Exodus 17:9

Joshua. The successor of Moses and later leader of Israel here appears in the narrative for the first time. Joshua, whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” or “Jehovah helps,” was a prince of the tribe of Ephraim who entered the personal service of Moses either before or soon after the battle with the Amalekites (see Num. 13:8; Ex. 24:13). When chosen by Moses, his name was still Hoshea or Oshea, which means “salvation.” His more meaningful name, Jehoshua or Joshua, “Jehovah is salvation” or “Jehovah helps,” was given him by Moses upon a later occasion (Num. 13:8, 16). The name Jesus is from the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua (see Heb. 4:8).

Choose us out men. It was probably evening when Moses heard of the attack upon his rear ranks, and there was consequently little possibility of retrieving the loss until the following day (Ex. 17:9). But arrangements for meeting the enemy the next morning were made. This preparation consisted in the selection of men fit for battle, and probably also in strategy meetings with band leaders and last-minute instructions for battle on the morrow.

The rod of God in mine hand. While Moses sent his men into combat and did everything humanly possible to guarantee victory over the treacherous enemy, he demonstrated also his trust in God rather than in human strength (cf. Jer. 17:5). Although he knew that victory comes from the Lord, this trust did not prevent him from putting forth every effort to protect the women and children, the aged and weak. Divine power is thus ever to be combined with human effort.