Jehovah-Nissi

The altar Moses built after the defeat of Amalek at Rephidim. UPDV renders the name as Yahweh-nissi — "Yahweh is my banner" — and pairs the altar with a saying that fixes Yahweh's standing war against Amalek across generations.

The Altar After Amalek

The naming follows directly on Joshua's victory in the field while Moses' hands are held up on the hill. Yahweh first issues a memorial command: "And Yahweh said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will completely blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Ex 17:14). Moses then turns the divine word into a fixed marker on the ground: "And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Yahweh-nissi" (Ex 17:15). The altar is the place where the memorial is anchored, and the name attaches the victory to Yahweh as the banner under which Israel fought.

The saying that follows interprets the name and extends it forward in time: "And he said, Since a hand was raised to Yah's throne, [the Speech of] Yahweh will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Ex 17:16). The altar therefore does double duty — it commemorates a finished battle and it stands as the visible token of an ongoing one.