Jehovah-Nissi

(Exod. 17. 15.) The margin of our Bible renders it, "This is the Lord my banner." There is somewhat uncommonly beautiful and striking in this blessed name of our covenant God in Christ. No doubt, Christ himself is his people’s banner; for so the Lord described him, (Isa. 13. 2.) and as a leader and commander to the people. (Isa. lv. 4.) Now in every point of view this is most blessed; for as a banner displayed is a signal of war, so when the believer takes Christ for his banner, he declares war with sin, death, hell, and the grave, and takes to him the whole armour of God; moreover, he fights in sure and certain hope of victory, because Jesus hath already gotten to himself the victory, and his own arm hath brought to him salvation. So that when JEHOVAH Nissi is the banner under which we fight, we are "more than conquerors through him that loveth us." Never may I go forth against the Amaleks of the present day, without JEHOVAH Nissi as my banner; but with him, and under him, wage an everlasting war against the enemies of God and hisChrist.

Jehovah my banner, Exo 17:15 .\par

Jeho’vah-nis’si. (Jehovah my banner). The name given by Moses, to the altar which he built, in commemoration of the discomfiture, of the Amalekites. Exo 17:15.

("Jehovah my banner".) Name given by Moses to the altar commemorating Israel’ s victory, under Jehovah, over Amalek. (See AMALEK.) (Exo 17:15). His name, i.e. "manifested character" toward His people, is their rallying point. (See BANNER.) The rod of God in Moses’ hand, when held up as a banner, brought victory; so it was the pledge of what the altar represented, that Jehovah is the ensurer of victory to His people when rallying round Him (Psa 60:4; Isa 11:10; Pro 18:10).

JEHOVAH-NISSI (‘J″ [Note: Jahweh.] is my banner’).—The name given by Moses to the altar he erected after the defeat of Amalek, Exo 17:15 (E [Note: Elohist.] ). God is considered the centre or rallying point of the army of Israel, and the name of God as their battle-cry (cf. Psa 20:7 f.). The interpretation of Exo 17:16 is somewhat doubtful. Many critics read nçs (‘banner’) for kçs (= kisseh, ‘throne’), but this appears neither to be necessary nor to yield a suitable sense. The meaning is probably either ‘J″ [Note: Jahweh.] hath sworn, (EV [Note: English Version.] ), or ‘I (Moses) swear’ (with hand uplifted to J″ [Note: Jahweh.] ’s throne).

jē̇-hō´va nis´ı̄ (יהוה נסּי, yahweh niṣṣı̄, “Yahweh is my banner”): So Moses named the altar which he reared to signalize the defeat of the Amalekites by Israel under Joshua, at Rephidim (Exo 17:15). Septuagint translates “the Lord my refuge,” deriving niṣṣı̄ from נוּס, nūṣ, “to flee.” Targum Onkelos reads, “Moses built an altar and worshipped on it before Yahweh, who had wrought for him miracles” (ניסּין, nı̄ṣṣı̄n). The suggestion is that the people should rally round God as an army gathers round its standard. He it is who leads them to victory.