Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Exodus 17

Introduction

1  The people murmur for water at Rephidim.
6  God sends them for water to the rock in Horeb.
7  The place is called Massah and Meribah.
8  Amalek is overcome by Joshua, while Moses holds up his hands with the rod of God.
14  Amalek is doomed to destruction; and Moses builds the altar JEHOVAH-nissi.
Verse 1

And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
Sin
16:1, Numbers 33:12-14
Rephidim
8, 19:2
Verse 2

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
the people
5:21, 14:11,12, 15:24, 16:2,3, Numbers 11:4-6, 14:2, 20:3-5, 21:5
Give us
Genesis 30:1,2, 1 Samuel 8:6, Luke 15:12
wherefore
7, 16:2, Numbers 14:22, Deuteronomy 6:16, Psalms 78:18,41,56, 95:9, 106:14, Isaiah 7:12, Malachi 3:15, Matthew 4:7, 16:1-3, Luke 4:12, Acts 5:9, 15:10, 1 Corinthians 10:9, Hebrews 3:9
Verse 3

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
thou hast
16:3
Verse 4

And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
cried
14:15, 15:25, Numbers 11:11
almost
Numbers 14:10, 16:19, 1 Samuel 30:6, John 8:59, 10:31, Acts 7:50, 14:19
Verse 5

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
Go on
Ezekiel 2:6, Acts 20:23,24
thy rod
7:19,20, Numbers 20:8-11
Verse 6

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
I will
16:10
the rock
This rock, which is a vast block of red granite, 15 feet long, 10 broad, and 12 high, lies in the wilderness of Rephidim, to the west of Mount Horeb, a part of Sinai. There are abundant traces of this wonderful miracle remaining at this day. This rock has been visited, drawn, and described by Dr. Shaw and others; and holes and channels appear in the stone, which could only have been formed by the bursting out and running of water.
in Horeb
3:1-5
and thou
Numbers 20:9-11, Deuteronomy 8:15, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalms 78:15,16,20, 105:41, 114:8, Isaiah 48:21, 1 Corinthians 10:4
that the people
Psalms 46:4, Isaiah 41:17,18, 43:19,20, John 4:10,14, 7:37,38, Revelation 22:17
Verse 7

And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Massah
i.e., Temptation.
Numbers 20:13, Deuteronomy 9:22
Meribah
that is, Chiding or Strife.
2, Psalms 81:7
chiding
tempted
Psalms 95:8, Hebrews 3:8,9
Is the Lord
34:9, Deuteronomy 31:17, Joshua 22:31, Isaiah 12:6, Micah 3:11, John 1:14, Acts 7:37-39
Verse 8

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Genesis 36:12,16, Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 25:17, 1 Samuel 15:2, 30:1, Psalms 83:7
Verse 9

And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
unto Joshua
13, 24:13, Numbers 11:28, 13:16
Oshea
Jehoshua.
Deuteronomy 32:44
Hoshea
Called Jesus.
Acts 7:45, Hebrews 4:8
Choose
Numbers 31:3,4
the rod
4:2,20
Verse 10

So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Joshua
Joshua 11:15, Matthew 28:20, John 2:5, 15:14
and Moses
Hur
12, 24:14
Verse 11

And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Psalms 56:9, Luke 18:1, 1 Timothy 2:8, James 5:16
Verse 12

But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Moses' hands
Matthew 26:40-45, Mark 14:37-40, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2
stayed up his hands
Psalms 35:3, Isaiah 35:3, 2 Corinthians 1:11, Philippians 1:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, Hebrews 12:12, James 1:6
Verse 13

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Joshua 10:28,32,37,42, 11:12
Verse 14

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
memorial
12:14, 13:9, 34:27, Deuteronomy 31:9, Joshua 4:7, Job 19:23, Haggai 2:2,3
for I will
Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, 1 Samuel 15:2,3,7,8,18, 27:8,9, 30:1,17, 2 Samuel 1:1,8-16, 8:12, 1 Chronicles 4:43, Ezra 9:14
the remembrance
Job 18:17, Psalms 9:6, Proverbs 10:7
Verse 15

And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
JEHOVAH-nissi
i.e., the Lord my banner.
Genesis 22:14, 33:20, Psalms 60:4
Verse 16

For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
Because, etc
or, Because the hand of Amalek is against the throne of the Lord, therefore, etc. the Lord, etc. Heb. the hand upon the throne of the Lord.
Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49
will have war
Psalms 21:8-11

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