The Defeat of the Amalekites

Amalek attacks, and Moses sends Joshua to fight while he stands on the hill with the staff of God. Israel prevails when Moses' hands are raised, so Aaron and Hur support him until Joshua overcomes Amalek.

A⁸fter this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹So 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.” ¹⁰Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. ¹²When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. ¹³So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.

The LORD tells Moses to record the victory and speak it to Joshua, promising Amalek's memory will be blotted out. Moses builds an altar, names the LORD as his banner, and declares the LORD's war against Amalek across generations.

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. ¹⁶“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”