Hur

Biblical Record

Hur was one of the leaders of Israel during the time of the Exodus. The meaning of his name is uncertain.

• Battle of Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-13): When Amalek attacked Israel at Rephidim, Joshua went out to fight. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. When Moses' arms grew weary, Aaron and Hur took a stone and had him sit on it. They then held up his hands, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady "until the going down of the sun." That day Israel was victorious.
• Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:14): As Moses went up the mountain, he told the elders that Aaron and Hur would remain with the people and that anyone who had a matter to settle should go to them.
• Grandfather of Bezalel: Bezalel, who made the furnishings of the tabernacle, is introduced as the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah (Exodus 31:2; 35:30; 38:22). First Chronicles 2:19-20 records that Caleb the son of Hezron fathered Hur by Ephrath, that Hur fathered Uri, and that Uri fathered Bezalel. "Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah" also appears in 1 Chronicles 2:50 and 4:4.

Other individuals bear the same name: one of the five kings of Midian (Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21), the father of Ben-hur, an official in Solomon's time (1 Kings 4:8), and the father of Rephaiah (Nehemiah 3:9).

Significance Within the Bible

The Bible says little about Hur. Nevertheless, when Moses was away, Hur shared responsibility for the people's affairs with Aaron, which suggests that he was regarded as a leader second only to Aaron. The Rephidim narrative portrays the victory as achieved jointly in two places: by Joshua on the battlefield and by the three men on the hilltop. Hur does not appear again after Exodus 24, and his name is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Debates

• Question of identity: Many interpreters identify the Hur who stood beside Moses with Hur the grandfather of Bezalel, but the text does not state this explicitly. Opinions also differ on whether the Caleb of 1 Chronicles is the same person as Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
• The hands of Moses: Moses said that he would hold "the rod of God" in his hand (Exodus 17:9). A long-standing interpretation reads his raised hands as a posture of prayer. Other interpreters place greater weight on the act of lifting the rod as a display of God's power. The word "prayer" does not appear in the text itself.
• Later traditions: The first-century Jewish historian Josephus is reported to have described Hur as the husband of Miriam. Rabbinic literature preserves a story that Hur was killed while trying to stop the people from making the golden calf. Neither account is found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

"Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands" is frequently cited in sermons as a model of coworkers who stand beside and support a leader, or of believers who partner with others through prayer. Some churches name their intercessory prayer groups for the senior pastor and the church "Aaron and Hur." In Sunday school, the Battle of Rephidim is taught as one of the Exodus stories.