for the punishment of Amalek, i.e., why punitive measures were meted out to him more than to all other nations, is that when all the nations heard [of G-d’s visitation upon the Egyptians], they trembled. Philistia, Edom, and Moab and the inhabitants of Canaan melted away494Above, 15:14-15. from before the terror of the Eternal, and from the Glory of His majesty,495Isaiah 2:10. whereas Amalek came from afar as if to make himself master over G-d. It is for this reason that it is said concerning him, and he feared not G-d.496Deuteronomy 25:18. Besides, he was a descendant of Esau and related to us,497As a relative he was obligated to show kindness towards us. Instead, he behaved very cruelly: he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou was faint and weary (ibid.) a passer-by who meddles with a quarrel not his own.498Proverbs, 26:17. Amalek had no reason to fear attacks from Israel, as they were not bent on taking his land. Amalek’s interposition was thus “meddling with a quarrel not his own.”
Yithro
Rashi
כי יד על כס יה BECAUSE THE HAND IS UPON THE THRONE OF JAH — the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, is raised to swear by His throne that He will have war and enmity against Amalek to all eternity. And what is the force of כס — why does it not say as usual כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (יה is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely blotted out. But when his name is blotted out then will His (God’s) Name be perfect and His throne perfect, as it is said, (Psalms 9:7) “The enemy is come to an end, he whose swords were for ever” — and this refers to Amalek of whom it is written, (Amos 1:11; the paragraph is a prophecy against Edom — Esau — the father of Amalek) “he kept his wrath for ever”. The verse in the Psalm continues: “and thou didst uproot enemies, their very memorial is perished”, What does it say immediately after this? (Psalms 9:8) “But the Lord (the Divine Name as given here is the Tetragrammaton) shall now remain for ever” — you see that the Name will be perfect (after Amalek is entirely rooted out as is mentioned in v. 7); “He establishes his throne (כסאו not כס) in righteousness” — so you see that His throne will then be perfect (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 11).