Exodus chapter 17
English Standard Version
1All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" 3But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" 4So Moses cried to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5And the Lord said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
8Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." 10So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses ' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
14Then 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." 15And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16saying, "A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
New International Version
5The Lord answered Moses, "Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
8The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
10So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
New American Standard Bible
1Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2So the people quarreled with Moses and said, 'Give us water so that we may drink!' And Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?' 3But the people were thirsty for water there; and they grumbled against Moses and said, 'Why is it that you have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?' 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, 'What am I to do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!' 5Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7Then he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, 'Is the Lord among us, or not?'
8Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9So Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.' 10Joshua did just as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. 13And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14Then 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.' 15And Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; 16and he said, 'Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.'
Christian Standard Bible
5The Lord answered Moses, "Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink." Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
8At Rephidim, Amalek came and fought against Israel. 9Moses said to Joshua, "Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand."
10Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.
New Living Translation
4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, 'What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!'
5The Lord said to Moses, 'Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.' So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.
8While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. 9Moses commanded Joshua, 'Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.'
10So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
14After 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.' 15Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means 'the Lord is my banner'). 16He said, 'They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.'
King James Version
1And 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. 2Wherefore 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? 3And 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?
4And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5And 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. 6Behold, 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.
7And 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? 8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And 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.
10So 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. 11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But 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. 13And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14And 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. 15And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: 16For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
New King James Version
6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
8Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14Then 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.” 15And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
What does Exodus chapter 17 mean?
The people of Israel have just been gifted with miraculous supplies of meat and bread (Exodus 16:13–15). They had been rescued from thirst (Exodus 15:22–25). God had enacted a spectacular rescue at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–29). All these came under the guidance of Moses, God's chosen leader (Exodus 3:15). And yet, when water again becomes scarce, the people react with bitterness and despair. Their reaction tries God's patience. Moses fears there will be violence. But the Lord responds with mercy (Exodus 17:1–4).God arranges a public demonstration. Moses goes to a specific rock in the region of Horeb. Following the Lord's instructions, Moses strikes the rock twice with his staff (Exodus 4:17). This provides enough water for the people's needs. Despite the positive ending, this is one of the low points in Israel's history. The location becomes known as "testing and quarreling" because of the people's absurd lack of faith (Exodus 17:5–7).
While camped at the same location, Amalekites attack Israel. Moses instructs Joshua to lead men into battle. But since Israel is so newly freed (Exodus 12:40–41), they will need help to repel the invaders. Moses brings his staff to the top of a nearby hill. When he holds the staff up, Israel succeeds. When he starts to fatigue, and the staff lowers, the battle turns against the Hebrews. So, Aaron and a man named Hur help Moses by holding up his arms. Israel successfully overwhelms the enemy forces (Exodus 17:8–13).
God then tells Moses to carefully record the fate of the Amalekites. This enemy nation would cause many problems for Israel (Numbers 14:45; Judges 3:13; 6:3; 1 Samuel 14:48). God says they will be erased entirely. That prophecy is fulfilled when David (1 Samuel 30:17) reduces Amalek to a small remnant, which is later overcome by Simeonites (1 Chronicles 4:43). Moses names a newly-built altar "God is my Banner" so Israel will never forget their rescue, nor the Lord's condemnation of Amalek (Exodus 17:14–16).
After this, Moses' father-in-law will make a friendly visit (Exodus 18).
