And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
When Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed ... The object of the leader in this remarkable act has been the subject of much discussion. That it was the attitude of prayer is maintained by Origen, Sebastian Munster, Seiler, Keil and Delitzsch, Dr. Hall, etc., who dwell on these circumstances-that Moses did not act as the commander, having transferred the command to Joshua-that he retired to a hill where he might not be seen by the warriors in the heat of battle-that as not one hand only, but both hands (Exodus 17:12) were raised, which was the position of a suppliant, "the rod" having been the instrument of his formerly exercising supernatural power, was now grasped eagerly as the means of drawing down supplies of grace and divine strength from above; and that all these circumstances combined prove that Moses was engaged in prayer, appears confirmed by the fact of his announcing, for the personal encouragement of Joshua before the commencement of the battle, his intention of seeking succour in that way.
On the other hand, that Moses held his rod elevated in his outstretched hand as "an ensign to the people," is the view supported by Le Clerc, Vater, Lakemacher, Rosenmuller, Werenfels, Kurtz, etc., who notice that the leader did not stretch his rod over the enemy, as he uniformly did in performing the wonders in Egypt, but raised his hands-that the occasional depression of them as the fortune of the battle inclined in favour of the enemy, shows that it was intended to serve as a banner for assuring the Israelites of divine help-and that the protracted elevation of the hands, if done in prayer, implies the ascription of too much virtue to the outward form. The former of these views is supported by some recent writers on the ground that there are instances, even in earlier portions of the sacred history, of the efficacy of prayer, and that Moses now gave the Israelites an important lesson, that in all their conflicts with the ungodly powers of the world, a believing dependence upon Yahweh, through prayer, was the sure and certain pledge of victory. On the other hand, it is observable that "the rod" was given to Moses for the express purpose of working wonders (Exodus 4:17), and that it never seems to have been used in a season of prayer.