God’s Word Translation
Exodus 17:8
8The Amalekites fought Israel at Rephidim.
Exodus 17:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
- New International Version (NIV)The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
Context of Exodus 17:8
6I’ll be standing in front of you there by a rock at Mount Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Moses did this while the leaders of Israel watched him. 7He named that place Massah [Testing] and Meribah [Complaining] because the Israelites complained and because they tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord with us or not?” The Amalekites fought Israel at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men. Then fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill. I will hold in my hand the staff God told me to take along.” 10Joshua did as Moses told him and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
Read all of Exodus 17Exodus 17:8 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 17:8
- Genesis 36:12Timna was a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz. She gave birth to Amalek for Eliphaz. These were the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
- Numbers 24:20Then Balaam saw the Amalekites and delivered this message: “Amalek was first among the nations, but in the end it will be destroyed.”
- Deuteronomy 25:17Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your trip from Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 15:2This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will punish Amalek for what they did to Israel. They blocked Israel’s way after the Israelites came from Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 30:1Two days later, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev, including Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it.
- Psalms 83:7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia, along with those who live in Tyre.
Commentaries on Exodus 17:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel - The Amalekites seem to have attacked the Israelites in the same way and through the same motives that the wandering Arabs attack the caravans which annually pass through the same desert. It does not appear that the Israelites gave them any kind of provocation, they seem to have attacked them merely through the hopes of plunder. The Amalekites were the posterity of Amalek, one of the dukes of Eliphaz, the son of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Then came Amalek - The attack occurred about two months after the Exodus, toward the end of May or early in June, when the Bedouins leave the lower plains in order to find pasture for their flocks on the cooler heights. The approach of the Israelites to Sinai would of course attract notice, and no cause of warfare is more common than a dispute for the right of pasturage. The Amalekites were at that time the most powerful race in the Peninsula; here they…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-16Verses 8-16 Israel engaged with Amalek in their own necessary defence. God makes his people able, and calls them to various services for the good of his church. Joshua fights, Moses prays, both minister to Israel. The rod was held up, as the banner to encourage the soldiers. Also to God, by way of appeal to him. Moses was tired. The strongest arm will fail with being long held out; it is God only whose hand is stretched out still. We do not find that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:11–12). Amalek’s descendants were a nomadic people. This means they moved from place to place instead of living in one city. They were loosely based in the land of Edom. This means Edom was their main area, even though they traveled often. They likely supported themselves by attacking and robbing nearby settled communities.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-168. Then came Amalek--Some time probably elapsed before they were exposed to this new evil; and the presumption of there being such an interval affords the only ground on which we can satisfactorily account for the altered, the better, and former spirit that animated the people in this sudden contest. The miracles of the manna and the water from the rock had produced a deep impression and permanent conviction that God was indeed among them; and with…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 17:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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