Exodus 17:10

10 Joshua did as Moses spake, and he fought against Amalek. Forsooth Moses, and Aaron, and Hur went up on(to) the top of the hill;

Exodus 17:10 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 17:10

So Joshua did as Moses had said to him
He singled out some proper persons for the battle, and arrayed them with armour, and led them forth out of the camp, and went forth at the head of them:

and fought with Amalek;
upon both armies meeting, a battle ensued:

and Moses, Aaron, and Hur, went up to the top of the hill;
to the top of Mount Sinai or Horeb, not so much to see the battle fought, as to be seen by Joshua and the people of Israel, especially Moses with the rod in his hand lifted up, that they might behold it, and be encouraged through it to hope for and expect victory; and the other two went up with him to assist him in holding up his hands with the rod, as appears by what follows. Aaron, it is well known, was his brother, but who Hur was is not so clear, though no doubt a very eminent and principal man. There was an Hur, the son of Caleb, who descended from Judah in the line of Phares and Hezron, and which Hur was the grandfather of Bezaleel ( 1 Chronicles 2:5 1 Chronicles 2:9 1 Chronicles 2:19 1 Chronicles 2:20 ) , but whether the same with this cannot be said with certainty; it is most likely that he was the husband of Miriam, as Josephus says F23, and so the brother-in-law of Moses and Aaron; though some Jewish writers say F24 that he was their sister's son, the son of Miriam.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 Antiqu. l. 3. c. 2. sect. 4.
F24 Pirke Eliezer, c. 45. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 7. 1.

Exodus 17:10 In-Context

8 Forsooth Amalek came (And the Amalekites came), and fought against Israel in Rephidim.
9 And Moses said to Joshua, Choose thou men, and go out, and fight tomorrow against the men of Amalek; lo! I shall stand in the top of the hill, and I shall have the rod of God in mine hand. (And Moses said to Joshua, Choose thou some men, and tomorrow go out, and fight against the Amalekites; lo! I shall stand on the hill-top, and I shall have God's staff in my hand.)
10 Joshua did as Moses spake, and he fought against Amalek. Forsooth Moses, and Aaron, and Hur went up on(to) the top of the hill;
11 and when Moses raised [up] his hands, Israel overcame; forsooth if he let them down a little, Amalek overcame.
12 Soothly Moses? hands were (made) heavy, therefore they took a stone, and put (it) under him, on which stone he sat. Forsooth Aaron and Hur sustained his hands, on ever either side; and (so) it was done, that his hands were not made weary, till to the going down of the sun.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.