New King James Version
Exodus 17:8
8Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in 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 Living Translation (NLT)While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them.
Context of Exodus 17:8
6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up 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 36:12Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
- Numbers 24:20Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said: “Amalek was first among the nations, But shall be last until he perishes.”
- Deuteronomy 25:17“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt,
- 1 Samuel 15:2Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
- 1 Samuel 30:1Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire,
- Psalms 83:7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries