Exodus 17:10

10 Joshua obeyed Moses and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went 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 At Rephidim the Amalekites came and fought the Israelites.
9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men and go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the walking stick of God in my hands."
10 Joshua obeyed Moses and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites would win the fight, but when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites would win.
12 Later, when Moses' arms became tired, the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands -- Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.