Exodus 17:8-13

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 17:8-16

We have here the story of the war with Amalek, which, we may suppose, was the first that was recorded in the book of the wars of the Lord, Num. 21:14. Amalek was the first of the nations that Israel fought with, Num. 24:20. Observe, I. Amalek's attempt: They came out, and fought with Israel, Exod. 17:8. The Amalekites were the posterity of Esau, who hated Jacob because of the birthright and blessing, and this was an effort of the hereditary enmity, a malice that ran in the blood, and perhaps... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:8

Then came Amalek ,.... The Amalekites, who were not the posterity of Amalek, a son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, by Timna the concubine of Eliphaz, Genesis 36:12 who dwelt in the desert, to the south of Judea, beyond the city Petra, as you go to Aila, as Jerom says F20 De locis Hebr. fol. 87. M. ; and so the Targum of Jonathan describes them as coming from the south; and Aben Ezra interprets them a nation that inhabited the southern country. Josephus F21 Antiqu. l. 3. c. 2. sect.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:9

And Moses said unto Joshua ,.... The son of Nun, who was his minister, and was a man of war from his youth, trained up in the art of war, and afterwards succeeded Moses, and was captain of the armies of Israel, and fought at the head of them, and subdued the Canaanites. Moses knew he was a fit person for the present purpose, and therefore gave him the following orders: choose us out men ; the stoutest and most courageous, best able to bear arms, and engage in war; for the multitude in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:10

So Joshua did as Moses had said to him ,.... He singled out some proper persons for the battle, and arrayed them with armour, and led them forth out of the camp, and went forth at the head of them: and fought with Amalek ; upon both armies meeting, a battle ensued: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur, went up to the top of the hill ; to the top of Mount Sinai or Horeb, not so much to see the battle fought, as to be seen by Joshua and the people of Israel, especially Moses with the rod in his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:11

And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed ,.... With his rod in it as a banner displayed, as some think, which inspired the Israelites with courage to fight, and they had the better of it; though Aben Ezra rejects that notion, observing, that if that had been the case, Aaron or Hur would have lifted it up, or fixed it in a high place on the mount, that it might have been seen standing; and therefore he thinks the sense of the ancients the most correct, that it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:12

But Moses's hands were heavy ,.... And hung down through weariness, holding up the rod first in one hand, and then in another, for so long a time; and thus sometimes, through infirmity, the best of men grow remiss in prayer, their hands are weak and hang flown through the corruptions of their hearts, the power of unbelief, the temptations of Satan, and want of immediate answers of prayer, or through long delays of it, and then the enemy gets an advantage over them: and they took a stone,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 17:13

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Amalek being distinguished from "his people", has led some to think that Amalek was the name of the king, or general of the army, and that it was a common name to the kings of that nation, as Pharaoh was to the kings of Egypt; but for this there is no foundation in the Scriptures: as Amelek signifies the Amalekites, his people may design the confederates and auxiliaries, the other people, as Ben Gersom expresses it,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:8

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel - The Amalekites seem to have attacked the Israelites in the same way and through the same motives that the wandering Arabs attack the caravans which annually pass through the same desert. It does not appear that the Israelites gave them any kind of provocation, they seem to have attacked them merely through the hopes of plunder. The Amalekites were the posterity of Amalek, one of the dukes of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, and consequently Israel's... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:9

Moses said unto Joshua - This is the first place in which Joshua the son of Nun is mentioned: the illustrious part which he took in Jewish affairs, till the settlement of his countrymen in the promised land, is well known. He was captain-general of the Hebrews under Moses; and on this great man's death he became his successor in the government. Joshua was at first called Hoshea, Numbers 13:16 , and afterwards called Joshua by Moses. Both in the Septuagint and Greek Testament he is called... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 17:10

Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up - It is likely that the Hur mentioned here is the same with that Hur mentioned 1 Chronicles 2:19 , who appears from the chronology in that chapter to have been the son of Caleb, the son of Ezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah. The rabbins and Josephus say he was the brother-in-law of Moses, having married his sister Miriam. He was a person in whom Moses put much confidence; for he left him conjoint governor of the people with Aaron, when he went to... read more

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