Exodus 17

Exodus 17 is part of the narrative of Israel's journey through the wilderness after the crossing of the Red Sea and before its arrival at Mount Sinai. Following the account of the manna and quail in Exodus 16, it tells of a shortage of water and of Israel's first battle.

Outline

• Verses 1–7 Israel sets out from the wilderness of Sin and encamps at Rephidim, but there is no water to drink. When the people quarrel with Moses, he follows the LORD's command and strikes the rock at Horeb with his rod in the sight of the elders. Water comes out of the rock, and Moses names the place Massah ("testing") and Meribah ("quarreling").
• Verses 8–13 Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim. While Joshua goes out to fight, Moses stands on the top of the hill. Whenever Moses holds up his hand, Israel prevails; whenever he lowers it, Amalek prevails. Aaron and Hur hold up Moses' hands, one on each side, until the going down of the sun, and Joshua defeats Amalek.
• Verses 14–16 The LORD commands that the event be written in a book and declares that He will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. Moses builds an altar and names it "Jehovah-nissi."

Key Verses

• Exodus 17:6 "Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it" — the starting point of the rock motif that the New Testament connects with Christ.
• Exodus 17:12 "Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands" — frequently cited as a picture of a community bearing burdens together.
• Exodus 17:15 "And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi" — this verse introduces the divine title meaning "The LORD is my banner."

People and Places

• Moses, Aaron
• Joshua: He is first named in Exodus in this chapter, where he leads the army against Amalek.
• Hur: The man who, together with Aaron, held up Moses' hands.
• Amalek: A nomadic people who attacked Israel. Genesis 36 lists an Amalek among the descendants of Esau.
• Rephidim: An encampment between the wilderness of Sin and Mount Sinai. Its exact location is unknown.
• Mount Horeb: Commonly regarded as another name for Mount Sinai.

Points for Reflection

• In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul says of the rock in the wilderness, "that Rock was Christ." Psalm 95:8 and Hebrews 3:8 hold up Israel's testing of God in the wilderness as a warning. The tradition that the rock followed Israel throughout the wilderness journey is found in later Jewish literature, not in the text of Exodus.
• Numbers 20 also records water coming from a rock at Meribah. The two accounts are generally read as separate events occurring at different times and places (the latter at Kadesh), though some scholars regard them as two strands of a single tradition.
• Many sermons interpret Moses' raised hands as prayer. The text, however, says only that Moses held the rod of God in his hand and raised his hands.
• The command to blot out Amalek is taken up again in Deuteronomy 25:17–19 and 1 Samuel 15. Interpretations differ on the ethics of warfare and utter destruction.

In the Korean Church

• The story of Aaron and Hur is frequently used as a sermon text encouraging intercessory prayer for ministers and partnership in ministry. In Sunday school, it is taught together with the account of water from the rock as one episode of the wilderness journey.