Discovery BoxExodus 17:5 
Context17:5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; 1 take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go.
Exodus 17:9
Context17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our 2 men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
1 tn “Pass over before” indicates that Moses is the leader who goes first, and the people follow him. In other words, לִפְנֵי (lifney) indicates time and not place here (B. Jacob, Exodus, 477-78).
2 tn This could be rendered literally “choose men for us.” But the lamed (ל) preposition probably indicates possession, “our men,” and the fact that Joshua was to choose from Israel, as well as the fact that there is no article on “men,” indicates he was to select some to fight.
