Exodus-Chapter-17

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Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, although JPS-1917 is my preferred version!

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

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*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Exodus Chapter 17”

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:

Exodus Chapter 17 finds the congregation of Israel moving from the Wilderness of Sin to Rephidim, where the theme of physical survival evolves into a crisis of faith and national security. This chapter is defined by two distinct trials: the internal struggle of thirst and the external threat of an unprovoked attack. It demonstrates that the transition from a slave-mentality to a sovereign nation requires both Divine intervention for basic needs and human mobilization in the face of enmity. Through the water from the rock and the battle against Amalek, the text establishes that the presence of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) is made manifest both in miraculous provision and in the strength of the community’s leadership.

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Let us now read Exodus Chapter 17:1-16: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).

1. “And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of יְהוָה - the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. 2. Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: ‘Give us water that we may drink’. And Moses said unto them: ‘Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try יְהוָה - the LORD?’ 3. And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: ‘Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?’ 4. And Moses cried unto יְהוָה - the LORD, saying: ‘What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me’.

5. And יְהוָה - the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink’. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7. And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried יְהוָה - the LORD, saying: ‘Is יְהוָה - the LORD among us, or not?’ 8. Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9. And Moses said unto Joshua: ‘Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim in my 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. 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 were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed 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 discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14. And יְהוָה - the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven’. 15. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it ‘Adonai-nissi’. 16. And he said: ‘The hand upon the throne of יְהוָה - the LORD: יְהוָה - the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation’”.

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Let us now look at all verses covered with Explanations:

Explanation Verses 1-3: The journey continues “by their stages” to Rephidim, but there is “no water for the people to drink”. The people strive with Moses, demanding water and questioning why they were brought out of Egypt to die of thirst. Their thirst leads them to “murmur” against the very leadership that led them to freedom.

Explanation Verses 4-6: Moses cries out to יְהוָה - the LORD, fearing the people are ready to stone him. The response is an instruction to pass before the people with the "elders of Israel" and the rod used to smite the river. יְהוָה - the LORD promises to stand before him ‘upon the rock in Horeb’, and when Moses smites the rock, water comes out for the people to drink.

Explanation Verse 7: The location is named Massah (Trial) and Meribah (Strife), memorializing the moment the children of Israel “tried יְהוָה - the LORD” by asking, “Is יְהוָה - the LORD among us, or not?”

Explanation Verses 8-10: While at Rephidim, Amalek comes and fights with Israel. Moses instructs Joshua to choose men and go out to fight, while Moses stands on the top of the hill with the “rod of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim” in his hand. Joshua obeys, initiating Israel’s first military engagement.

Explanation Verses 11-13: A unique dynamic of leadership is revealed: when Moses holds up his hand, Israel prevails; when he lets it down, Amalek prevails. To sustain him, Aaron and Hur stay up his hands, one on each side, until the sun goes down. Consequently, Joshua “discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword”.

Explanation Verses 14-16: יְהוָה - the LORD commands Moses to write this event as a “memorial in a book” and rehearse it to Joshua, declaring that the remembrance of Amalek will be utterly blotted out. Moses builds an altar and names it ‘Adonai-nissi’ (יְהוָה - the LORD is my banner), concluding with the oath that “יְהוָה - the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation”.

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My Closing Message:
Chapter 17 serves as a sobering reminder that the journey toward the Promised Land is fraught with both internal doubt and external hostility. The transition from the “water from the rock” to the “war with Amalek” teaches that while the Divine provides the essentials of life, the people must provide the courage and unity to defend their existence. The uplifted hands of Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, symbolise that victory is achieved when leadership is steady and the community is resolute. The chapter closes with a perpetual warning: the struggle for holiness and survival is a continuous engagement that requires constant vigilance across all generations.

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שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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