Bible Strands
Exodus 17:9
So 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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses commands Joshua to select soldiers and advance against the Amalekites at Rephidim while Moses positions himself on a nearby hilltop with the staff of God. This directive follows the initial Amalekite assault in Exodus 17:8 and precedes the battlefield deployment described in Exodus 17:10.
The words — The Hebrew בְּחַר (be.char) issues a direct command to "choose" specific individuals for the mission. The verb הִלָּחֵם (hi.la.Chem) explicitly orders them to "fight" the opposing force.
The thread — The "staff of God" is previously identified in Exodus 4:20 as the instrument Moses carries back to Egypt. The sustained leadership partnership between Moses and Joshua also appears in Exodus 24:13 and Deuteronomy 32:44.
Why it lands — The passage records a concrete military assignment paired with a stated condition of Moses' presence, requiring immediate compliance from Joshua. It establishes that organized human action operates alongside visible symbols of authority during the conflict.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Exodus 4:20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
- Exodus 24:13 So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God.
- Deuteronomy 32:44 Then Moses came with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the hearing of the people.
- Exodus 4:2 And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
- Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.
- Exodus 17:13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.
- Numbers 11:28 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
- Numbers 31:3 So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.
- Acts 7:45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,
- Numbers 13:16 These were the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses gave to Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.