The Lord is the inheritance of the priests and Levites. Heathenish abominations are to be avoided. The great PROPHET CHRIST is promised. False prophets must be slain.
In steed of other inheritance Priesies and Leuites haue prouision by Sacrifices and oblations. 9. Al superstition to be auoided. 15. Perpetuitie of prophetes, and finally one special PROPHET (towit, CHRIST) is promised. 20. False prophetes must be slaine.
1The priests and Levites, and all that are of the same tribe, shall have no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shall eat the sacrifices of the Lord, and his oblations,I sacerdoti, e i leviti, e tutti quelli che sono della stessa tribù, non avranno porzione, né eredità col rimanente d'Israele, perocché vivranno dei sacrifizii del Signore, e delle offerte che a lui son fatte.THE priestes and Leuites, and al that are of the same tribe, shal haue no part nor inheritance with the rest of Israel, because they shal eate the sacrifices of our Lord, and his oblations,Non habebunt sacerdotes et Levitæ, et omnes qui de eadem tribu sunt, partem et hæreditatem cum reliquo Israël, quia sacrificia Domini, et oblationes ejus comedent, 2And they shall receive nothing else of the possession of their brethren: for the Lord himself is their inheritance, as he hath said to them.E non avranno altra cosa di tutto quel che posseggono i loro fratelli, perché lo stesso Signore egli è la loro eredità, conforme ha detto ad essi.and nothing els shal they receiue of the possession of their brethren: for our Lord him selfe is their inheritance, as he hath spoken to them.et nihil aliud accipient de possessione fratrum suorum: Dominus enim ipse est hæreditas eorum, sicut locutus est illis. 3This shall be the priest’s due from the people, and from them that offer victims: whether they sacrifice an ox, or a sheep, they shall give to the priest the shoulder and the breast:Ecco il diritto de' sacerdoti riguardo al popolo e a quelli che offeriscono delle vittime: se immolano un bue, o una pecora, daranno al sacerdote la spalla e il petto:This shal be the right of the priestes from the people, and from them that offer victimes: whether they immolate oxe, or sheepe, they shal geue to the priest the shoulder and the mawe:Hoc erit judicium sacerdotum a populo, et ab his qui offerunt victimas: sive bovem, sive ovem immolaverint, dabunt sacerdoti armum ac ventriculum: 4The firstfruits also of corn, of wine, and of oil, and a part of the wool from the shearing of their sheep.Le primizie del frumento, del vino, e dell'olio, e una parte delle lane alla tosatura delle pecore.the first fruites of corne, of wine, and oile, and a part of the woolle of their sheepe shearing.primitias frumenti, vini, et olei, et lanarum partem ex ovium tonsione. 5For the Lord thy God hath chosen him of all thy tribes, to stand and to minister to the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.Perocché il Signore Dio tuo lo ha eletto da tutte le tue tribù, perché egli assista dinanzi a lui, ed eserciti il ministero del Signore egli, e i suoi figliuoli in perpetuo.For him hath our Lord chosen of al thy tribes, that he might stand, and minister to our Lord he and his sonnes for euer.Ipsum enim elegit Dominus Deus tuus de cunctis tribubus tuis, ut stet, et ministret nomini Domini, ipse, et filii ejus in sempiternum.
6If a Levite go out of any one of the cities throughout all Israel, in which he dwelleth, and have a longing mind to come to the place which the Lord shall choose,Se un levita esce da una delle tue città da qualunque parte d'Israele, dove egli abitava, e vuol venire per affetto al luogo eletto dal Signore,If a Leuite goe out of one of thy cities of al Israel in the which he dwelleth, and would come desiring the place which our Lord shal choose,Si exierit Levites ex una urbium tuarum ex omni Israël in qua habitat, et voluerit venire, desiderans locum quem elegerit Dominus, 7He shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, that shall stand at that time before the Lord.Egli farà sue funzioni nel nome del Signore Dio suo come tutti i suoi fratelli leviti che stanno in quel tempo dinanzi al Signore.he shal minister in the name of our Lord his God, as al his brethren the Leuites, that shal stand at that time before our Lord.ministrabit in nomine Domini Dei sui, sicut omnes fratres ejus Levitæ, qui stabunt eo tempore coram Domino. 8He shall receive the same portion of food that the rest do: besides that which is due to him in his own city, by succession from his fathers.Avrà la stessa porzione di cibo che avranno gli altri: senza quello che è dovuto a lui di successione paterna nella sua patria.He shal receiue the same portion of meates, that the rest doe: beside that, which in his owne citie is dew to him by succession from his fathers.Partem ciborum eamdem accipiet, quam et ceteri: excepto eo, quod in urbe sua ex paterna ei successione debetur. 9When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee, beware lest thou have a mind to imitate the abominations of those nations.Allorché tu sarai entrato nella terra, che ti sarà data dal Signore Dio tuo, guardati dal voler imitare le abbominazioni di quelle genti:When thou art entred the Land, which our Lord thy God shal geue thee, beware thou be not willing to imitate the abominations of those nations.Quando ingressus fueris terram, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi, cave ne imitari velis abominationes illarum gentium. 10Neither let there be found among you any one that shall expiate his son or daughter, making them to pass through the fire: or that consulteth soothsayers, or observeth dreams and omens, neither let there be any wizard,Né siavi tra voi chi per purificare il figliuolo o la figlia, li faccia passare pel fuoco: o chi interroghi gl'indovini, e dia retta ai sogni, e agli augurii, né chi faccia uso de' malefizii,Neither let there be found in thee any that shal expiate his sonne, or daughter, making them to passe through the fyre: or that demandeth of southsayers, and obserueth dreames and diuinations, neither let there be a sorcerer,Nec inveniatur in te qui lustret filium suum, aut filiam, ducens per ignem: aut qui ariolos sciscitetur, et observet somnia atque auguria, nec sit maleficus, 11Nor charmer, nor any one that consulteth pythonic spirits, or fortune tellers, or that seeketh the truth from the dead.Né chi faccia uso dei sortilegi, né chi consulti i pitonici, o gli astrologi: né cerchi di sapere da' morti la verità:nor inchanter, nor that consulteth with pithone, or diuiners, and seeketh the truth of the dead.nec incantantor, nec qui pythones consulat, nec divinos, aut quærat a mortuis veritatem.
12For the Lord abhorreth all these things, and for these abominations he will destroy them at thy coming.Imperocché il Signore ha in abbominazione tutte queste cose, e a causa di queste scelleraggini egli sterminerà quelle genti nel tuo ingresso.for al these thinges out Lord abhorreth, and for these abominations wil he destroy them at thy entring in.Omnia enim hæc abominatur Dominus, et propter istiusmodi scelera delebit eos in introitu tuo. 13Thou shalt be perfect, and without spot before the Lord thy God.Tu sarai perfetto, e senza macchia rispetto al Signore Dio tuo.thou shalt be perfect, and without spotte with our Lord thy God.Perfectus eris, et absque macula cum Domino Deo tuo. 14These nations, whose land thou shalt possess, hearken to soothsayers and diviners: but thou art otherwise instructed by the Lord thy God.Quelle nazioni, delle quali tu occuperai la terra, danno retta agli augurii, e agl'indovini: ma tu in altro modo sei stato disciplinato dal Signore Dio tuo.These nations, whose land thou shalt possesse, heare southsayers and diuiners: but thou art otherwise instructed of our Lord thy God.Gentes istæ, quarum possidebis terram, augures et divinos audiunt: tu autem a Domino Deo tuo aliter institutus es. 15The Lord thy God will raise up to thee a PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like unto me: him thou shalt hear:Il Signore Dio tuo ti manderà un profeta della tua nazione, e del numero de' tuoi fratelli come me: lui ascolterai.A PROPHET of thy nation and of thy brethren like vnto me, wil our Lord thy God raise vp to thee: him thou shalt heare,Prophetam de gente tua et de fratribus tuis, sicut me, suscitabit tibi Dominus Deus tuus: ipsum audies, 16As thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assembly was gathered together, and saidst: Let me not hear any more the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see any more this exceeding great fire, lest I die.Secondo quello che tu domandasti al Signore Dio tuo presso l'Horeb, quando tutta la moltitudine era adunata, e dicesti: Che io non senta più la voce del Signore Dio mio, e che io non vegga più questo fuoco grandissimo perché io non muoia.as thou didst request of our Lord thy God in Horeb, when the assemblie was gathered, and saidst: I wil no more heare the voice of our Lord my God, and this exceding great fire I wil see no more, lest I die.ut petisti a Domino Deo tuo in Horeb, quando concio congregata est, atque dixisti: Ultra non audiam vocem Domini Dei mei, et ignem hunc maximum amplius non videbo, ne moriar. 17And the Lord said to me: They have spoken all things well.E il Signore mi disse: Hanno in tutto parlato bene.And our Lord said to mie; They haue spoken al thinges wel.Et ait Dominus mihi: Bene omnia sunt locuti.
18I will raise them up a prophet out of the midst of their brethren like to thee: and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him.Un Profeta farò loro nascere di mezzo a' loro fratelli simile a te: e in bocca a lui porrò le mie parole, e ad essi riporterà tutto quello che io gli comanderò.A prophete wil I rayse vp to them out of the middes of their brethren like to thee: and I wil put my wordes in his mouth, and he shal speake al thinges that I shal command him.Prophetam suscitabo eis de medio fratrum suorum similem tui: et ponam verba mea in ore ejus, loqueturque ad eos omnia quæ præcepero illi. 19And he that will not hear his words, which he shall speak in my name, I will be the revenger.Chiunque poi non vorrà ascoltar le parole che egli nel nome mio annunzierà, proverà le mie vendette.but he that wil not heare his wordes, which he shal speake in my name, I wil be the reuenger.Qui autem verba ejus, quæ loquetur in nomine meo, audire noluerit, ego ultor existam. 20But the prophet, who being corrupted with pride, shall speak in my name things that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange gods, shall be slain.Ma se un profeta corrotto da arroganza vorrà annunziare nel nome mio quello che io non gli ho comandato di dire, o parlerà a nome degli dei stranieri, sarà messo a morte.And the prophet that being depraued with arrogancie wil speake in my name, the thinges that I did not command him to say, or in the name of strange goddes, shal be slaine.Propheta autem qui arrogantia depravatus voluerit loqui in nomine meo, quæ ego non præcepi illi ut diceret, aut ex nomine alienorum deorum, interficietur. 21And if in silent thought thou answer: How shall I know the word that the Lord hath not spoken?Che se il tuo pensiero ti suggerisce: Come posso io conoscere che il Signore non ha detta quella parola?And if in secrete cogitation thou answer: How shal I vnderstand the word, that our Lord spake not?Quod si tacita cogitatione responderis: Quomodo possum intelligere verbum, quod Dominus non est locutus ? 22Thou shalt have this sign: Whatsoever that same prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord, and it cometh not to pass: that thing the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath forged it by the pride of his mind: and therefore thou shalt not fear him.Eccoti il segno: Se quello che il profeta ha predetto nel nome mio non sia avvenuto, il Signore non ha parlato: ma il profeta per la sua superbia ha inventata tal cosa, e perciò tu nol temerai.This signe thou shalt haue: That which the same prophete foretelleth, in the name of the Lord and cometh not to passe: that our Lord hath not spoken, but by the arrogancie of his minde the prophet hath forged it: and therfore thou shalt not feare him.hoc habebis signum: quod in nomine Domini propheta ille prædixerit, et non evenerit: hoc Dominus non est locutus, sed per tumorem animi sui propheta confinxit: et idcirco non timebis eum.
18:1
Year of the World 2553.; Numbers 18:20-23.; Deuteronomy 10.
Haydock
Oblations. Hebrew "they shall eat the holocausts of the Lord and his inheritances." The priests shall have the parts of the sacrifices for peace allotted to them, etc., tithes shall be given to support the Levites. (Haydock)
Haydock
These parts are what God claims from the people, as their Sovereign, (Calmet) and these he assigns to his ministers. Septuagint, "The fruits of the Lord are their inheritance, they shall eat them." (Haydock)
18:3
Due, (judicium.) Moses only mentions a part, having explained the rest, Exodus 29:27., Leviticus 7:32.
Calmet
Breast, (ventriculum.) In the other places pectusculum occurs. Hebrew, "the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw, or caul," called in Latin omasum, being the last and fattest of the four ventricles, and highly esteemed by the ancients. The cheeks or chaps are specified no where else; so that some think Moses here supplies what he had left imperfect, assigning to the priests the cheeks and the tongue. Jansenius supposes that this is only a part of the breast, which appears to have two cheeks when the shoulders are cut off. But Moses here probably speaks not of the peace-offerings, but of the beasts which were killed by the Israelites at home for their own uses, etc., (Clerc) as Philo explains it, (de praem.) and Josephus ([Antiquities?] 4:4) only specifies the right shoulder and the breast, which were given to the priests on these occasions. (Calmet)
Septuagint, "the shoulder, the cheeks, and the last ventricle." The victims were not, therefore, of a sacred nature; as they were only sacrificed, inasmuch as the blood was to be offered to the Lord. (Haydock) See Genesis 43:16.
18:4
18:5
Stand. This was the usual posture of the priests ministering in the temple, as well as of people praying.
Minister. Samaritan and Septuagint add, "and to bless in," etc.
18:6
Calmet
Levite. In the days of Moses, all the Levites probably assisted in the service of the tabernacle, when they thought proper. But, after they should be dispersed, he encourages them to come willingly. David afterwards divided the priests and the Levites into classes, which were obliged to serve in their turns, 1 Paralipomenon xxiii., etc. Though he derogated from the words of the law, he followed the spirit of the injunction, which was intended to promote the great glory and decency of religion; and even after this regulation, (Calmet) those who desired, like Samuel, (Menochius) to consecrate their labours to the Lord for life, or for a long time, were in all probability entitled to the privileges here granted. (Calmet)
18:8
Calmet
Portion. Whence this was taken, whether from the tithes in general, or from the treasury of the temple, or from the revenue of the high priest, etc., does not appear. (Calmet)
Menochius
Fathers. The Levites might possess houses, suburbs, and cattle. (Menochius)
Haydock
Hebrew, "besides that which ariseth from the sale of his patrimony." (Haydock)
18:10
Grotius
Fire. This impiety is not punished with death, (Leviticus 18:21,) as the burning of children was, Leviticus 20:2. (Grotius)
Calmet
It was done in imitation of the latter, and became more common, as it was less cruel; the person who was thus expiated, being to pass between or to jump over fire. The council of Trullo (canon 65,) was forced to condemn this remnant of an abominable superstition. But the other inhuman worship of Moloc, and of other pagan divinities, was certainly very common, and chiefly brought down destruction upon the people of Chanaan. See Jeremias 19:5., Ezechiel 23:37., Psalm 105:37., and 4 Kings 17:31. Ennius says, Paeni sunt soliti suos sacrificare puellos. See St. Augustine, City of God 7:17.; St. Jerome in Jeremias 7:31. (Calmet)
Haydock
Soothsayers. The original term may also signify, "that useth divination." Both those who set up for diviners, and those who consult them, are condemned. (Haydock)
Hiscuni explains it of a superstitious practice, by which a person measured a stick with his finger, saying first I will go; and then I will not; and if, when he came to the end of the stick, he had to say I will go, he determined to begin his journey. See Ezechial 21:21.
Dreams. Hebrew mehonen, (Leviticus 19:26,) may denote one who judges from the sight of the clouds, or feigns revelations.
Rabbins
Wizard. Hebrew, "witch." Septuagint, "poisoner," or one who gives things to do harm. (Rabbins)
18:11
Charmer of serpents, Psalm 57:6. One who makes a compact with the devil.
Spirits. Python was the name of the serpent, which Apollo slew. It might be derived from the Hebrew patah, "to seduce," because a serpent seduced Eve, and dealers with the devil generally deceive those who consult them. Septuagint, "a belly talker," as these impostors muttered some sounds, intimating that a spirit gave answers from their belly, See Isaias 29:4.
Haydock
Tellers. Hebrew, "wise men." (Haydock)
Those who promise great knowledge from the secrets of the caballa, or magic.
18:13
Calmet
And without spot. This is by way of explication of the word perfect. Any mixture of superstition in the worship of God is hateful to him; and that man who acknowledges any other spirit capable of foretelling what will come to pass, freely (Haydock) denies the Lord. (Calmet)
18:14
Haydock
God, who has already informed thee how to proceed in difficult emergencies, (chap. 17:8,) by having recourse to the council of priests, and will also, after any death, send in due time a succession of true prophets. Hebrew, "God hath not suffered thee" to imitate those nations; (Haydock) or those prophets, whom the Lord thy God will give thee, shall not resemble these (Calmet) soothsayers (or observers of times) and diviners. (Haydock)
Calmet
They shall be filled with my spirit. (Calmet)
18:15
St. Augustine
Prophet. This passage plainly proves, that the Scripture may have many literal senses: for the context insinuates that God would supply the wants of his people, so that they should not need to go far in order to consult diviners, since they should have leaders and prophets, after the death of Moses, who might explain to them God's will, as they had desired; but at the same time, it clearly refers to the Messias, as it is explained by St. Peter, (Acts 3:22.; Worthington) and by St. Stephen, Acts 7:37. The Jews, at that time, were convinced of the truth of this application: but they only denied that Christ was the Messias. They have since gone a step farther, and deny that it regards the Messias, some referring it to Josue, others to Jeremias, etc. (Ap. Munster and Fag.) But surely what other prophet could be compared with Moses? (Chap. 34:10.) What other man reunited in his person the qualifications of lawgiver, chief of God's people, mediator, etc., or who was like him? Hence prophet is written in the singular, to denote his eminent dignity. (St. Augustine, contra Faustus)
Calmet
St. Philip recognized the claim of Jesus, as did the people after the multiplication of bread, John 1:45., and 6:14. God the Father seems to allude to this passage, according to the remark of Tertullian, (contra Mar. 4:22,) when he says hear ye him, (Luke 9:35,) as St. Cyprian believes our Saviour does also, John 5:46. St. Athanasius (contra Arianos 2) condemns the error of the Jews, who would apply this passage to any other prophet but to the Messias. If they could be excused for denying him this latter claim, they surely cannot in calling in question that Jesus was a true prophet, since he has all the marks of one; (Grotius) and if they would once acknowledge this, they must soon confess that he is also the Messias, and the Son of God, as these truths are so necessarily connected. (Calmet)
Menochius
The miracles of Moses were far exceeded by those of Jesus Christ, and the latter conversed more intimately with his eternal Father, etc. (Menochius)
18:16
Haydock
Die. This promise is not recorded, Exodus 20:19. God will send you a mediator, who shall hide the splendour of his divinity (Calmet) under the form of a servant, Philippians 2:7. (Haydock)
18:18
Mouth. So Christ says, The words that I speak to you, I speak not of myself, John 14:10.
18:19
Haydock
Revenger. St. Peter (Acts 3:23,) reads, And it shall be that every soul which will not hear that prophet; (instead of Hebrew, "my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him,") or he shall be destroyed from among the people. (Tertullian, contra Mar. 4:22.) (Haydock)
Du Hamel
God now chastises the faithless Jews. (Du Hamel)
18:20
Worthington
To say. These denote heretics, as the following point out apostates. (Worthington)
18:22
Haydock
Fear him. Septuagint, "you shall not spare him," but cut him off by death. (Haydock)
Calmet
Though the completion of what has been foretold be not a sure sign of a true prophecy, (chap. 13:2,) yet when the thing does not come to pass which the prophet had spoken unconditionally, he must undoubtedly be rejected; as also when he speaks in the name of false gods. No miracles can then establish his credit. The prophecy of Jonas, and many of the other prophecies, were conditional. (Calmet)
18:15
15. A PROPHET of thy nation.] Amongst other places this plainly proueth The same wordes may haue diuers literal senses. that the same wordes in holie Scripture may haue diuers literal senses. For first the coherence of the text sheweth, that God here promised to geue his people an other extraordinarie prophet, after Moyses death, of their owne nation: as wel to take away occasion of seeking to southsayers, diuiners, and other prophane prophetes of false goddes, strictly forbidden in the wordes going immediatly before; as in approbation of their conuenient desire, mentioned in the wordes folowing, to heare Gods wil, not by himself, nor by an Angel, but by Moyses, who was now shortly to be taken from them. And so this promise was first performed in Iosue, succeding next after Moyses in gouernment. And as neede required God ceassed not to send more prophetes besides their ordinarie Priests Againe this place is also vnderstood of Christ our Sauiour, chief Prophete, and master of al prophetes; S Peter so expounding it; Act. 3. v. 22. & 23.
18:20
This sorte of false prophets signified Heretikes, that preach false things in Christs name.
These prefigured Apostataes, which renouncing Christ, expresly professe false goddes.
18:1
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.8.3
… Of whom again Moses says, “They shall have no inheritance, for the Lord Himself is their inheritance.” And again, “The priests the Levites shall have no part in the whole tribe of Levi, nor substance with Israel; their substance is the offerings ( fructifications ) of the Lord: these shall they eat.”
18:2
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Vigilantius 13
… not to gratify avarice, but to give relief; not to accumulate wealth, but to support the weakness of the poor body, and to stave off cold and hunger. And this custom continues in Judea to the present day, not only among us, but also among the Hebrews, so that they who meditate in the law of the Lord, day and night, and have
18:9
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 1.28
xviii. 9–12, v. 14, 15 . Perfection used only of avoiding idolatry.
18:10
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.83
In Deuteronomy: “Do not use omens nor auguries.”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 19.8
… the lighting of lamps , or burning of incense by fountains or rivers , as some persons cheated by dreams or by evil spirits do [resort to this ], thinking to find a cure even for their bodily ailments. Go not after such things. The watching of birds, divination, omens, or amulets, or charms written on leaves, sorceries, or other evil arts
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 17
… “Ye cannot say that it was from sacrificing to Me, that ye proceeded to sacrifice to them:—“by the space of forty years:” and this too, “in the wilderness,” where He had most signally shown Himself their Protector. “Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan: images which ye made to worship them.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 14
… And this gift we obtain first by means of the coming upon us of the Holy Ghost; and next, by a rule of life far more comprehensive than that of the Jews. To prove that these words are not mere boasting hear what He saith to them, “Ye shall not use divination, nor make purification of your children, for ye are a holy people.”
18:13
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 1.14
… What have you to say to my next argument? Clever as you are, all your skill will not avail to overthrow it. I shall first quote from the Old Testament, then from the New. Moses is the chief figure in the Old Testament, our Lord and Saviour in the New. Moses says to the people,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 20
Having premised these remarks, let us carefully attend to the passages which he whom we are answering has produced, as if we ourselves had quoted them. “In Deuteronomy, ‘Thou shalt be perfect before the Lord thy God.’
18:14
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus i.36
… And we establish this necessity in the following manner. “For the nations,” as it is written in the law of the Jews itself, “shall hearken unto observers of times, and diviners;”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.95
… “Ye shall not practise augury, nor observe the flight of birds;” and in another place: “For the nations whom the Lord thy God will destroy from before thy face, shall listen to omens and divinations; but as for thee, the Lord thy God has not suffered thee to do so.”
18:15
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Antiochians 2
… and so God made man, after the image of God made He him.” And further, “In the image of God made He man.” And that [the Son of God] was to be made man, [Moses shows when] he says, “A prophet shall the Lord raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.22
… “A prophet,” says Moses, “shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your sons” (that is, of course, after a carnal descent ); “unto Him shall ye hearken, as unto me.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus i.36
… “For the nations,” as it is written in the law of the Jews itself, “shall hearken unto observers of times, and diviners;” but to that people it is said: “But as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.” And to this is subjoined the promise: “A prophet shall the Lord thy God raise up unto thee from among thy brethren.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.95
… “For the nations whom the Lord thy God will destroy from before thy face, shall listen to omens and divinations; but as for thee, the Lord thy God has not suffered thee to do so.” And he adds: “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you from among your brethren.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 6.4
… And, as many prophets had appeared in Israel, and one in particular was looked for according to the prophecy of Moses, who said,
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 6.8
… On this we must remark that it is not the same thing to say, “Art thou the Prophet?” and “Art thou a prophet?” The distinction between the two expressions has already been observed, when we asked what was the difference between the God and God, and between the Logos and Logos. Now it is written in Deuteronomy,
Novatian † AD 258 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 9
… and He shall be the expectation of the nations.” He is spoken of by Moses when he says: “Provide another whom thou mayest send.” He is again spoken of by the same, when he testifies, saying: “A Prophet will God raise up to you from your brethren; listen to Him as if to me.”
Archelaus † fl. AD 278 The Acts of the Disputation with the Heresiarch Manes 43
… He shall wash His garments in wine, and His clothes in the blood of grapes; His eyes shall be suffused with wine, and His teeth white with milk;” and so on. Moreover, he indicated who He was, and whence He was to come. For he said: “The Lord God will raise up unto you a Prophet from among your brethren, like unto me: unto Him hearken ye.”
St Methodius † AD 311 Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna On the Day that They Met in the Temple 1
… For it was fitting and necessary that the old man who knew so accurately that decree of the law, in which it is said: Hear Him, and every soul that will not hearken unto Him shall be cut off from His people,
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 1.13
… And to miss the person was the lot of the Jews, and is still, who think that of one of themselves is said, ‘Behold, the Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and they shall call his Name Emmanuel, which is being interpreted, God with us ;’ and that, ‘A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up to you
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 14
… Moses, for instance, ‘A prophet will the Lord raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; to him hearken in all that he commands you.’ Isaiah again, ‘Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and ye shall call his name Emmanuel
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 12.17
… Let us therefore inquire the time when our Lord came: because His coming is recent, and is disputed: and because Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever . Moses then, the prophet, saith, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Commentary on Galatians 2
… viii. 2 .) or it is the old Law, of which he says, that by the Law itself he has become dead to the Law. That is to say, the Law itself has taught me no longer to obey itself, and therefore if I do so, I shall be transgressing even its teaching.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 16
… and he answered, No.” ( Matt. xvii. 10 .) Yet surely he was a prophet. Wherefore then doth he deny it? Because again he looks to the intention of his questioners. For they expected that some especial prophet should come, because Moses said, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet of thy brethren like unto me, unto Him shall ye harken.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 33
… ( Gen. xviii .) And Jacob prophesying concerning Him said, “A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until He come for whom it is reserved, and He is the expectation of nations.” ( Gen. xviii .) And Moses himself saith, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto you a Prophet of your brethren like unto me, unto Him shall ye hearken.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 46
… And yet, if He was that Prophet as they before asserted, declaring that he it was of whom Moses had said, “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, unto Him shall ye hearken” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 16.4
4. What, then, shall we point to? Shall it be that passage which you often quote where the God of Moses says to him: "I will raise up unto them from among their brethren a prophet like unto thee?"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 16.15
15. I still hold that there is a reference to Christ in the passage which you select for refutation, where God says to Moses, "I will raise up unto them from among their brethren a prophet like unto thee."
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 1.40
… Therefore He chose us twelve, the first who believed in Him, whom He named apostles; and afterwards other seventy-two most approved disciples, that, at least in this way recognising the pattern of Moses, the multitude might believe that this is He of whom Moses foretold, the Prophet that was to come.”
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 3.53
… and verily I say to you, they neither saw nor heard.’ Still further He said, ‘I am he concerning whom Moses prophesied, saying, A Prophet shall the Lord our God raise unto you of your brethren, like unto me: Him hear in all things; and whosoever will not hear that Prophet shall die.’
18:18
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.19
In Deuteronomy God said to Moses: “And the Lord said to me, A Prophet will I raise up to them from among their brethren, such as thee, and I will give my word in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them that which I shall command Him. And whosoever shall not hear whatsoever things that Prophet shall speak in my name, I will avenge it.”
Archelaus † fl. AD 278 The Acts of the Disputation with the Heresiarch Manes 41
… or rather, to speak in truth, which belong wholly to the same stock the one with the other? For, indeed, Moses first said to the people: “A Prophet will the Lord our God raise up unto you, like unto me.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 17
… And yet Moses had said, “A Prophet shall the Lord raise up unto you: and the rest also told of this (Christ) that He would come: and the prophet again said, “What house will ye build Me?” and again, “Did ye offer to Me slain beasts and sacrifices” those “forty years?” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 41
… “If a man come doing miracles and leading you to God, and truly foretelling things future, ye must hearken unto him with all readiness.” Now Christ had done all this. He wrought miracles in very truth, He drew all men to God, and (so that He ) caused accomplishment to follow His predictions.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 15.23
… She accounted the Lord a prophet, and a prophet indeed He was; for it was of Himself He said, that “a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.” Again, of Him it was said to Moses, “A Prophet will I raise up to them of their brethren, like unto thee.”
18:19
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.22
… “A prophet,” says Moses, “shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your sons” (that is, of course, after a carnal descent ); “unto Him shall ye hearken, as unto me.” “Every one who will not hearken unto Him, his soul shall be cut off from amongst his people.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 2
Orth. —Hear the Lord God speaking through the prophet Ezekiel “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” Moreover through the great Moses He saith “If a soul sin—” And again “It shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be cut off.”
18:3
3. THIS SHALL BE THE JUDGMENT OF THE PRIESTS FROM THE PEOPLE. — That is to say, This shall be the right, or the return which the priests shall justly receive from the people. WHETHER THEY OFFER AN OX, OR A SHEEP, — namely, as a peace offering. THEY SHALL GIVE TO THE PRIEST THE SHOULDER, AND THE BREAST. — For in a holocaust only the skin fell to the priest; in a victim for sin, however, the whole flesh; in a peace offering, however, only the shoulder and the breast were given to the priest, as is clear from Leviticus. Note: For shoulder and breast, in Hebrew it is, shoulder, cheeks and breast. Thus also the Chaldean and the Septuagint. But by cheeks here are understood the fleshy parts, which, after the shoulder, the fourth part of the animal, is cut out, are usually left on either side in the breast, or pectoral part. Wherefore shoulder, cheeks and breast, is the same as shoulder and breast, or pectoral part, which are the fourth portion of the animal: for by the law of Exodus XXIX, 28, and Leviticus chapter VII, 31, where these are described exactly, nothing else fell to the priest from the peace offering than the shoulder and the breast. Thus Abulensis. Wherefore it seems to be a fabrication, what the Hebrews say, that these three are given to the priest on account of Phinees: namely, the shoulder, or arm, is given because Phinees in the strength of his arm struck Zambri with the Madianite woman, Numbers XXV; the breast is given because Phinees struck them in the belly, namely in the genitals; the cheeks are given because the priests move these while praying for the one offering: for these things were assigned to the priest before the deed of Phinees, Exodus chapter XXIX, 28.
18:5
5. HIM INDEED HE CHOSE, THAT HE SHOULD STAND (The Septuagint, that he should stand before the Lord, namely that he should be a servant constantly ministering; whence it follows) AND MINISTER TO THE NAME OF THE LORD, — that is, to the Lord, calling upon him by his name, honoring and invoking him. Note: To stand signifies both servitude, and its permanence; hence in Micah V, 4, it is said of Christ: "And he shall stand, and shall feed in strength," that is to say, Christ shall remain with Christians constantly, and feeding them strongly; he shall not pass from them to other nations, as he passed from the Jews to the Christians. Thus St. Jerome there.
18:6
18:8
8. HE SHALL RECEIVE THE SAME PORTION OF FOODS (OF OBLATIONS) AS THE OTHERS, — who minister to God in their turns. EXCEPT THAT WHICH IS DUE TO HIM IN HIS OWN CITY, FROM THE SUCCESSION OF HIS FATHER, — namely, excepting the tithes which he would receive in his own city; for these are as it were the inheritance of the Levites, and they have no other. Thus Abulensis.
18:10
10. NOR SHALL THERE BE FOUND IN THEE ONE THAT LUSTRETH HIS SON. — In Hebrew, one who passes his son through fire, that is, one who burns his son in fire, which those worshipping Moloch did, as I said in Leviticus XVIII, 21, or one who expiates him through fire. For some took care to pass their sons quickly through this fire, because they were persuaded that those who had been thus superstitiously lustrated through fire would not die before their time, says R. Moses Maimonides. Note: To lustrate is to expiate; hence lustration was an expiatory sacrifice, by which men or fields were expiated; such as Virgil describes in Aeneid VI, when he says: The same thrice surrounded his companions with pure water, sprinkling with light dew and a branch of blessed olive, and lustrated the men and spoke the final words. Such was that lustration by which sons were sacrificed to Moloch or Saturn, to avert public or private calamity, as I said in Leviticus XVIII.
18:13
13. THOU SHALT BE PERFECT, AND WITHOUT BLEMISH WITH THE LORD THY GOD, — that is to say, so that thou mayest turn away from the idols, rites and crimes of the Gentiles, and worship the one God, and obey Him in all things; "for he that keepeth his commandments, in this is charity made perfect," says St. John, epistle I, chapter II, verse 5. Thus David was perfect, Psalm LXXXVIII, 21, and elsewhere: "I have found David my servant, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my wills." And "Noah" who was "a just man, and perfect in his generations," Genesis chapter VI, 9. Thus God commanded Abraham: "Walk before me, and be thou perfect," so that thou mayest love, worship, obey, feel and know God in all things, and say with St. Augustine: "All abundance to me which is not my God is poverty."
Cassian most excellently, book IV, final chapter: "Hear," he says, "in a few words the order by which thou mayest be able to ascend to the highest perfection without labour. The beginning of our salvation and wisdom is the fear of the Lord: from the fear of the Lord is born salutary compunction: from compunction of heart proceeds renunciation, that is, nakedness and contempt of all possessions: from nakedness humility is begotten: from humility mortification of the will is generated: by mortification of wills all vices are uprooted and wither away: by the expulsion of vices virtues bear fruit and increase: by the flourishing of virtues purity of heart is acquired: by purity of heart the perfection of Apostolic charity is possessed."
18:15
15. A PROPHET OF THY NATION, etc., THE LORD THY GOD WILL RAISE UP UNTO THEE. — There is here a twofold, as it were, literal sense, up to verse 20, as Abulensis and Cajetan rightly teach. The first, so that these verses may be understood of the common Prophets, whom God sent in turn and successively to the Hebrews after Moses, to announce to them and inculcate the law of God, so that "the prophet" is taken for "prophets." And this sense coheres most excellently with what precedes and follows; for it was said before that one should not resort to augurs and diviners, and that the Hebrews were taught otherwise by God, namely that God promised He would send them His true Prophets, so that they would have no need to resort to diviners; and according to this promise of God, the Jews almost always had Prophets sent by God up to Christ; whence the Psalmist, Psalm LXXIII, 9, complains as of a great calamity and abandonment, saying: "We have not seen our signs, there is now no prophet, and He will know us no more," etc.
The later sense, and indeed the principal one, is that these things are to be understood literally of Christ: for it is evident from Acts III, 22; Acts VII, 37; John I, 45, that they are to be understood of him, and therefore here he calls the prophet in the singular, namely by way of excellence; again, he calls him similar to Moses, namely as regards the leadership of the people and legislation: thus St. Augustine, book XVI Against Faustus, chapter XV; secondly, because, just as Moses led the people out of the servitude of Egypt, so Christ freed men from the servitude of sin into liberty; thirdly, Moses led us into Chanaan, Christ into heaven; fourthly, as Moses, so also Christ worked many miracles, and inflicted plagues not on Pharaoh, but on the demon; fifthly, God spoke with Moses mouth to mouth familiarly: so also with Christ, and far more excellently: for Christ was the Word of God, and intimately united to God. Therefore Moses here signifies that God will send true Prophets, who will instruct the Hebrews, and bring the words of God to them; and because Christ excels among them, hence he himself is to be understood as the chief Prophet, of whom these things are to be received, as if to say: I, Moses, am a type and precursor of the Prophets, of Christ the supreme Prophet: behold, I die, I send you to Christ, I hand over the lamp to him; hear him, follow him. That there can be several literal senses of the same passage, especially when one is subordinate to another, has been shown from St. Augustine and St. Thomas in Canon 36.
Moreover, although Abulensis denies that there was in Christ a true and properly so-called gift of prophecy, because he thinks that obscurity of knowledge is required for this, which was not in Christ, and therefore Christ is said to be a Prophet only according to the estimation and appellation of the common people: yet the contrary is far more true, namely that Christ was truly and properly a Prophet, even though he had clear foreknowledge of future things: for obscurity of knowledge is not required for prophecy, as Francis Suarez has shown to many, III part., Question VII, disp. XXI, sect. I.
15 and 16. THOU SHALT HEAR HIM, AS THOU DIDST ASK OF THE LORD THY GOD IN HOREB. — For in Sinai, Exodus XX, 19, the Hebrews, terrified by the voice of God, asked that God should speak to them not directly, but through Moses, as it were a Prophet. Therefore, just as they then asked for a Prophet who would report to them the words of God: but the words of God are necessary not only then, but also for future times; hence tacitly they asked not only for Moses then, but also for other Prophets after him: for these were necessary to them equally as Moses, so that through them they might consult and learn the will of God. Thus Abulensis.
18:16
16. WHEN THE ASSEMBLY WAS GATHERED TOGETHER, — that is, on the day when all Israel was gathered together to hear the voice of God; hence those are called preachers who speak to the whole assembly, that is to the whole people: and thus Solomon in Hebrew is called Cohelet, in Greek Ecclesiastes, in Latin Preacher.
18:18
18. AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH, — I will teach him my words, which he shall speak, so that he may be my interpreter. These words of God, which God himself taught us through Christ, are embraced by St. Cyprian in the tract On the Lord's Prayer, in that golden saying, which would that Christians would inscribe in their hearts, and temples, and houses! for it is indeed the compendium of Christian life and perfection: "The will," he says, "of God which Christ taught and did, is first, humility in conversation; second, steadfastness in faith; third, modesty in words; fourth, justice in deeds; fifth, mercy in works; sixth, discipline in morals; seventh, not to know how to do injury; eighth, to be able to bear injury done; ninth, to keep peace with the brethren; tenth, to love God with the whole heart; eleventh, to love in him what is Father; twelfth, to fear what is God; thirteenth, to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ, because neither did he prefer anything to us; fourteenth, to adhere inseparably to his charity; fifteenth, to stand bravely and confidently by his cross; sixteenth, when there is contention for his name and honour, to show in speech the constancy by which we confess; in questioning the confidence by which we engage; in death the patience by which we are crowned: this is to wish to be a co-heir with Christ, this is to do the commandment of God, this is to fulfil the will of the Father."
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
18:4
… consecrated entirely to Jahweh, and only in the fifth year could the Israelite enjoy them (Lev. 19:23 f.); to the first loaves of every new dough (Num. 15:20 f.; Ez. 44:30; cf. the Hallāh tractate of the Mishnah); to the first shearing of every sheep (Deut. 18:4).
… Palestinian Gēmārā'. m) Bikhārīm ("first-fruits": Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 18:4; 26:1 and following). …
18:6
… Since Deuteronomy and the prophets call the priests "Levitical priests," the "critics" wrongly assert that, according to the legislation of Deuteronomy (written, according to them, in 622 B.C.), any descendant of Levi was for that very reason a priest, adducing passages (Deut. 10:8; 18:6-7; 31:9) in which the functions of the priests and of the Levites appear identical; they assert that, since the priests are called "sons of Aaron" in the "priestly code" (P. Leviticus) …
18:7
… By most kōhēn is considered a participial form of kān, with the sense of "he who stands upright"; indeed the priest "stands" (āmadh) before Yahweh to serve him and to bless in his name (Deut. 10:8; 18:7). Although kōhēn also designates the priests of false gods, for these the special derogatory term kēmārim was used (always in the plural). …
18:9
The legislation becomes even more detailed in Deut. 18:9-14, where it is commanded to exterminate whoever practices divination (Heb. qōsēm qēsāmīm), the soothsayer (mēōnēn), the augur (mōnahēl), the magician (mĕkhāšĕph), the fortune-teller …
HISTORY. - It remains only to give some brief account of the history of m. From the very dawn of humanity there has been talk of the evocation of the dead (Book of the Dead; Deut. 18:9-12; 1 Kings 28; Herodotus, I, 92; Pausanias, III, 17; Plutarch, De sera numinis vindicta, X, XVII; Cicero, Tusc., I, 8; Horace, Satires, I, 8; Pliny, Hist. nat., XL, 5; Tacitus, …
… Female priesthood is excluded from it; in biblical Hebrew there is no term meaning "priestess." Both divination and magic or sorcery, the typical "abominations of the nations" (Deut. 18:9-14), are wholly foreign to it. The only term designating the legitimate priest in the Hebrew Bible is kōhēn (Septuagint ἱερεύς), which also occurs in Phoenician, in Aramaic-Syriac (kāhēn), …
Against the idolatrous institutions and practices of divination and magic, Jahweh, from the very beginnings of the chosen nation, established the prophets as the only spokesmen and interpreters of his thought and his will (Deut. 18:9-22; Num. 23:23; cf. Am. 2:10 ff.; Ex. 7:25; Zach. 7:12; Neh. 9:30), giving them as an unmistakable sign of recognition, besides moral worth, fidelity to Jahweh and to his precepts, …
Sacrifices of human lives, widely practiced by ancient peoples (Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Germans) are severely prohibited in the Bible, which considers them as an impiety proper to the Canaanites (Lev. 18:21; 20:1-5; Deut. 12:31; 18:9 ff.). …
… For this reason, since the Old Testament such practice has been condemned, declared worthy of the death penalty (Deut. 18, 9-12; Levit. 20, 6; 27) and at times directly punished by God with the greatest severity.
18:10
15, 5), for divination, magic (Lev. 20, 6.27; Deut. 18, 10 ff.), for blasphemy (Lev. 24, 14), for the profanation of the Sabbath (Ex. 31, 14 f.; Num. 15, 35), for the stubborn disobedience of a son toward his parents (Deut. 21, 21), for the fornication …
… (Ezek. 16:21) and then placed on a grill (tōpheth) to burn, according to the typical Hebrew expression: ha-ābhīr... bā'ēl lam-mōlekh (2 Kings 23:10) or ha-ābhīr lam-mōlekh (Lev. 18:21; Jer. 32:35) or even without the name of the god M., which is implied (Deut. 18:10; 2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Jer. 7:31; 19:5; Ezek. 16:21; 20:26, 31; 23:37; etc.).
… If the observances involve an invocation or an explicit pact with the devil, there is evidently grave sin (cf. Deut. 18, 10-11; Lev. 19, 31; 20, 27), also because no temporal utility can compensate for the spiritual harm which follows upon demonic invocation (Sum. …
18:11
… There are traces of it in the prohibition of certain funeral rites (Lev. 30, 27 ff.; Deut. 14, 1), in the prohibition of necromancy (Deut. 18, 11; 26, 14); cf. especially I Sam. 28, 8-20 on the evocation of Samuel, where, besides the spread of necromancy in popular religion, there emerges the explicit belief in life beyond …
… The evocation of the spirits ('ōbhōbh) of the dead, although forbidden by the Law (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:11), was practiced in Israel until the Talmudic era; it is mentioned in the Manual of Discipline (ca. 100 B.C.) of Hirbet Qumrān.
18:13
… In it the Septuagint translates with τέλειον the Hebrew word tāmim which indicated perfection (Deut. 18:13; I Reg. 8:61; 11:4; Wis. 9:6) more in the sense of legal, exterior perfection than intimate, though not excluding it (cf. Fr. Platt, Perfection, in Enc. of Rel. and Eth., IX, 728 ff.).
18:15
… Toward the end of his life Moses casts his gaze into the future and announces the Messiah (Deut. 18:15-19) as the supreme Prophet.
… 23, 2; Eccl. 39, 8; 48, 27; II Esdr. 14, 21, 25, 40-44); who orders him to speak or to write (Ex. 17, 14; 34, 27; Deut. 31, 19; Is. 8, 1; 30, 8; Hab. 2, 2; Dan. 8, 26; 12, 4; Ezek. 24, 2; in a special way Jer. 36) and to set forth only what God wills (Deut. 18, 15-22; Jer. 23, 16; 20, 7-9, 15, 19; 14, 14; Ezek. 13, 3-17; Mic. 3, 5-8; Zech. 7, 12; cf. II Sam. 7, 1 ff.), declares divine (Hos. 4, 1; Joel 1, 1; Am. 1, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2, 1 etc.; Obad. …
The other books of the Pentateuch and the historical books down to David have no messianic references, except for Num. 24:15-19 and Deut. 18:15-19; they narrate the fulfillment of the covenant of Sinai on the part of Yahweh (Exodus-Joshua), and the alternating, defective response on the part of Israel (Judges-I Samuel). …
Moses (Mōšeh, Μω[θ]σῆς, Vulg. MoySES, Ancient Latin Moses)
… This is a religion that does not come from man, but from God, of whom M. was only the "prophet," the spokesman (Ex. 3:10; 4:12; Num. 11:24 ff.; 12:2; Deut. 18:15, 18; 34:10; Hos. 12:4; Ps. 103:7, etc.). …
… There is no record of other prophets (cf. I Mach. 14:41) until John the Baptist (Mt. 11:9 ff.; Le. 7:26 ff.), precursor of the prophet par excellence, Jesus (Act. 3:20 ff. = Deut. 18:15-19; Io. 1:21, 45; 6:14; 7:40; Act. 7:37; Hebr. 1:1 ff.; A. Clamer, Ste Bible, II, Paris 1940, p. 634 ff.).
Servant of Yahweh (Heb. 'Ēbhedh Yahweh)
… indicates Israel as servant who develops into the idea of an individual servant par excellence without abandoning the idea of an Israel still a servant (H. H. Rowley), or he is an ideal personification of the Messiah with the traits of the prophet of Deut. 18:15, of the doctor and of the savior coming from Is. 9 and 11, from Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
18:16
Horeb (Hebrew Hōrēb, «Drought», «Desolation»)
… command to Moses to return there to offer sacrifice after the departure from Egypt (Ex. 3:2-12; Acts 7:30 ff.); the assembly of the people of Israel with the terrible theophany and the so-called Sinaitic covenant (Ex. 19:18 ff.; Deut. 4:10, 15; 5:20; 18:16); the delivery of the tablets of the Law and their placement in the Ark (Deut. 9:8 ff.; 1 Kings 8:9; 1 Chron. 5:10); the promulgation of the Law (Mal. 4:4); the worship of the golden …
18:18
… He spread his doctrine among the Samaritans, making himself believed to be the Messiah promised by Moses in Deut. 18, 18. To justify his claims in contrast with the books of the Prophets, he rejected the authority of those books, giving instead all his preference to the Pentateuch of Moses. …
… One who, by divine vocation, speaks in the place and in the name of God (Deut. 18:18 ff.; II Kings 3:9; Jer. 1:6, 9 ff.; Is. 52:6, etc.; cf. Ex. 7:1 ff.), communicating to men, to whom he is sent, whatever the Lord, by supernatural action, orders and reveals to …
18:20
… Anti-Messianism indeed becomes a sad Jewish characteristic (Act. 4:24-32; I Thess. 2:14-16; 4th Gospel; Apoc. 2:9; 3:9). The Gospels do not mention an individual A. Jesus foretells many pseudo-Christs (cf. Deut. 18:20) and pseudo-prophets (Mt. 24:11, 25; Mc. 13:22; Io. 5:43 b), whose doctrines and deceitful prodigies will lead many astray: these stand to the A. as the 2nd Beast of Apoc. …
18:22
… his will (Deut. 18:9-22; Num. 23:23; cf. Am. 2:10 ff.; Ex. 7:25; Zach. 7:12; Neh. 9:30), giving them as an unmistakable sign of recognition, besides moral worth, fidelity to Jahweh and to his precepts, the charism of predicting the future (Deut. 18:22; Is. 41:22 ff.; 44:7 ff.; 46:10 ff.) and sometimes of working other miracles. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.