Charles Ellicott Commentary Exodus 17:14

"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." — Exodus 17:14 (ASV)

Write this for a memorial in a book. —Hebrew, in the book. That “book” existed long before Moses is implied in his quotation of them (Genesis 5:1; Numbers 21:14), and has in recent years been abundantly proven by discoveries of Egyptian papyruses dating from a time long before the Jewish lawgiver.

The expression used in this passage, if it may be trusted, “the book,” is remarkable. It seems to imply that a book already existed at the date of this engagement, in which God’s dealings with His people were entered from time to time. (See Introduction to Speaker’s Commentary, vol. i., p. 1.) This book was probably the germ of the existing Pentateuch, which was composed in many portions and at intervals, as occasion arose.

Bĕsêpher, “in a book,” and bassêpher, “in the book,” differ only in the pointing, which, resting solely on tradition, cannot be entirely depended on. The Septuagint omits the article.

I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek. —The extermination of Amalek, here prophesied, was afterwards given as a positive command to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 25:19). It was accomplished in part by Saul and David (1 Samuel 14:48; 1 Samuel 15:7; 1 Samuel 27:8; 1 Samuel 30:17; 2 Samuel 8:12), but finally and completely in the reign of Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:43).

Amalek’s sin was that, after all the signs and wonders which had shown the Israelites to be God’s peculiar people, he braved God’s displeasure by attacking them (Deuteronomy 25:18). To this audacity and contempt of Jehovah’s power, he added a cruel pitilessness when he fell upon the rear of an almost unarmed host, at a time when they were faint and weary.