The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 17 -

(Numbers 20:1–13)

Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin,(a) moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”

But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”

And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(b) And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

He named the place Massah

(c)

and Meribah

(d)

because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”

Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.

When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”

And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner.(e)

“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Footnotes

(a)17:1 The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be mistaken for the English word sin.

(b)17:6 Horeb is another name for Sinai.

(d)17:7 Meribah means quarreling.

(e)17:15 Hebrew YHWH Nissi

(Numbers 20:1–13)

All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to the LORD’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.

Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”

The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

He called the name of the place Massah,(a) and Meribah,(b) because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God’s rod in my hand.”

So Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses’ hands were heavy; so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset.

Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

The LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky.”

Moses built an altar, and called its name “The LORD our Banner”.(c)

He said, “The LORD has sworn: ‘The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’”

Footnotes

(a)17:7 Massah means testing.

(b)17:7 Meribah means quarreling.