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Exodus 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 Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

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 tempt the Lord?

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3

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

4

And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

5

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine 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 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 Lord among us, or not?

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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: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

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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 the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

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And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it JEHOVAH–nissi:

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For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

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Exodus 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 tempt the Lord?”

Study Summary

So they quarreled with Moses and said: give us water to drink. Moses replied: why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test? The quarrel — a legal dispute, rib in Hebrew — is more formal than ordinary grumbling. The people are bringing a case against Moses, demanding water as a legal right. Moses redirects the dispute immediately: why do you put the Lord to the test? The testing of God — challenging Him to prove His presence and power — is the theological dimension of what appears to be a practical complaint. Psalm 95:8–9 says do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me. The naming of this incident in Psalm 95 shows that the quarrel at Rephidim became a paradigmatic case study in Israel's relationship with God: the moment when thirst became challenge became testing.

Community Reflections

1
Elena Petrova (Test User)1d ago
The promise of restoration — Exodus 17

There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and forever.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet…

Read the note →
1
Priya Nair (test user)7h ago
Lessons in obedience — Exodus 17

God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. Faith isn't the absence of doubt — it's choosing to believe despite it.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the…

Read the note →

Exodus 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 tempt the Lord?”

Study Summary

So they quarreled with Moses and said: give us water to drink. Moses replied: why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test? The quarrel — a legal dispute, rib in Hebrew — is more formal than ordinary grumbling. The people are bringing a case against Moses, demanding water as a legal right. Moses redirects the dispute immediately: why do you put the Lord to the test? The testing of God — challenging Him to prove His presence and power — is the theological dimension of what appears to be a practical complaint. Psalm 95:8–9 says do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me. The naming of this incident in Psalm 95 shows that the quarrel at Rephidim became a paradigmatic case study in Israel's relationship with God: the moment when thirst became challenge became testing.

Community Reflections

1
Elena Petrova (Test User)1d ago
The promise of restoration — Exodus 17

There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and forever.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet…

Read the note →
1
Priya Nair (test user)7h ago
Lessons in obedience — Exodus 17

God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. I think this is a call to trust beyond what we can see. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. Faith isn't the absence of doubt — it's choosing to believe despite it.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the…

Read the note →

Exodus 17:2

So they quarreled with Moses and said: give us water to drink. Moses replied: why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test? The quarrel — a legal dispute, rib in Hebrew — is more formal than ordinary grumbling. The people are bringing a case against Moses, demanding water as a legal right. Moses redirects the dispute immediately: why do you put the Lord to the test? The testing of God — challenging Him to prove His presence and power — is the theological dimension of what appears to be a practical complaint. Psalm 95:8–9 says do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me. The naming of this incident in Psalm 95 shows that the quarrel at Rephidim became a paradigmatic case study in Israel's relationship with God: the moment when thirst became challenge became testing.