17:1 the desert of Sin See note on Exod 16:1.

Rephidim Exodus 19:2 indicates this as the final stop before the Israelites arrive at Sinai (compare Num 33:14–15). It is located near Horeb (see Exod 17:6), another term for Mount Sinai (see 3:1 and note). The exact location of the site is unknown, partly because the exact location of Mount Sinai is also unknown (see 3:1).

17:2 Why do you test See 15:22–25; 16:1–8 (compare Deut 6:16; Pss 78:18, 41; 95:8, 9).

17:3 to kill me and my sons Language similar to Exod 15:22–25.

17:5 Go on before the people Instead of reacting with anger, God will show His power. After He gives the law to the Israelites at Sinai (ch. 20), God will exhibit far less patience (see Num 11:1; 14:2, 11, 27–29).

the elders of Israel Tribal leaders. See note on Exod 3:16.

with which you struck the Nile See 7:15–25.

17:6 Horeb See note on 3:1.

water will come out from it If the rock was limestone, a sharp blow could cause it to break and release groundwater. However, since the precise location of this event is unknown, this interpretation is speculative. Ultimately, the result is attributed to God.

17:7 Massah The Hebrew word used here means “testing.”

Meribah The Hebrew word used here means “quarreling.” This name and the name Massah derive from the Hebrew verbs used here and in 16:2.

17:8 Amalek The Amalekites were descendants of Esau (Edom) (Gen 36:12, 16). The territory of the Amalekites was situated in the desert south of Canaan, north of the Israelites’ location at this time (Gen 14:7; Num 13:29).

17:9 Joshua The first reference to Joshua in the ot. He will become Moses’ commander-in-chief and lead the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan.

the staff of God will be in my hand God had not instructed Moses to hold up or point the staff of God over the battle scene. However, God had previously done miraculous things when he did so (Exod 7:12–20; 8:5, 16; 9:23; 10:13; 14:16).

17:10 Hur A high-ranking leader. Hur would later be one of the leaders who assisted Aaron in governing the people while Moses was on Mount Sinai (24:14). He may be the same Hur who was the grandfather of Bezalel—one of the craftsmen who built the tabernacle and its furnishings (see 31:2; 35:30; 38:22; 1 Chr 2:20). Later tradition names Hur as the husband of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron (Josephus, Antiquities 3.54).

17:11 he rested his hand The significance of the gesture is never explained. All that is known is that Moses had the staff of God with him. Moses may have held the staff over his head with two hands (Exod 17:12).

17:14 Write this The first mention of writing in the Bible. Although no documents composed in early Hebrew writing before the 10th century bc have survived, the Hebrew alphabet is much older (circa 17th century bc). It developed from Egyptian hieroglyphs, as shown by inscriptions found in a turquoise mine run by Egyptians (Serabit el-Khadim, in the Sinai region).

I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens Yahweh commands Moses to write down his promise to destroy Amalekites; they would suffer the same fate as other people groups targeted in the conquest of Canaan (see Deut 2:34; Josh 2:10; 6:17–21). However, this did not happen during the conquest; the Amalekites would continue into the time of Saul and David (1 Sam 15; 30).

17:15 Moses built an altar For the practice of erecting and naming altars, see Gen 33:20; 35:7; Judg 6:24. None of these occasions included a sacrifice (compare Josh 22:26–27). This practice appears to have been discontinued once Israel was united under a king in Canaan.

Altars in the Old Testament Table

Yahweh Is My Banner The name of the altar is actually a divine title.

Names of God in the Old Testament Table

17:16 the throne of Yah The phrase here in the traditional Hebrew text, or Masoretic Text, is kes yhwh (“throne of Yahweh”). However, this phrase is confusing in context.