Numbers 14:43

14:43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

Exodus 17:16

17:16 for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord ¹  – that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” ² 

Deuteronomy 1:44

1:44 The Amorite inhabitants of that area ³  confronted ⁴  you and chased you like a swarm of bees, striking you down from Seir as far as Hormah. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 32:30

32:30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, ⁶ 

and two pursue ten thousand;

unless their Rock had delivered them up, ⁷ 

and the Lord had handed them over?

Joshua 7:5

7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures ⁸  and defeated them on the steep slope. ⁹  The people’s ¹⁰  courage melted away like water. ¹¹ 

Joshua 7:11-12

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ¹²  They have taken some of the riches; ¹³  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ¹⁴  7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. ¹⁵  I will no longer be with you, ¹⁶  unless you destroy what has contaminated you. ¹⁷ 

[17:16]  ¹ tn The line here is very difficult. The Hebrew text has כִּי־יָד עַל־כֵּס יָהּ (ki yad ’al kes yah, “for a hand on the throne of Yah”). If the word is “throne” (and it is not usually spelled like this), then it would mean Moses’ hand was extended to the throne of God, showing either intercession or source of power. It could not be turned to mean that the hand of Yah was taking an oath to destroy the Amalekites. The LXX took the same letters, but apparently saw the last four (כסיה) as a verbal form; it reads “with a secret hand.” Most scholars have simply assumed that the text is wrong, and כֵּס should be emended to נֵס (nes) to fit the name, for this is the pattern of naming in the OT with popular etymologies – some motif of the name must be found in the sentiment. This would then read, “My hand on the banner of Yah.” It would be an expression signifying that the banner, the staff of God, should ever be ready at hand when the Israelites fight the Amalekites again.

[17:16]  ² sn The message of this short narrative, then, concerns the power of God to protect his people. The account includes the difficulty, the victory, and the commemoration. The victory must be retained in memory by the commemoration. So the expositional idea could focus on that: The people of God must recognize (both for engaging in warfare and for praise afterward) that victory comes only with the power of God. In the NT the issue is even more urgent, because the warfare is spiritual – believers do not wrestle against flesh and blood. So only God’s power will bring victory.

[1:44]  ³ tn Heb “in that hill country,” repeating the end of v. 43.

[1:44]  ⁴ tn Heb “came out to meet.”

[1:44]  ⁵ sn Hormah is probably Khirbet el-Meshash, 5.5 mi (9 km) west of Arad and 7.5 mi (12 km) SE of Beer Sheba. Its name is a derivative of the verb חָרָם (kharam, “to ban; to exterminate”). See Num 21:3.

[32:30]  ⁶ tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[7:5]  ⁸ tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).

[7:5]  ⁹ sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.

[7:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “army’s.”

[7:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”

[7:11]  ¹² tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the Lord].”

[7:12]  ¹⁶ tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.

[7:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”