Battle of Rephidim

Battle as recorded in the Bible

The Amalekites launched an unprovoked attack against the Israelites while they were camped in Rephidim. In response, Yahweh announced the extermination of the Amalekites and called on Israel to defeat them, stating that Israel would experience peace with their enemies. Moses placed the people under Joshua's leadership and held up the rod of God, which was seen as an expression of belief in impending victory. From a vantage point above, Moses watched the battle; when he held his hands up, Israel gained the advantage, but when he lowered them, they began to lose.

When Moses grew tired, Hur and Aaron supported his hands. The fighting lasted until evening and ended in an Israelite victory. Afterward, the Israelites erected an altar called Yahweh-nissi, meaning 'The Lord is my banner,' referring to the sticks Moses held. Midrashic sources add that the Amalekites disguised themselves with soot and Canaanite armor to disrupt Israelite prayers, and they attacked stragglers, committing acts of mutilation and derision.

They later harassed the camp with arrows, stones, and javelins, but these could not penetrate the Clouds of Glory. Moses, having received prophetic revelation that the attackers were Amalekites, ordered Joshua to engage them militarily.

Research

Some researchers identify Rephidim as the only oasis in the region, located in mountains where nomads brought cattle to drink. William Petri concluded from climate research that the number of nomads in the area had remained around five to seven thousand for millennia, and that the Amalekites tried to prevent the Israelites from reaching the oasis. Given that the battle's outcome was not decided until evening, the number of combatants on both sides is assumed to have been close, while the Israelites had around six hundred thousand families.

Alexander Łopuchin interpreted Deuteronomy 25:17–18 to mean the Amalekites first robbed exhausted travelers lagging behind the oasis and then attacked an entire tribe. John Van Seters argued that Moses' gesture of raising his hands should be understood as a practice of magic rather than prayer, while Hans-Christoph Schmitt disputed this view, suggesting parallels with 1 Samuel 7:2–13 where Israel's victory came through Samuel's constant prayer.