Amalekite was a resident of the city of Jerusalem, a community established by the Lamanites and Nephite apostates, which included Amalekites – who were of Nephite descent – and Amulonites around 90 BC. These groups were noted for being harder in their hearts than the Lamanites, partly due to the influence of the order of the Nehors, a religious tradition they followed that deviated from Nephite beliefs (Alma 21:2-4).
During Aaron’s missionary efforts, this particular Amalekite engaged in a public theological debate with him in a synagogue. He challenged Aaron’s teachings about repentance and the necessity of a Savior, questioning Aaron’s authority and the basis of his knowledge about the people’s righteousness or lack thereof. This Amalekite articulated a belief that was common among his people – that God would save all men, suggesting a universalist perspective that did not recognize the need for repentance or the coming of the Son of God (Alma 21:5-6).
Aaron queried whether the Amalekite believed in the imminent coming of the Son of God to redeem mankind from their sins. However, the Amalekite and the others rejected Aaron’s teachings, regarding the doctrine of the Atonement as foolishness. This rejection was so emphatic that Aaron, recognizing the hardness of their hearts, ceased his preaching to them and departed to continue his missionary labors elsewhere, ultimately joining his fellow missionary Muloki (Alma 21:7-11). The Amalekite’s contention with Aaron signifies the resistance that early missionaries in the Book of Mormon faced when confronting established beliefs and practices that were contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ.