דברי הימים א, פרק ד׳, פסוק מ״ג

The long and bitter historical struggle against the nation of Amalek finds its final conclusion through the actions of the tribe of Simeon [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. By stepping forward to finish the destruction of their ancient enemy, the members of this tribe claimed the defeated territory and settled the land for themselves.

The targets of this final campaign were not a new military force, but rather the scattered survivors of previous conflicts. The primary approach among commentators is that this group consisted of the few Amalekites who had managed to escape the devastating wars previously waged against them by Saul and David. Because Amalek was a branch of the Edomite nation, these survivors represented the very last trace of the people left behind after David had systematically wiped out the rest of Edom.

Following this victory, the tribe of Simeon established a lasting presence in the newly conquered region. There are different perspectives on exactly how long their settlement endured. One view suggests that the tribe lived in the area continuously until the era of the exile [רד״ק]. Another perspective proposes an even longer connection, suggesting that the descendants of Simeon actually returned to inhabit this exact same location after coming back from the Babylonian exile [מצודת דוד]. A third understanding focuses on the lasting impact of the conquest rather than a continuous physical presence. It suggests that even after the tribe of Simeon was forced out of their land, the Amalekites never returned to reclaim the territory. As a result, the region remained fundamentally under the rightful possession of Simeon [רד״ק].