Chapter 17

17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in ^a Rephidim: and [there was] no water for the people to drink.

(a) Moses does not note every place where they camped as in Numbers 33, but only those places where some notable thing was done.

17:2 Wherefore the people did 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 ^b tempt the LORD?

(b) Why do you distrust God? Why do you not look for comfort from him without complaining to us?

17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to ^c stone me.

(c) How ready the people are to slay the true prophets for their own purposes and how slow they are to take up Gods cause against his enemies and false prophets.

17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the ^d LORD among us, or not?

(d) When in adversity we think God is absent, then we neglect his promise and make him a liar.

17:8 Then came ^e Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

(e) Who came from Eliphaz, son of Esau, ( Genesis 36:12 ).

17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the ^f hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

(f) That is, Horeb, which is also called Sinai.

17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let ^g down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

(g) So that we see how dangerous a thing it is to cease in prayer.

17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this [for] a memorial ^h in a book, and rehearse [it] in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

(h) In the book of the law.

17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it ⁱ Jehovahnissi:

(i) That is, the Lord is my banner as he declared by holding up his rod and his hands.