Exodus 17:9-16

9 And Moses said to Joshua, Choose us men, and go out, fight with Amalek; to-morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.

10 And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11 And it came to pass when Moses raised his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12 And Moses' hands were heavy; then they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on this side, and one on that side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua broke the power of Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this [for] a memorial in the book, and rehearse [it] in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi.

16 And he said, For the hand is on the throne of Jah; Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation!

Exodus 17:9-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 17

The children of Israel coming to Rephidim, want water, and chide with Moses about it, who, crying to the Lord, is bid to smite the rock, from whence came water for them, and he named the place from their contention with him, Ex 17:1-7 at this place Amalek came and fought with Israel, who, through the prayer of Moses, signified by the holding up of his hands, and by the sword of Joshua, was vanquished, Ex 17:8-13, for the remembrance of which it was ordered to be recorded in a book, and an altar was built with this inscription on it, "Jehovahnissi": it being the will of God that Amalek should be fought with in every generation until utterly destroyed, Ex 17:14-16.

Footnotes

• [a]. Jah the Saviour, called Jesus in Greek: see Heb. 4.8.
• [b]. Purity.
• [c]. Or 'a.'
• [d]. Or 'for.'
• [e]. Jehovah my banner.