Exodus 17 Study Notes
General
What do Aaron and Hur do when Moses' hands grow tired (Exodus 17:12-13)?
Answer: They seat him on a stone and support his arms from both sides until sunset
Moses' arms grow heavy, so Aaron and Hur bring a stone for him to sit on, and they support his arms from both sides, keeping them steady until sunset (17:12). As a result Joshua defeats the Amalekite forces in battle (17:13). Even Moses could not keep going alone; he needed others to help carry the load. Scripture calls believers to help bear each other's loads, just as these two men supported Moses.
- Exodus 17:12-13 (BSB)“When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.”Aaron and Hur seat Moses on a stone and hold up his hands until sunset, and Joshua defeats Amalek.
- Galatians 6:2 (BSB)“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Calls believers to bear one another's burdens, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (BSB)“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!”Teaches that two are better than one because one can lift up the other when he fails.
Theological
What does the role of Aaron and Hur in Exodus 17:12-13 illustrate?
Answer: That mutual support sustains God's servant in his appointed task until the victory is won
When Moses' hands grow heavy, Aaron and Hur seat him on a stone and support his hands on either side until sunset (17:12), and Joshua defeats Amalek with the sword (17:13). The leader appointed by God is not self-sufficient; his task is sustained by the help of others. The scene embodies the call to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) and the wisdom that a companion can raise up a friend who stumbles (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
- Exodus 17:12-13 (BSB)“When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.”Aaron and Hur seat Moses on a stone and hold up his hands until sunset, and Joshua defeats Amalek.
- Galatians 6:2 (BSB)“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Calls believers to bear one another's burdens, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (BSB)“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!”Teaches that two are better than one because one can lift up the other when he fails.
General
Whom does Moses send to lead Israel's fighters against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-9)?
Answer: Joshua
The Amalekites come and attack Israel at Rephidim (17:8). Moses tells Joshua to pick soldiers and lead them into battle, while Moses takes his place on the summit holding God's staff (17:9). This is the first time Joshua appears in the Bible; he later becomes Moses' assistant and eventually leads Israel into Canaan. Deuteronomy explains how cruel Amalek's attack was: they struck the tired and weak stragglers at the back and showed no reverence for God.
- Exodus 17:8-9 (BSB)“After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.””Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim; Moses sends Joshua to fight while he stands on the hill with the staff of God.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-18 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.”Explains that Amalek struck Israel's weary stragglers on the journey and did not fear God.
- Exodus 24:13 (BSB)“So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God.”Shows Joshua later serving as Moses' assistant, the role for which this first appearance prepares him.
- Deuteronomy 31:23 (BSB)“Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.””The LORD commissions Joshua to bring Israel into the promised land, the successor's role this first appearance anticipates.
Theological
How is the battle with Amalek organized in Exodus 17:8-9?
Answer: Joshua leads chosen men in battle while Moses stands on the summit holding God's staff
Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim (17:8), an assault Deuteronomy 25:17-18 describes as preying on weary stragglers without fear of God. Moses assigns Joshua to choose men and fight, while he himself will take his place on the summit holding God's staff (17:9). The narrative introduces Joshua here for the first time, anticipating his role as Moses' assistant (24:13) and eventual successor. The division of roles already signals that the outcome will depend on what happens on the hill, not only on the field.
- Exodus 17:8-9 (BSB)“After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.””Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim; Moses sends Joshua to fight while he stands on the hill with the staff of God.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-18 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.”Explains that Amalek struck Israel's weary stragglers on the journey and did not fear God.
- Exodus 24:13 (BSB)“So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God.”Shows Joshua later serving as Moses' assistant, the role for which this first appearance prepares him.
- Deuteronomy 31:23 (BSB)“Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them, and I will be with you.””The LORD commissions Joshua to bring Israel into the promised land, the successor's role this first appearance anticipates.
General
What question did the Israelites ask that led Moses to call the site Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:7)?
Answer: Is God really with us?
Moses names the place Massah, which means testing, and Meribah, which means quarreling, because the Israelites argued and tested the LORD by asking whether He was really with them or not (17:7). They had just seen the plagues, the sea, the manna, and the cloud, yet they still doubted His presence. Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3 use this event as a warning against becoming stubborn and unbelieving the way Israel did here.
- Exodus 17:7 (BSB)“He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?””Moses names the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarreling and testing of the LORD.
- Psalm 95:8-9 (BSB)“do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.”Warns later generations not to harden their hearts as at Meribah and Massah, where the fathers tested God.
- Hebrews 3:8-9 (BSB)“do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.”Applies the same wilderness warning to Christians, urging them not to harden their hearts in unbelief.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”Names Massah as the example of testing God that Israel must never repeat.
Theological
What doubt lies behind the names Massah and Meribah, according to Exodus 17:7?
Answer: Whether the LORD was present among them at all
Moses names the site Massah, testing, and Meribah, quarreling, because Israel contended and tested the LORD by questioning whether He was among them or not (17:7). The unbelief is striking after the plagues, the sea, the manna, and the pillar of cloud. The episode became Scripture's paradigm of hard-hearted testing: Psalm 95:8-9 warns against repeating it, Hebrews 3:8-9 applies that warning to the church, and Deuteronomy 6:16 forbids testing God as at Massah.
- Exodus 17:7 (BSB)“He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?””Moses names the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarreling and testing of the LORD.
- Psalm 95:8-9 (BSB)“do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen My work.”Warns later generations not to harden their hearts as at Meribah and Massah, where the fathers tested God.
- Hebrews 3:8-9 (BSB)“do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.”Applies the same wilderness warning to Christians, urging them not to harden their hearts in unbelief.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”Names Massah as the example of testing God that Israel must never repeat.
General
What does Moses do when the thirsty people turn against him (Exodus 17:3-4)?
Answer: He calls on God in prayer, fearing the people are about to stone him
The people keep complaining, asking whether Moses brought them out of Egypt only to let them, their children, and their animals die of thirst (17:3). Moses brings the problem straight to God, crying out that the people are almost ready to stone him (17:4). He does not argue back or run away; he prays. At Marah, too, Moses had called on God when the people complained about water, and God had answered. Scripture teaches that real help is found in God alone.
- Exodus 17:3-4 (BSB)“But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!””The thirsty people complain that Moses brought them out to die, and Moses cries to the LORD that they are ready to stone him.
- Numbers 14:10 (BSB)“But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.”Later the congregation threatens to stone Joshua and Caleb, showing how real the danger of stoning was.
- Exodus 15:25 (BSB)“And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,”At Marah Moses also cried out to the LORD in a crisis over water, and God answered.
- Psalm 121:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”Affirms that the believer's help comes from the LORD, to whom Moses turns.
Theological
What is Moses' response to the escalating hostility in Exodus 17:3-4?
Answer: He brings the crisis to the LORD in prayer, confessing that the people are near to stoning him
The complaint intensifies into an accusation that Moses led the people, their children, and their livestock out to die of thirst (17:3). Moses responds by crying to God, asking what to do with a people close to stoning him (17:4). As at Marah (15:25), the mediator carries the crisis to God rather than answering the people in kind. The threat was real, as the congregation's later threat against Joshua and Caleb shows (Numbers 14:10), and Moses' recourse models dependence on the LORD as the source of help (Psalm 121:1-2).
- Exodus 17:3-4 (BSB)“But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!””The thirsty people complain that Moses brought them out to die, and Moses cries to the LORD that they are ready to stone him.
- Numbers 14:10 (BSB)“But the whole congregation threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.”Later the congregation threatens to stone Joshua and Caleb, showing how real the danger of stoning was.
- Exodus 15:25 (BSB)“And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,”At Marah Moses also cried out to the LORD in a crisis over water, and God answered.
- Psalm 121:1-2 (BSB)“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”Affirms that the believer's help comes from the LORD, to whom Moses turns.
General
True or False: According to Exodus 17:11, whenever Moses lowered his hands, the Amalekites began to win.
Answer: True
This is true. While Moses keeps his hands raised, Israel prevails; whenever he lowers them, Amalek gains the upper hand (17:11). The text does not spell out exactly what the raised hands meant. Moses was holding God's staff, and in Scripture lifted hands often go with prayer. Either way, the scene makes plain that the victory did not come from Israel's fighting skill but from God. The battle belongs to Him.
- Exodus 17:10-11 (BSB)“Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.”While Moses' hands are raised Israel prevails; when they drop, Amalek prevails.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Declares that Israel's victories came not by their own sword but by God's right hand.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David declares that the battle is the LORD's, the truth this scene dramatizes.
- Psalm 141:2 (BSB)“May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.”Links uplifted hands with prayer, one way raised hands function in Scripture.
Theological
True or False: Exodus 17:11 links the course of the battle to Moses' raised or lowered hands, showing that the outcome did not rest on Israel's military strength alone.
Answer: True
This is true. Israel prevails while Moses' hands are raised and Amalek prevails when they drop (17:11). The text does not explain the gesture in detail; Moses holds God's staff (17:9), and raised hands elsewhere accompany prayer (Psalm 141:2), so many interpreters read the scene as dependent intercession. What is unmistakable is that victory is tied to God's working, not to Joshua's army alone, in keeping with the confession that the battle belongs to the LORD (1 Samuel 17:47) and that Israel's victories came by His right hand (Psalm 44:3).
- Exodus 17:10-11 (BSB)“Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.”While Moses' hands are raised Israel prevails; when they drop, Amalek prevails.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Declares that Israel's victories came not by their own sword but by God's right hand.
- 1 Samuel 17:47 (BSB)“And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.””David declares that the battle is the LORD's, the truth this scene dramatizes.
- Psalm 141:2 (BSB)“May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.”Links uplifted hands with prayer, one way raised hands function in Scripture.
General
When the people quarrel with Moses over the lack of water at Rephidim, what does Moses ask them (Exodus 17:1-2)?
Answer: Why they quarrel with him and why they test the LORD
Traveling in stages as the LORD directed, Israel camps at Rephidim, a place with nothing to drink (17:1). The people angrily demand water from Moses. He asks why they are quarreling with him and why they are putting the LORD to the test (17:2). To test the LORD here means to challenge Him and demand that He prove Himself, instead of trusting Him. Moses later warns Israel never to test God as they did in this place, and Jesus quotes that command when Satan tempts Him.
- Exodus 17:1-2 (BSB)“Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?””Israel camps at Rephidim with no water, and the people quarrel with Moses, who asks why they test the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”Moses later forbids testing the LORD as Israel did at Massah, confirming that the quarrel here was a sinful test of God.
- Matthew 4:7 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’””Jesus refuses to put God to the test, quoting the same command drawn from this event.
- Numbers 33:14 (BSB)“They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.”The travel record confirms that Rephidim was the camp where there was no water to drink.
Theological
How does Moses characterize the people's quarrel at Rephidim in Exodus 17:2?
Answer: As a test of the LORD, not merely a complaint against Moses
Having moved in stages at the LORD's command, Israel camps at Rephidim without water (17:1), and the people contend with Moses to give them drink. Moses answers with two questions: why contend with him, and why test the LORD (17:2)? He identifies their demand as putting God on trial, questioning His presence and goodness despite the provision already given. Deuteronomy 6:16 forbids testing God as Israel did at Massah, and Jesus quotes that prohibition when tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:7).
- Exodus 17:1-2 (BSB)“Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?””Israel camps at Rephidim with no water, and the people quarrel with Moses, who asks why they test the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (BSB)“Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.”Moses later forbids testing the LORD as Israel did at Massah, confirming that the quarrel here was a sinful test of God.
- Matthew 4:7 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’””Jesus refuses to put God to the test, quoting the same command drawn from this event.
- Numbers 33:14 (BSB)“They set out from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.”The travel record confirms that Rephidim was the camp where there was no water to drink.
General
What name does Moses give the altar he builds after the battle (Exodus 17:15)?
Answer: The LORD Is My Banner
Moses builds an altar and gives it a name: The LORD Is My Banner (17:15). A banner was a flag or standard that soldiers rallied around in battle. By naming the altar this way, Moses gives God the credit for the victory: the LORD Himself is the one Israel rallies to. Moses adds that the LORD will keep fighting Amalek in every generation (17:16), and later books show that this conflict continued into David's time.
- Exodus 17:15-16 (BSB)“And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. “Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.””Moses builds an altar, names it The LORD Is My Banner, and declares the LORD's lasting war against Amalek.
- Psalm 60:4 (BSB)“You have raised a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee the bow. Selah”Speaks of God raising a banner for those who fear Him, the image in the altar's name.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the LORD's name, the confession the altar makes.
- 1 Samuel 30:17-18 (BSB)“And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels. So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.”Shows the conflict with Amalek continuing generations later in David's time.
Theological
What does Moses confess by the name he gives the altar after the battle (Exodus 17:15-16)?
Answer: That the LORD Himself is Israel's rallying standard and the true author of the victory
Moses erects an altar and names it for the LORD as his banner (17:15), confessing that the LORD is the standard around which Israel rallies and the one who won the victory, in keeping with trust in the LORD's name rather than in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7; compare Psalm 60:4). The brief saying in 17:16 is compact and has been understood in more than one way, but its conclusion is clear: the LORD will keep fighting Amalek in every generation. The later history bears this out, as David still fights Amalekites generations later (1 Samuel 30:17-18).
- Exodus 17:15-16 (BSB)“And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. “Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.””Moses builds an altar, names it The LORD Is My Banner, and declares the LORD's lasting war against Amalek.
- Psalm 60:4 (BSB)“You have raised a banner for those who fear You, that they may flee the bow. Selah”Speaks of God raising a banner for those who fear Him, the image in the altar's name.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the LORD's name, the confession the altar makes.
- 1 Samuel 30:17-18 (BSB)“And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels. So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.”Shows the conflict with Amalek continuing generations later in David's time.
General
How does the Apostle Paul explain the rock that gave Israel water in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4)?
Answer: He says the rock was Christ
In Exodus 17:6 water flows from Horeb's rock to save the thirsty people. Paul looks back on the wilderness and says that Israel drank from a spiritual rock that went with them, and that the rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). Christ was present with His people even then, supplying what they needed. Jesus later invites anyone who is thirsty to come to Him and drink, promising water that gives eternal life. The water from the rock pointed ahead to the life Jesus gives to all who come to Him.
- Exodus 17:6 (BSB)“Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”God stands before Moses at the rock at Horeb, and water flows from it for the people when it is struck.
- 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (BSB)“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”Paul says Israel drank from a spiritual rock and states directly that the rock was Christ.
- John 7:37-38 (BSB)“On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’””Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him and drink, presenting Himself as the source of living water.
- John 4:14 (BSB)“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.””Jesus promises water that becomes a spring of eternal life in the one who drinks it.
Theological
What does 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 teach about Horeb's rock in Exodus 17:6?
Answer: That the rock was Christ, who was present to sustain His people in the wilderness
Paul states that the fathers all drank spiritual drink from a spiritual rock that went with them on their journey, and he identifies that rock as Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). The Son was actively present with Israel in the wilderness, sustaining His people; the water from the struck rock at Horeb (17:6) was His provision. The type finds its fulfillment in Jesus' invitation to the thirsty to come to Him and drink (John 7:37-38) and His promise of water that wells up within and brings everlasting life (John 4:14). Christ Himself is the source of the life that saves.
- Exodus 17:6 (BSB)“Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”God stands before Moses at the rock at Horeb, and water flows from it for the people when it is struck.
- 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (BSB)“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”Paul says Israel drank from a spiritual rock and states directly that the rock was Christ.
- John 7:37-38 (BSB)“On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’””Jesus invites the thirsty to come to Him and drink, presenting Himself as the source of living water.
- John 4:14 (BSB)“But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.””Jesus promises water that becomes a spring of eternal life in the one who drinks it.
General
What does the LORD tell Moses to take with him to the rock (Exodus 17:5)?
Answer: Some of Israel's elders and the staff he had used to strike the Nile
The LORD tells Moses to walk in front of the crowd, taking some elders with him and holding the staff he had used when the Nile was struck (17:5). The elders would be witnesses of what God did. The staff reminded everyone of God's power against Egypt: it was the staff God had given Moses for signs, the one used in the plague on the Nile and lifted over the sea. The same God who struck Egypt's river would now bring water for His people.
- Exodus 17:5-6 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD tells Moses to take elders and his staff, promises to stand before him at the rock at Horeb, and water comes out when Moses strikes it.
- Exodus 7:17 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.”Identifies the staff as the instrument of the first plague on the Nile, the staff the LORD now tells Moses to take.
- Exodus 4:17 (BSB)“But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.””God had given Moses the staff to perform signs, which is its role again here.
- Exodus 14:16 (BSB)“And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”The same staff was lifted over the sea to divide it, recalling God's power at the exodus.
Theological
Why is it significant that Moses is told to take the staff he had used on the Nile (Exodus 17:5)?
Answer: It connects the coming provision to the LORD's earlier acts of power against Egypt
Moses is to pass before the people with elders as witnesses and with the staff used to strike the Nile (17:5). The staff was the sign-working instrument God had given him (4:17), used in the first plague (7:17) and lifted over the sea (14:16). Its reappearance ties the gift of water to the LORD's earlier mighty acts: the power once exercised in judgment on Egypt's river is now exercised in mercy for Israel. The power lies with the LORD, not in the wood, and the elders serve as witnesses that it is God who acts.
- Exodus 17:5-6 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD tells Moses to take elders and his staff, promises to stand before him at the rock at Horeb, and water comes out when Moses strikes it.
- Exodus 7:17 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to blood.”Identifies the staff as the instrument of the first plague on the Nile, the staff the LORD now tells Moses to take.
- Exodus 4:17 (BSB)“But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.””God had given Moses the staff to perform signs, which is its role again here.
- Exodus 14:16 (BSB)“And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”The same staff was lifted over the sea to divide it, recalling God's power at the exodus.
General
True or False: According to Exodus 17:6, God promised to stand before Moses at Horeb's rock, and water came from it when Moses struck it.
Answer: True
This is true. God tells Moses that He Himself will be present in front of him at Horeb's rock. When Moses strikes it, water pours out for the people, and Moses does this while the elders watch (17:6). The psalms and prophets later remember this event and give God the credit: He broke open the rock face so that streams ran through the dry land.
- Exodus 17:5-6 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD tells Moses to take elders and his staff, promises to stand before him at the rock at Horeb, and water comes out when Moses strikes it.
- Psalm 78:15-16 (BSB)“He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas. He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.”Recalls God splitting rocks in the wilderness and giving abundant water, crediting the miracle to Him.
- Psalm 105:41 (BSB)“He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.”Celebrates the LORD opening the rock so that water gushed out like a river in the desert.
- Isaiah 48:21 (BSB)“They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.”Recalls that God made water flow from the rock so that His people did not thirst.
Theological
True or False: In Exodus 17:6, the LORD promises to be present at Horeb's rock, and water flows from it when Moses strikes it before the elders.
Answer: True
This is true. The LORD promises to stand before Moses at Horeb's rock; Moses strikes it in the elders' sight, and water comes out for the people (17:6). The narrative stresses the LORD's own presence at the rock as the source of provision. Later Scripture consistently attributes the miracle to God Himself (Psalm 78:15-16; 105:41; Isaiah 48:21).
- Exodus 17:5-6 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.”The LORD tells Moses to take elders and his staff, promises to stand before him at the rock at Horeb, and water comes out when Moses strikes it.
- Psalm 78:15-16 (BSB)“He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas. He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers.”Recalls God splitting rocks in the wilderness and giving abundant water, crediting the miracle to Him.
- Psalm 105:41 (BSB)“He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.”Celebrates the LORD opening the rock so that water gushed out like a river in the desert.
- Isaiah 48:21 (BSB)“They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.”Recalls that God made water flow from the rock so that His people did not thirst.
General
What does the LORD tell Moses to do after the victory over Amalek (Exodus 17:14)?
Answer: Record the event in writing and make sure Joshua hears it
The LORD tells Moses to write the event down on a scroll so it will be remembered, and to make sure Joshua hears it, because God will completely erase Amalek's memory from the earth (17:14). This is the first time the Bible mentions Moses writing something down at God's command. God's judgment on Amalek was not forgotten: Deuteronomy repeats the command to remember, Balaam foretells Amalek's end, and God later sends King Saul against them for what they did to Israel on the way out of Egypt.
- Exodus 17:14 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.””The LORD orders a written record and declares that He will blot out Amalek's memory.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”Moses later commands Israel to remember Amalek's attack and one day blot out Amalek's memory.
- 1 Samuel 15:2-3 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’””God later sends Saul to carry out judgment on Amalek for opposing Israel on the way from Egypt.
- Numbers 24:20 (BSB)“Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.””Balaam's oracle foretells Amalek's final destruction.
Theological
What is the significance of the command in Exodus 17:14 to write and recite the event to Joshua?
Answer: It commits God's declared judgment on Amalek to written memory for the next generation's leader
The LORD commands Moses to record the event in writing as a memorial and to rehearse it in Joshua's hearing, for He will wipe out every trace of Amalek's memory (17:14). This is the first mention of Moses writing at God's command, and Joshua, the coming leader, is to carry it forward. The sentence on Amalek remains in force across generations: Deuteronomy 25:17-19 renews the charge, Numbers 24:20 foretells Amalek's end, and 1 Samuel 15:2-3 records God's later commission to Saul, grounded in this same opposition during Israel's journey out of Egypt.
- Exodus 17:14 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.””The LORD orders a written record and declares that He will blot out Amalek's memory.
- Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (BSB)“Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”Moses later commands Israel to remember Amalek's attack and one day blot out Amalek's memory.
- 1 Samuel 15:2-3 (BSB)“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they opposed them on their way up from Egypt. Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’””God later sends Saul to carry out judgment on Amalek for opposing Israel on the way from Egypt.
- Numbers 24:20 (BSB)“Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.””Balaam's oracle foretells Amalek's final destruction.