Exodus 17:9 - Exposition

And Moses said to Joshua. On hearing what had happened, Moses summoned to his presence an Ephraimite in the prime of life—about 45 years old—and devolved on him the military command. The man's name at the time was Hoshea or Oshea ( Numbers 13:8 ). lie was the son of a certain Nun ( ibid. ) or Non ( 1 Chronicles 7:27 ), and the tenth in descent from Ephraim, the son of Joseph ( 1 Chronicles 7:23-27 ). Some forty years later Moses changed his name from Hoshea to Jehoshua. which became contracted into Joshua. The occurrence of this form in the present passage may be accounted for.

1 . By Moses having written (or reviewed) Exodus late in his life; or

2 . By a later authorised reviser (Ezra?) having altered the text. Choose out for us men — i.e. "Select from the congregation such a number of fit men as appear to thee sufficient, and with them fight Amalek." To-morrow. It was probably evening, when Moses heard of the attack on his rear, and there was consequently no possibility of retrieving the disaster till the next day. lie could but make his arrangements for retrieving it. I will stand on the top of the hill . It is implied that there was a conspicuous hill ( gibeah ), not a rock ( tsur ) in the near vicinity of Rephidim, whence Moses could see the fight, and be seen by those engaged in it. Dean Stanley finds all the conditions answered by an eminence on the south side of the Wady Feiran. Others suggest the Jebel Tahuneh north of the same wady. With the rod of God in my hand. Moses meant to indicate by this, that he looked for victory to God alone, and did not trust in an "arm of flesh," while, nevertheless, he sent his soldiers to the combat.