וַיִּצְעַ֤ק מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה לֵאמֹ֔ר מָ֥ה אֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה לָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֑ה ע֥וֹד מְעַ֖ט וּסְקָלֻֽנִי׃
At dumaing si Moises sa Walang-Hanggan, na nagsasabi: “Ano ang gagawin ko sa bayang ito? Kaunti na lamang at babatuhin na nila ako.”
Akeidat Yitzchak
(1+2) Since immediately prior to the attack by Amalek, the Israelites had displayed a lack of faith in G-d who had personally fought on their behalf against the Egyptians, and since they had grumbled to the point where they had been ready to stone Moses, ("they are almost ready to stone me" Exodus 17,4) they had fallen into disgrace and were in real danger. This danger was all the greater since they had no military might of their own, and G-d had turned His face away from them. Amalek's arrival on the scene is thus a fitting reminder of what was liable to happen whenever Israel behaves as it did at Massah and Merivah.