The Israelites fought under the direction of God, Jehovah-Nissi. As these flags bear the insignia of their country, the soldiers are said to fight under that banner. The hands and rod of Moses were held up in the same way that soldiers hold up their flags in the time of battle. “The battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). The battle was not won by military might or superior battle plans it was won by the power of God. Only as the rod of God was held aloft did the Israelites prevail. The strange way in which the battle was won left no doubt as to who was responsible for the victory. After the battle, Moses built an altar and named it Jehovah-Nissi, “the Lord is my banner.” At sunset, Israel defeated the Amalekites (verses 12–13). As Moses’ arms grew weary, they had to be supported by his brother, Aaron, and a man named Hur.
The battle was an unusual one: “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning” (Exodus 17:11). He held in his hand the “rod of God”-the same rod with which he had struck a rock to bring forth water for the people in the desert (Exodus 17:5–6). As the battle commenced, Moses stood on the top of a hill where he could see the armies below him. Along the way, they were attacked by the Amalekites, a powerful and warlike group of nomads. The background of the name Jehovah-Nissi involves the Israelites’ wandering in the desert after leaving their bondage in Egypt. Moses, after the children of Israel defeated the Amalekites, built an altar and named it Jehovah-Nissi. The name Jehovah-Nissi appears only once in the Bible, in Exodus 17:15. Jehovah-Nissi (more properly Yahweh-Nissi) means “ the Lord is our banner” in Hebrew.