Exodus 17:14
ESV
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."
NIV
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven."
NASB
Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.'
CSB
The Lord then said to Moses, "Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven."
NLT
After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, 'Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.'
KJV
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.
NKJV
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
What does Exodus 17:14 mean?
This is the Bible's first explicit reference to writing something down. God commands Moses to make special note about the condemnation of the Amalekites. This enemy attacked Israel (Exodus 17:8–9) and was defeated through the Lord's supernatural intervention (Exodus 17:10–13). God promises to erase Amalek from the earth. The Amalekites would be recurring enemies of Israel (Numbers 14:45; Judges 3:13; 6:3; 1 Samuel 14:48) until David soundly defeated them (1 Samuel 30:17). The remainer would be wiped out by Simeonites (1 Chronicles 4:43).God also indicates that this message needs to be given to Joshua. Joshua would become Moses' assistant (Exodus 24:13; Numbers 11:28). When Moses died, Joshua took over as the leader of Israel (Deuteronomy 34:9; Joshua 1:1–3). It's possible that Joshua acted as Moses' secretary, writing down his words.
