✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Exodus 17

KJV · Chapter 17/40

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 JEHOVAH–nissi:

16For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The people again grumble for lack of water at Rephidim, and God instructs Moses to strike a rock at Horeb so that water flows from it; afterward, Israel defeats the Amalekites in battle while Moses keeps his hands raised with help from Aaron and Hur.

Explanation

This chapter continues to show the practical challenges of the wilderness journey, with the people again questioning God's presence amid their thirst ('Is the LORD among us, or not?', v. 7). God's response, instructing Moses to strike the rock before the elders of Israel, turns a moment of complaint into another public demonstration of divine provision. The battle against Amalek, a hostile people who attacked Israel during this vulnerable journey, introduces an interesting element of cooperation between faith and practical action: while Joshua physically leads the battle, the victory is directly tied to Moses' hands raised in prayer, physically supported by Aaron and Hur when he grows weary. This scene powerfully illustrates how spiritual intercession and practical effort go hand in hand, and how mutual support among people of faith (Aaron and Hur helping Moses) can be decisive in sustaining victory over time.

Fun facts

  • The place where water flows from the rock is called 'Massah and Meribah' ('temptation and strife', v. 7), names that would become a recurring reference in later texts, such as Psalm 95:8, as a warning against hardness of heart and distrust of God.
  • Amalek's hostility toward Israel shortly after leaving Egypt sparked a lasting enmity recorded throughout the Old Testament, culminating centuries later in the command given to King Saul to fight them (1 Samuel 15), showing how this initial conflict had long-term historical consequences.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Exodus 17:1The wilderness route continues step by step, and once again the people face a lack of water, this time at the camp of Rephidim.
  2. Exodus 17:2Moses responds to the people’s demand by pointing out that complaining about the lack of water is, in practice, testing God’s patience and care, not just a complaint against him.
  3. Exodus 17:3The thirst becomes urgent enough that the people accuse Moses of bringing them out of Egypt only to die of thirst in the wilderness, along with their children and livestock.
  4. Exodus 17:4The situation reaches a critical point: Moses is literally afraid of being stoned by the people if water does not appear soon.
  5. Exodus 17:5God instructs Moses to act publicly, in front of the elders, using the same rod already used in the plagues of Egypt, this time to bring water out of a rock.
  6. Exodus 17:6God promises to be present in the very rock at Horeb, and water really does gush out as soon as Moses strikes it, resolving the crisis in front of witnesses.
  7. Exodus 17:7Moses gives the place two names, “Massah” and “Meribah,” because there the people quarreled with him and, at the same time, put God to the test by doubting whether He was really among them. It is one of several cases where a place carries the name of the event that happened there.
  8. Exodus 17:8Right after the water crisis, a new challenge arises: the people of Amalek attack Israel at Rephidim, the first direct military clash of the journey.
  9. Exodus 17:9This is Joshua’s first appearance in the text, already appointed by Moses to lead the military defense against the Amalekites.
  10. Exodus 17:10While Joshua commands the battle on the field, Moses climbs a nearby hill accompanied by Aaron and Hur, setting up the scene of the following verse.
  11. Exodus 17:11As long as Moses keeps his hands raised, Israel wins the battle against the Amalekites; when he grows tired and lowers them, the enemy gains the advantage. The scene is not about magical power in Moses’s hands, but about depending on God throughout the battle, which is why Aaron and Hur hold up his arms until the end of the day.
  12. Exodus 17:12When fatigue makes Moses lower his arms, Aaron and Hur help by holding his hands up until the end of the battle, securing Israel’s victory.
  13. Exodus 17:13The battle ends with the total defeat of the Amalekite army, thanks to the combination of Joshua’s leadership on the field and Moses’s support on the hill.
  14. Exodus 17:14God orders this episode to be recorded in writing, something rare at this point in the book, and promises to completely blot out the memory of Amalek in the future.
  15. Exodus 17:15Moses builds an altar to mark the victory, naming it in a way that credits the whole victory to God, not to Israel’s military strength.
  16. Exodus 17:16Moses builds an altar and calls it “my banner,” using the image of a battle standard raised as a rallying point for the army. It is a way of marking that the victory over Amalek came from God, not from Israel’s military strength.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play