Bible Commentaries
Exodus 17

Verse 1

children = sons.

Sin . Hebrew Bush.

commandment . Hebrew "mouth". Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause). App-6 . Mouth put for what is spoken by it. the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . Rephidim = reclining places. Two stations omitted here. Compare 17. Numbers 33:12-14 .

Verse 2

chide . Murmuring was good policy. They would not "dig" (as at Beer and Elim) = to "beg "they were not ashamed. "Give us water. "See note on Exodus 15:24 .

Why chide . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

wherefore . Some codices, with Samaritan Pentateuch, The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, Sept, and Syriac, read "And why".

tempt = put to the proof. Hebrew from nasah, to smell, hence, to try. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 .

Verse 3

us . Hebrew. he. Figure of speech Heterosis (of' Number). App-6 .

Verse 4

they be almost ready . Hebrew "yet a little and they will". Moses, David, Jeremiah, Stephen, Paul, and the Lord Jesus suffered from stoning or its threatening

Verse 5

the LORD (Hebrew. Jehovah. said . See note on Exodus 3:7 , and compare note on Exodus 6:10 .

Verse 6

Behold . Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 .

I will stand . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 .

rock : a type of Christ. Frequently referred to (Deuteronomy 32:4 , Deuteronomy 32:15 , Deuteronomy 32:18 , Deuteronomy 32:31 , Deuteronomy 32:37 ; 1 Samuel 2:2 .Psalms 18:2; Psalms 18:2 ). Rock of life (Deuteronomy 32:18 ): Salvation (2 Samuel 22:47 , &c.): Refuge (Psalms 27:5 ; Psalms 62:6 , Psalms 62:7 ): Rest and refreshment (Isaiah 32:2 ).

Horeb . Compare Exodus 3:1 .

smite . Smitten only once. Compare Isaiah 53:4 .Zechariah 13:7 . Jehovah on the Rock = God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19 ). No water till smitten (Psalms 78:20 . John 7:38 , John 7:39 ; John 12:24 ). water. Water from the rock. Fire out of the rock (Judges 6:21 ). Honey from the rock (Psalms 81:16 ). Oil from the rock (Deuteronomy 32:13 ).

Verse 7

Massah = Temptation. Tempting of God. Meribah = Strife. Striving with Moses.

tempted. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 . (i.e. tempting Jehovah to cut them off).

Verse 8

Then came Amalek. See on Genesis 21:25 and Judges 5:11 . Amalek came to fight for the water. Compare Deuteronomy 25:17 , Deuteronomy 25:18 . Amalek came behind and attacked the rear, and he "feared not God", Deuteronomy 25:8 .

Amalek , Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6 , put for Amalekites. At Rephidim, they got water plus Amalek; at Meribah, water plus Edom.

Verse 9

Joshua . First occurance. (250 times in all). Hebrew. Jehoshua. Now fifty-three years of age. Hence a bondman in Egypt. Twenty-seven years younger than Moses. See App-50 .

men . Hebrew, plural of 'ish or 'enesh. App-14 .

fight . There was a large population in the peninsula at this time. A wilderness, a place of pasture, not a desert.

God . Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

Verse 10

as = according as.

Moses (prophet), Aaron (priest), Hur (royal tribe, Judah).

Hur . Hebrew noble or well-born. The son of Caleb, the son of Hezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:3 , 1 Chronicles 2:4 , 1 Chronicles 2:5 , 1 Chronicles 2:18 , 1 Chronicles 2:19 ). Josephus makes him the husband of Miriam and grandfather of Bezaleel (Exodus 31:2 ; Exodus 35:30 ; Exodus 38:22 ).

Verse 11

when = according as.

hand . Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint read "hands". Compare Exodus 17:12 .

Verse 12

heavy = weary.

Verse 13

edge . Hebrew mouth. Figure of speech Prosopopoeia. App-6 . sword in the Plain: Rod of God on the mount (Exodus 17:9 ): Jehovah above all (Exodus 17:6 ).

Verse 14

the LORD (Hebrew. Jehovah. said. See notes on Exodus 3:7 and Exodus 6:10 .

Write . First occurrence. The tablets found at Lachish and Tel-el-Amarna show that writing of a high order was fully developed before the time of Moses.

in a book . Hebrew "in the book" (bassepher). This writing afterward ordered for "the Book of the Law" (Exodus 24:4 , Exodus 24:7 ). See App-47 , where the history of that Book is traced from this passage to Malachi.

put out = blot out. Compare Deuteronomy 25:19 . Numbers 24:20 .

Verse 15

Jehovah-nissi = " Jehovah [is] my banner. "One of the Jehovah titles. App-4 .

Verse 16

LORD = Jah. See App-4 .

hath sworn . The margins of Authorized Version and Revised Version show the perplexity caused by the Ellipsis . of the verb. "Surely the hand [lifted up] upon the banner of Jah [is to swear]: for the war of Jehovah against Amalek is to be from generation to generation". So it was. It was carried on by Ehud (Judges 3:13-15 ), Barak (Judges 5:14 ), Gideon (Judges 6:3 ; Judges 7:12-14 ), Saul (1 Samuel 15:2-9 , Compare Exodus 17:11 ), Samuel (1 Samuel 15:32 , 1 Samuel 15:33 ), David (1 Samuel 27:8 ; 1 Samuel 30:1 , 1 Samuel 30:17 ; 2 Samuel 8:12 ), Simeonites (1 Chronicles 4:42 , 1 Chronicles 4:43 ), and Mordecai (Esther 3:1-6 ; Esther 9:7-10 ).