Old Testament Commentary - Exodus 17

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 17 Israel murmurs for want of water—Moses smites rock in Horeb, and water gushes forth—Aaron and Hur uphold Moses' hands so that Joshua prevails against Amalek.
1 AND all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of ^aSin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and ^bpitched in Rephidim^a: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people ^adid chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye ^btempt the LORD? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people ^amurmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? They Pitched in Rephidim Was not Moses inspired of God? Did he not lead them in the way that they might live and survive in the wilderness of the deserts of the Sinai Peninsula? Then why would Moses, being led by God, have the children of Israel stop and pitch their tents for a duration of time in a dry land where there was not water? Was the Lord testing the people? Was the Lord setting an example before the people just how reliant upon him they were? Or was the Lord setting the stage for a defense of Israel against the Amalekites who had gathered an army to come to destroy Israel in the land regions of Horeb? Often beyond man's immediate vision is the wider vision of the Lord and what the Lord is doing. The Lord had his purposes to have the people pitch their tents at Rephidim where Israel would have the only water source and their enemies would not. What all was on the mind of the Lord in setting Israel's camp at Rephidim cannot be said. But certainly his purposes was not to have the Israelites die of thirst in the wilderness.
	1^a the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim Here is an example of taking a scriptural record and presuming it to be all inclusive, whether it be the Bible or the Book of Mormon. From this description the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin to pitch their tents at Rephidim, an apparent 'single hop' from one place to another. This presumption is an error of condensation or from reading an abridged account and supposing it to tell the whole of the story. In Numbers 33:12-13 we learn that this seeming single hop journey was much more, departing from the wilderness of Sin they first encamped at Dophkah. And then departing Dophkah they next encamped in Alush. And after they removed from Alush, then they encamped at Rephhidim. The point being that often scriptural accounts do not give detailed histories and are not all-enclusive as to time, place and events. The 'quick read' artist would have presumed that Rephidim was next to the wilderness of Sin and never considered such places as Dophkah and Alush or any events which may have occurred there. In short, they would have errored in making the time, distances and events much closer in occurance than what was in reality if it were not for the Numbers 33:12-13 reference. Many who read the short highly abriged Book of Mormon so limit time. space and events when they 'quick read' that book, placing it all within the confines of Meso-america.	1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy ^arod, ^bwherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb^a; and thou shalt ^asmite the ^brock, and there shall come ^cwater out of it, that the people may drink^b. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place ^aMassah, and ^bMeribah, because of the ^cchiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? The Rock in Horeb Perhaps lost in part from the Israelite imagery is that symbolism of 'The Rock in Horeb' who is the LORD, which brought forth the 'living waters' that the people may drink and be saved. Moses is said to have taken credit for the production of the water unto himself rather than portraying the image of the LORD being the source of living water unto the people that they might drink. This the LORD does, providing both the physical and spiritual water that sustains the life of man.	6^a I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb God's prophet does stand upon the Lord. That is where he obtains his authority, being called of God, ministering in behalf of and in the name of God. 'The Rock' is the symbolic name of the Lord Jesus Christ and Moses was thus to set forth that it was upon 'that rock', the Lord, that 'Rock of Horeb', being the prophet of the Lord, acting in the name of the Lord by the power and authority of the Lord. 6^b thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink This is a prophetic description of what would happen to Jesus Christ. He would be struck and smitten by the high priest of Israel, and from thence would water come out of him, that sacramental water which the people might drink, drinking that living water which brings everlasting life.	1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
8 ¶ Then came ^aAmalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto ^aJoshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the ^brod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands ^awere heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur ^bstayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua ^adiscomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.		1^a OR consecrate or set apart. ^b Lev. 21:10 (10-15) ^c OR young bull (also vv. 3, 10-12, 14, 36).; Lev. 8:2; 1 Chr. 13:9 2^a Lev. 2:4 ^b HEB mingled OR smeared
14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a ^abook, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of ^bAmalek from under heaven. 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it ^aJehovah-nissi: 16 For he said, ^aBecause the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.