Exodus 17:14
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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.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
As this battle and victory were of such significance, Moses was to write it for a memorial בּסּפר, in "the book" appointed for a record of the wonderful works of God, and "to put it into the ears of Joshua," i.e., to make known to him, and impress upon him, that Jehovah would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; not "in order that he might carry out this decree of God on the conquest of Canaan, as Knobel supposes, but to strengthen his confidence in the help of the Lord against all the enemies of Israel. In Deu 25:19 the Israelites are commanded to exterminate Amalek, when God should have given them rest in the land of Canaan from all their enemies round about. Exo 17:15-16 To praise God for His help, Moses built an altar, which he called "Jehovah my banner," and said, when he did so, "The hand on the throne (or banner) of Jah! War to the Lord from generation to generation!" There is nothing said about sacrifices being offered upon this altar. It has been conjectured, therefore, that as a place of worship and thank-offering, the altar with its expressive name was merely to serve as a memorial to posterity of the gracious help of the Lord, and that the words which were spoken by Moses were to serve as a watchword for Israel, keeping this act of God in lively remembrance among the people in all succeeding generations. כּי (Exo 17:16) merely introduces the words as in Gen 4:23, etc. The expression יהּ על־כּס יד is obscure, chiefly on account of the ἁπ λεγ. כּס. In the ancient versions (with the exception of the Septuagint, in which יה כץ is treated as one word, and rendered κρυφαία) כּס is taken to be equivalent to כּסּה (Kg1 10:19; Job 26:9) for כּסּא, and the clause is rendered "the hand upon the throne of the Lord." But whilst some understand t…
Open source ↗Two passages of story are recorded in this chapter, I. The watering of the host of Israel. 1. In the wilderness they wanted water (Exo 17:1). 2. In their want they chided Moses (Exo 17:2, Exo 17:3). 3. Moses cried to God (Exo 17:4). 4. God ordered him to smite the rock, and fetch water out of that; Moses did so (Exo 17:5, Exo 17:6). 5. The place named from it (Exo 17:7). II. The defeating of the host of Amalek. 1. The victory obtained by the prayer of Moses (Exo 17:8-12). 2. By the sword of Joshua (Exo 17:13). 3. A record kept of it (Exo 17:14, Exo 17:16). And these things which happened to them are written for our instruction in our spiritual journey and warfare.
Open source ↗17:14-16 By their unprovoked attack on the people through whom God was extending his blessing, the Amalekites incurred the unending wrath of God. God’s hand can be extended in blessing, or it can be extended in curse. Those who reject the hand of blessing experience the curse (see 1 Sam 15).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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The LORD also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
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.
On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.”
from Edom and Moab, from the Ammonites and Philistines and Amalekites, and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:
It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?