Exodus 17: Verse-by-Verse Commentary (with Videos)

16 verses · 6 video commentaries from 5 courses · Berean Standard Bible

¹Then 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.

²So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”

³But 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?”

⁴Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”

⁵And 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.

⁶Behold, 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.

⁷He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

⁸After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

⁹So 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.”

¹⁰Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

¹¹As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.

¹²When 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.

¹³So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.

¹⁴Then 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.”

¹⁵And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner.

¹⁶“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Exodus 17 Section and Chapter Commentary

Exod 17:1-7

Paul's Reference to a 'Following Rock' in 1 Corinthians 10

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul refers to the Israelites drinking from a 'spiritual rock that followed them,' identifying the rock with Christ. This detail, that the rock 'followed' them, is not found in the Old Testament accounts of water from the rock (Exodus 17, Numbers 20). Paul appears to be drawing on an existing Jewish interpretive tradition, as evidenced in texts like Pseudo-Philo and the Tosefta, which posited a mobile source of water in the wilderness to explain the gaps in the biblical narrative.

Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 4: Angle 2 | New Testament Authors Passing on Earlier Jewish Traditions · watch the clip

Christ as the Rock in the Wilderness

Paul, in 1 Corinthians, interprets the rock from which the Israelites drank water in the wilderness as Christ. This suggests that Christ was present and providing for the Israelites during their Exodus journey, even before his earthly incarnation.

Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Finding Jesus in Genesis · watch the clip

Exod 17:8-13

Joshua as a Second Moses: Military Victories and Divine Command

Joshua's military leadership and success are presented as a direct continuation and fulfillment of Moses' commands. The conquest of Ai, where Joshua holds out his hand for victory, parallels Moses' raised hands during the battle against the Amalekites. The text explicitly states that Joshua's actions in the conquest fulfill what the Lord commanded Moses, emphasizing the continuity between the two leaders.

Summarized by AI · The Rise and Fall of Biblical Israel: The Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings · Lecture 2: Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan | Too Good to Be True · watch the clip

Exodus 17 Verse Notes

Exod 17:1

The Rolling Rock Tradition in 1 Corinthians 10:4

Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that the Israelites 'drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ,' draws on an ancient Jewish interpretive tradition. This tradition, not explicitly found in the Old Testament, posited a miraculous rolling rock that provided water in the wilderness, illustrating how Paul incorporated existing Jewish interpretations into his Christological arguments.

Summarized by AI · Jesus and the Old Testament · Lecture 1: Introduction to Jesus and the Old Testament · watch the clip

Exod 17:5-6

Jesus's Appearance and the 'Magic Wand'

Early depictions of Jesus in catacomb art often show him clean-shaven, with curly hair, and holding a 'magic wand' or staff. This wand is consistently used in the context of performing miracles, such as turning water into wine or healing, and may be influenced by figures like Moses or Peter who also used staffs to perform miracles.

Summarized by AI · Roman Catacombs and Early Christian Art · Roman Catacombs and Early Christian Art · watch the clip

Exod 17:11

Prophecies of Christ in the Septuagint

Justin believes that the Septuagint is replete with anticipations of Christ, which are revealed through spiritual understanding. He cites examples like the Paschal lamb's splayed form resembling a cross, the Yom Kippur goat anticipating Christ's expiatory death, the Tree of Life symbolizing the cross, Moses' cruciform posture during battle, and the serpent on a rod in the wilderness, all pointing to Christ's crucifixion and redemptive role.

Summarized by AI · Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years · Lecture 7: Jews and Heretics | Justin Martyr and Israel · watch the clip