Great mercies are promised to the penitent: God’s commandment is feasible. Life and death are set before them.
If the children of Israel, offending and falling into the forsaide curses shal repent, God wilrestore them to his blessings againe. 11. leauing it in their powre to serue him if they wil, 17. and therfore warneth them that the impenitent shal assuredly perish, because hauing life and death, blessing and cursing proposed, they choose the worse.
1Now when all these things shall be come upon thee, the blessing or the curse, which I have set forth before thee, and thou shalt be touched with repentance of thy heart among all the nations, into which the Lord thy God shall have scattered thee,Quando adunque tutte queste cose ti saranno accadute, e avrai provato la benedizione, e la maledizione, che io ti ho messo davanti agli occhi; e pentito in cuor tuo trovandoti in mezzo alle genti, tra le quali il Signore Dio tuo ti avrà disperso,THERFORE when al these wordes shal be come vpon thee, the blessing or cursing, which I haue sette forth before thee: & thou be touched with repentance of thy hart in al nations, into which our Lord thy God dispersed thee,Cum ergo venerint super te omnes sermones isti, benedictio sive maledictio, quam proposui in conspectu tuo: et ductus pœnitudine cordis tui in universis gentibus, in quas disperserit te Dominus Deus tuus, 2And shalt return to him, and obey his commandments, as I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul:A lui ritornerai, e obbedirai a' suoi comandamenti, tu, e i tuoi figliuoli, con tutto il tuo cuore, e con tutta l'anima tua, come io oggi ti prescrivo:and shalt returne to him, and obey his commandmentes, as I this day command thee, with thy children in al thy hart, and in al thy soule:et reversus fueris ad eum, et obedieris ejus imperiis, sicut ego hodie præcipio tibi, cum filiis tuis, in toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua: 3The Lord thy God will bring back again thy captivity, and will have mercy on thee, and gather thee again out of all the nations, into which he scattered thee before.Il Signore Dio tuo sciorrà la tua schiavitù, e avrà misericordia di te, e ti raunerà di bel nuovo da tutti i paesi, pe' quali ti avea già disperso.our Lord thy God wil bring thee againe from thy captiuitie, and haue mercie vpon thee, and gather thee againe out of al the peoples, into which he dispersed thee besore.reducet Dominus Deus tuus captivitatem tuam, ac miserebitur tui, et rursum congregabit te de cunctis populis, in quos te ante dispersit. 4If thou be driven as far as the poles of heaven, the Lord thy God will fetch thee back from hence,Quando tu fossi stato sbalzato fino ai cardini del cielo, di colà ti ritrarrà il Signore Dio tuo,If thou be dispersed as farre as the poles of heauen, thence wil our Lord thy God draw thee backe,Si ad cardines cæli fueris dissipatus, inde te retrahet Dominus Deus tuus, 5And will take thee to himself, and bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it: and blessing thee, he will make thee more numerous than were thy fathers.E ti prenderà, e ti introdurrà nella terra posseduta da' padri tuoi, e tu pur la possederai: e benedicendoti ti farà crescer di numero più di quello che fossero i padri tuoi.and wil take thee to him, and bring thee into the Land, which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt obteyne it: and blessing thee, wil make thee to be of a greater number, then were thy fathers.et assumet, atque introducet in terram, quam possederunt patres tui, et obtinebis eam: et benedicens tibi, majoris numeri te esse faciat quam fuerunt patres tui.
6The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed: that thou mayst love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, that thou mayst live.Il Signore Dio tuo circonciderà il cuor tuo, e il cuore de' tuoi figliuoli, affinché tu ami il Signore Dio tuo con tutto il tuo cuore, e con tutta l'anima tua, affinché tu possi vivere.Our Lord thy God wil circumcile thy hart, and the hart of thy seede: that thou mayest loue oure Lord thy God in al thy hart, and in al thy soule, that thou mayest liue.Circumcidet Dominus Deus tuus cor tuum, et cor seminis tui, ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum in toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua, ut possis vivere. 7And he will turn all these curses upon thy enemies, and upon them that hate and persecute thee.E tutte quelle maledizioni le rovescerà sopra i tuoi nemici, e sopra quelli che ti odiano, e ti perseguitano.And al these curses he wil turne vpon thine enemies, and them that hate and persecute thee.Omnes autem maledictiones has convertet super inimicos tuos, et eos qui oderunt te et persequuntur. 8But thou shalt return, and hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and shalt do all the commandments which I command thee this day:Ma tu tornerai, e ascolterai la voce del Signore Dio tuo: e adempirai tutti quanti i comandamenti, che io oggi t'intimo:But thou shalt returne, and heare the voice of our Lord thy God, and shalt doe al the commandmentes which I command thee this day:Tu autem reverteris, et audies vocem Domini Dei tui, faciesque universa mandata quæ ego præcipio tibi hodie: 9And the Lord thy God will make thee abound in all the works of thy hands, in the fruit of thy womb, and in the fruit of thy cattle, in the fruitfulness of thy land, and in the plenty of all things. For the Lord will return to rejoice over thee in all good things, as he rejoiced in thy fathers:E ti benedirà il Signore Dio tuo in tutte le opere delle tue mani, nella prole del tuo seno, e nei parti de' tuoi bestiami, nella fecondità de' tuoi terreni e nell'abbondanza di tutte le cose. Perocché tornerà il Signore a compiacersi in dare a te tutti i beni, come si compiacque inverso de' padri tuoi:and our Lord wil make thee abound in al the workes of thy handes, in the issue of thy wombe, and in the fruite of thy cattel, in the fertilitie of thy ground, and in the plentie of al thinges. For our Lord wil returne to reioyse vpon thee in al riches, as he reioysed in thy fathers:et abundare te faciet Dominus Deus tuus in cunctis operibus manuum tuarum, in sobole uteri tui, et in fructu jumentorum tuorum, in ubertate terræ tuæ, et in rerum omnium largitate. Revertetur enim Dominus, ut gaudeat super te in omnibus bonis, sicut gavisus est in patribus tuis:
10Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep his precepts and ceremonies, which are written in this law: and return to the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.Purché tu la voce ascolti del Signore Dio tuo, e osservi i suoi precetti, e le cerimonie prescritte in questa legge: e al Signore Dio tuo ritorni con tutto il cuor tuo e con tutta l'anima tua.yet so, if thou heare the voice of our Lord thy God, and keepe his preceptes and ceremonies, which are written in this law: and returne to our Lord thy God in al thy hart, and in al thy soule.si tamen audieris vocem Domini Dei tui, et custodieris præcepta ejus et cæremonias, quæ in hac lege conscripta sunt: et revertaris ad Dominum Deum tuum in toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua. 11This commandment, that I command thee this day is not above thee, nor far off from thee:Questo comandamento che io oggi ti annunzio, non è sopra di te, né lungi da te,This commandment, that I command thee this daie, is not aboue thee, nor so farre of,Mandatum hoc, quod ego præcipio tibi hodie, non supra te est, neque procul positum, 12Nor is it in heaven, that thou shouldst say: Which of us can go up to heaven to bring it unto us, and we may hear and fulfil it in work?Né è riposto nel cielo, onde tu possa dire: Chi di noi può salire al cielo per indi recarlo a noi, affinché lo ascoltiamo, e lo ponghiamo in esecuzione?nor situated in heauen that thou maiest say: Which of vs is able to ascend vnto heauen to bring it to vs, that we may heare and fulfil it in worke?nec in cælo situm, ut possis dicere: Quis nostrum valet ad cælum ascendere, ut deferat illud ad nos, et audiamus atque opere compleamus ? 13Nor is it beyond the sea: that thou mayst excuse thyself, and say: Which of us can cross the sea, and bring it unto us: that we may hear, and do that which is commanded?Né è posto di là dai mari, onde tu trovi pretesto e dica: Chi di noi potrà valicare il mare per portarlo a noi fin di là, onde possiamo udirlo, e fare quello che è comandato?Nor placed beyond the sea: that thou mayest pretend, and say: Which of vs can passe ouer the sea, and bring it euen vnto vs: that we way heare, and doe that which is commanded?neque trans mare positum: ut causeris, et dicas: Quis ex nobis poterit transfretare mare, et illud ad nos usque deferre, ut possimus audire et facere quod præceptum est ? 14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayst do it.Ma molto vicina a te ell'è la parola, ell'è nella tua bocca, e nel cuor tuo, affinché tu la eseguisca.But the word is very neere thee, in thy mouth and in thy hart, to doe it.sed juxta te est sermo valde, in ore tuo, et in corde tuo, ut facias illum.
15Consider that I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the other hand death and evil:Ripensa come io oggi ho proposto dinanzi a te la vita, e il bene, e d'altra parte la morte, e il male:Consider that I haue set before thee this day life and good, and contrariewise death and euil:Considera quod hodie proposuerim in conspectu tuo, vitam et bonum, et e contrario mortem et malum: 16That thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and keep his commandments and ceremonies and judgments, and thou mayst live, and he may multiply thee, and bless thee in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.Affinché tu ami il Signore Dio tuo, e cammini nelle sue vie, e osservi i suoi comandamenti, e le cerimonie, e le leggi: e abbi la vita, ed ei ti moltiplichi, e ti benedica nella terra, di cui tu entrerai al possesso.that thou mayest loue our Lord thy God, and walke in his waies, and keepe his commandmentes and ceremonies and iudgementes: and thou mayest liue, and he multiplie thee, and blesse thee in the Land, which thou shalt enter to possesse.ut diligas Dominum Deum tuum, et ambules in viis ejus, et custodias mandata illius ac cæremonias atque judicia: et vivas, atque multiplicet te, benedicatque tibi in terra, ad quam ingredieris possidendam. 17But if thy heart be turned away, so that thou wilt not hear, and being deceived with error thou adore strange gods, and serve them:Ma se il cuor tuo si volgesse indietro, e tu non volessi obbedire, e sedotto da errore adorassi gli dei stranieri, e a questi rendessi culto:But if thy hart be auerted, and thou wilt not heare, and deceaued with errour thou adore strange goddes, and serue them:Si autem aversum fuerit cor tuum, et audire nolueris, atque errore deceptus adoraveris deos alienos, et servieris eis: 18I foretell thee this day that thou shalt perish, and shalt remain but a short time in the land, to which thou shalt pass over the Jordan, and shalt go in to possess it.Io ti profetizzo oggi che tu andrai in ruina, e in poco tempo non sarai più nella terra, di cui, passato il Giordano, entrerai in possesso.I foretel thee this day that thou shalt perish, and abide a litle time in the Land, which passing ouer Iordan, thou shalt enter to possesse.prædico tibi hodie quod pereas, et parvo tempore moreris in terra, ad quam, Jordane transmisso, ingredieris possidendam. 19I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live:Io chiamo in testimoni il cielo, e la terra, come io ti ho oggi proposta la vita e la morte, la benedizione e la maledizione. Eleggi adunque la vita, affinché la vita abbi tu, e i tuoi figliuoli;I cal for witnesses this day heauen and earth, that I haue proposed to you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therfore life, that both thou mayest liue, and thy seede:Testes invoco hodie cælum et terram, quod proposuerim vobis vitam et mortem, benedictionem et maledictionem. Elige ergo vitam, ut et tu vivas, et semen tuum:
20And that thou mayst love the Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and adhere to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy days,) that thou mayst dwell in the land, for which the Lord swore to thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give it them.E ami il Signore Dio tuo, e alla voce di lui obbedisca, e con lui resti unito (perocché egli è la tua vita, e la lunghezza dei giorni tuoi) affinché tu abiti nella terra, la quale il Signore giurò di dare ai padri tuoi Abramo, Isacco, e Giacobbe.and mayest loue our Lord thy God, and obey his voice, and cleaue to him (for he is thy life, and the length of thy daies) that thou mayest liue in the Land, for the which our Lord sware to thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, that he would geue it them.et diligas Dominum Deum tuum, atque obedias voci ejus, et illi adhæreas (ipse est enim vita tua, et longitudo dierum tuorum), ut habites in terra, pro qua juravit Dominus patribus tuis, Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, ut daret eam illis.
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Year of the World 2553.
Haydock
Or the curse. The sequel shews that this would prove their portion, and that they would have to do penance among all the nations. (Haydock)
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Before. The Jews are still in expectation of this deliverance, as they say this prediction does not relate to the captivity at Babylon. But Nehemias understood it in this sense, (2 Esdras 1:8,) though it will not have its perfect accomplishment till the latter days, when the Israelites will embrace the true faith, Romans 11:25.
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Menochius
Poles. The arctic and antarctic, the northern and southern poles; that is, into the most distant regions. (Menochius)
Calmet
Hebrew, "the end of heaven," where it seems to rest upon the earth. (Calmet)
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Fathers. Some sinners have risen to greater eminence by sincere repentance, than others who have offended less. (Worthington) See Luke 7:47.
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Haydock
Circumcise. Septuagint, "purify." Chaldean, "take away the folly from." After the captivity, idolatry was never very prevalent among the Jews. (Haydock)
Calmet
But this prediction will not be fulfilled till the Jews acknowledge the Messias. (Calmet)
St. Augustine
Those whose hearts are circumcised, as God here promises, are enabled to love him above all things; and no doubt he will fulfil what he has thus engaged to do, with regard to some. (Worthington) (St. Augustine, q. 53.)
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Haydock
Fathers. He will again take pleasure in bestowing favours upon thee, (Calmet) of a spiritual and more lasting nature. Hence the Jews may understand that they have not yet repented, as they ought to do; since they have been under the wrath of God for above 1500 years. (Salien) (Haydock)
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Du Hamel
Above. Hebrew, "separated, unknown," etc. Septuagint, "too heavy." St. Paul (Romans 10:6,) adapts this to the Christian law, which is the perfection of that given by Moses. The precepts of Jesus Christ are well known, and easily accomplished (Calmet) by the sincere lover of justice, (Haydock) assisted by powerful grace. (St. Augustine, q. 54.) St. Peter (Acts xv.) insinuates, that it was very difficult under the old law, to comply with all the regulations, at a time when the sacraments did not convey such great graces. (Du Hamel)
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Grotius
Work. There is no need of studying the mysteries of astrology, as the Magi do, to understand the will of God. (Grotius)
Calmet
St. Paul adds, (ver. 7.) or who shall descend into the deep? which is not in [the] Hebrew. (Calmet)
Calmet
But he probably alludes to the following verse, as the sea is often styled the deep. It was not necessary for the Jews, or for Christians, (Haydock) to undertake long voyages, to discover the true God, as the ancient philosophers were obliged to do; and after they had obtained some idea of the truth, they were afraid to declare it, on account of the prejudices of the people. (Calmet)
Haydock
But the most illiterate among us, may easily obtain sufficient knowledge to regulate his life. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Heart. Septuagint add, "and in thy hands." Thou art often obliged to talk about the law, and to learn it by heart. Nothing hinders thee, with the grace of God, from putting it in practice. (Calmet)
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Menochius
Evil. Obedience will insure eternal life: but if thou give the preference to evil, the second death must be thy portion, ver. 19. (Haydock) (Ecclesiasticus 15:17.) (Menochius)
Calmet
It may also refer to the goods and evils of the present life, of which Moses has been speaking. (Calmet)
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Haydock
I call. He begins his canticle in the same emphatical manner, (chap. 22.) as Isaias does his prophecy. (Haydock)
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Haydock
He is. From God all advantages are derived. We may render the Hebrew, with the Septuagint, "Because this is thy life (Calmet)....to dwell," etc. By observing the law of God, long life and possession of the promised land can be alone attained. (Haydock)
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Some sinners through great repentance become more vertuous, and are more rewarded then some that offended lesse.
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6. God vvil circumcise thy bart.] Most true it is, that of our selues, without By grace men are made able to kepe Gods cōmandments Gods grace none can kepe or fulfil the commandmentes. But he, whose hart God doth circumcise, is therby made able to loue God with al his hart, and with al his soule. And except some hartes were thus circumcised, and so made able to loue God aboue al, and consequently their neighboures, God should not performe his promise, that he wil circumcise the hart of some.
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11. Is not aboue thee.] VVhen thou art stirred vp, assisted, and indued with So the commandmentes are not impossible. S. Aug. denat. et grat. c. 69. et q. 54. in Deut. rheod q. •8. in Deut. S. Cypri. li. 3. c. 52. ad Quir. S. Amb. in Psal. 40. Gods grace, the commandment of God is not (then) aboue thee, nor faire of from thee, but very nere thee, in thy mouth (to confesse God, and his truth) and in thy hart, to do it. But you wil aske: How then cometh it to passe, that manie hauing receiued sufficient grace, yet do not kepe Gods commandmentes? God him self answereth:
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15. That he hath set before thee life and good, and contrrivvise death and euil; he inuiteth and helpeth, yet forceth thee not he geueth•thee powre & abilitie, helping Freew⸢il⸣. and not destroying thy freewil, that thou maist loue our Lord thy God, walke in his wayes, and kepe his commandements. But if thy hart be auerted and (v. 17.) thou vrilt not heare, thou shalt perish. Againe God inculcateth:
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19. I cal for vvitnesses heauen and earth, that I haue proposed to you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therfore life &c. VVhat Doctor can teach more plainly the possibilitie of keeping Gods commandmentes; and frewil in man, then this text of holie Scripture?
God gaue man libertie to choose, what he would folow. S. A•b. in Psal. 40. v. 10
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Monogamy 14
… That rich man did go his way who had not “received” the precept of dividing his substance to the needy, and was abandoned by the Lord to his own opinion. Nor will “harshness” be on this account imputed to Christ, the ground of the vicious action of each individual free-will. “Behold,” saith He, “I have set before thee good and evil.”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Nature and Grace 83
… the passage, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart” ( and , as the verse also has it, in thine hands , for in man’s heart are his spiritual hands), adds in explanation, “This is the word of faith which we preach.” No man, therefore, who “returns to the Lord his God,” as he is there commanded, “with all his heart and with all his soul,”
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.9
… circumcise yourselves to your God, and circumcise the foreskin of your heart; lest my anger go forth like fire, and burn you up, and there be none to extinguish it.” Also Moses says: “In the last days God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 6
… this is circumcision of the mind which St. Paul requires above all, yea rather the Law also. See now how having granted it in words, he in deed does away with it. For he does not say the circumcision is superfluous, the circumcision is of no profit, of no use. But what saith he? “Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keepest the Law.” ( Deut. x. 16 ;
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 22
… it is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who will ascend into heaven, and obtain it for us, that we may hear and do it? neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who will cross over the sea, and obtain it for us, that we may hear and do it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thine heart, and in thine hands to do it.’
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.35
… that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ nor is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?’ But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, and in thy hands, to do it.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 17
… Grace yieldeth the righteousness resulting from itself, and that from the Law likewise. What plea then is to rescue them, since they are disposed to be contentious against this, but cling to that to no purpose whatever? Then, since he had made a strong assertion, he again confirms it from the Scripture.
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 10.69
69. The Apostle then looking in us for the righteousness which is of Faith, cuts at the root of incredulous doubt and godless unbelief. He forbids us to admit into our hearts the cares of anxious thought, and points to the authority of the Prophet’s words, Say not in thy heart, Who hath ascended into heaven
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 10.69
Nor does the Apostle give room for unbelief in the other direction. He quotes at once the words of the Prophet, Or Who hath descended into the abyss
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, XXXVI 1
… of which if any man “taste,” he will not accede to the disputations and quibbles of proud and puffed-up men, who go into matters of which they have no perception. For the truth is unsophisticated ( ἀσχημάτιστος ); and “the word is nigh thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart,”
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 10.70
70. But there is demanded from us an unwavering certainty. The Apostle expounding the whole secret of the Scripture passes on, Thy word is nigh, in thy mouth and in thy heart
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 30
… But for its knowledge and accurate comprehension, there is need of none other save of ourselves. Neither as God Himself is above all, is the road to Him afar off or outside ourselves, but it is in us and it is possible to find it from ourselves, in the first instance, as Moses also taught, when he said
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On Virginity 23
… Yet there is a plainer guide to be found than verbal instruction; and that is practice: and there is nothing vexatious in the maxim that when we are undertaking a long journey or voyage we should get an instructor. “But,” says the Apostle
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 5.pref.14
14. Let us then not keep the Lord’s money buried and hidden in the flesh; nor let us hide our one talent in a napkin; but like good money-changers let us ever weigh it out with labour of mind and body, with an even and ready will, that the word may be near, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Nature and Grace 83
… And this is the purport of what is said to Israel in Deuteronomy, if understood in a godly, sacred, and spiritual sense, since the apostle, after quoting the passage, “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart”
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St Justin Martyr † AD 165 The First Apology 44
And the holy Spirit of prophecy taught us this, telling us by Moses that God spoke thus to the man first created: “Behold, before thy face are good and evil: choose the good.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.1.6
… “If it has been announced to thee, O man, what is good, or what the Lord requires of thee, except that thou shouldst do justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk with the Lord thy God.” Moses also speaks as follows: “I have placed before thy face the way of life and the way of death: choose what is good, and walk in it.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.1-2.6
… “If it has been announced to thee, O man, what is good, or what does the Lord require of thee, except to do justice and to love mercy?” Moses also: “I have placed before thy face the way of life, and the way of death: choose what is good, and walk in it.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 12.33
… But the enemy of this life, who is also the last enemy of all His enemies that shall be destroyed, is death, of which the soul that sinneth dies, having the opposite disposition to that which takes place in the soul that lives uprightly, and in consequence of living uprightly lives. And when it is said in the law, “I have placed life before thy face,”
St Methodius † AD 311 From the Discourse on the Resurrection, Part III 2
… for spiritual things are far removed from irrational lust and sin. “But I am carnal, sold under sin;” which means: But I being carnal, and being placed between good and evil as a voluntary agent, am so that I may have it in my power to choose what I will. For “behold I set before thee life and death;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 40
… But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.’ Likewise, in Deuteronomy: ‘Life and death hath He set before thee, and good and evil: . . .choose thou life, that thou mayest live.’
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 18.17
… Wherefore it is that He says, ‘For say not that the way has been hid from me.’ But by the way is meant the mode of life; for Moses says,
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.16.4
… For the glory of God was wanting to man, which he could obtain in no other way than by serving God. And therefore Moses says to them again: “Choose life, that thou mayest live, and thy seed, to love the Lord thy God, to hear His voice, to cleave unto Him; for this is thy life, and the length of thy days.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.15
… thus fully developing His discipline in both directions, both in following out the blessing and in providing against the curse. He had already said of old, “Behold, I have set before you blessing and cursing.”
30:4
4. If to the ends (in Hebrew, to the extremity) of heaven thou shalt be scattered, from thence the Lord will bring thee back. — It is a hyperbole, that is to say, If you shall be scattered to the furthest part of the world, from thence God will bring you back; if you shall be banished to the extreme regions of the earth, which are situated under the Arctic and Antarctic poles, from thence He will call you back to your homeland. Whence Francis Valesius, in chapter twenty-six of Sacred Philosophy, gathers from this text of ours that there are Antipodes; for those who dwell under the Arctic pole are Antipodes to those who dwell under the Antarctic pole, and vice versa. Moreover, God hints here that the Hebrews could be scattered there, and therefore that there is habitable land there. Abelensis understands by the ends of heaven the four quarters of heaven, namely the East, the West, the South and the North. But more aptly, by the ends you should understand the two poles already mentioned: because just as the hinges of a door are fixed and immobile, and the door turns and moves upon them, so the poles are fixed and immobile, and the heaven turns upon them. This is one of the more important places of Scripture, which the Jews cite for themselves, and always object to Christians, namely that they are already in the final captivity, scattered into the four quarters of the world, where they await the Messiah, who will gather them together again into one, and bring them back to Judea: for they say this Scripture was not fulfilled in the return from the Babylonian captivity, because in that return they were not scattered into the four quarters of the world, and because only two tribes then returned to Judea, the other ten remaining in Assyria. But Nehemiah, in chapter one, verses eight and nine, expressly teaches that this place, and this promise, was fulfilled in the return from the Babylonian captivity; for Moses does not assert that they were to be scattered to the ends of heaven, but speaks conditionally, and says: Even if it should happen that you are scattered to the ends of heaven, from thence I will bring you back; and it is a hyperbole, as I have said. Add to this, Moses speaks of the state of the law and Judaism; that state being in force, He promises them a return to Judea, if they repent: but now this state, together with Judaism, has been abolished by Christ. Whence the two tribes are now in their full dispersion and overthrow, for sixteen hundred years; but the ten tribes for more than two thousand years, and whatever repentance they have done or do, yet in so long a time we have not seen them brought back. Finally, the Jews cannot repent and return to God, unless they receive Christ sent by God: but they will do this at the end of the world, when He will then bring them back to Jerusalem by Elijah and Enoch, convert them and save them.
30:6
6. HE SHALL CIRCUMCISE THY HEART, that is, He will take away the superfluous and harmful desires, and the hardness of thy will. Whence the Septuagint translates περικαθαριεῖ, that is, He will purge thy heart round about; see what is said at Leviticus, chapter twenty-six, verse forty-one.
30:9
9. HE SHALL RETURN THAT HE MAY REJOICE. Not as if God were changeable, so that now He rejoices, now He grieves; but Scripture speaks of God anthropopathically. For when men have compassion on someone, and receive him into favor, they rejoice in his goods and happiness, whereas before they had hated him, and had rejoiced in his punishments and afflictions. But in God there is no such temporal succession of passions; but from eternity God has rejoiced, at once and in a single act, in the whole order of punishment and reward, which will run through all eternity, and will befall these or those, and in that act, and in that joy, He always perseveres and will persevere.
30:10
10. IF THOU WILT HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD. For if thou wishest that God hear thee, do thou first hear him, either outwardly through the law, Scripture or a preacher, or inwardly through holy inspiration speaking. If thou wishest that God do thy will, do thou first do what he himself wills and commands. If thou wishest that he himself return to thee, do thou likewise return and go to meet him. If thou wishest that he himself rejoice over thee, do thou also rejoice over him. "Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the petitions of thy heart." Hence holy men obtain all things which they ask of God, because in turn they do whatever God requires of them. Thus St. Dominic used to say that he never asked anything of God which he did not straightway obtain; and when one suggested to him: Pray then that Lord Conrad (who was a celebrated Doctor) become of thy Order: This is difficult indeed, he said, yet if I ask, I trust it will come to pass. He asked, and prayed the whole night, and behold in the morning Conrad ran up, urged by God, and begged the habit of the Order from St. Dominic and received it. That therefore God does not hear us praying sometimes, the cause is that we do not hear him, nor obey his voice. O how great we would be before God, if we always eagerly listened to him and obeyed him! St. Francis used to be accustomed, hearing the internal inspiration of God even on the way, to stop, and wholly attend to it, saying: Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth; and as long as the inspiration lasted, he would stand, and humbly and attentively listen to it, and straightway fulfill it in deed; hence he became so great. On the contrary, God does not suffer himself to be despised, and his voice to be neglected; for this is unworthy and injurious to God: wherefore he himself punishes such persons by abandoning them, and allowing them to fall into grave evils and sins. This is indeed what he threatens in Proverbs, chapter 1, 24: "Because I called, and you refused, etc., I also will laugh at your destruction." Whoever therefore is wise, let him hear that of the Psalmist: "Today if you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts."
30:11
11. THIS COMMANDMENT, etc., IS NOT ABOVE THEE, so that thou canst excuse thyself, and say: I cannot attain to it, so as to know and fulfill it. In Hebrew it is, this commandment is not separated from thee nor remote.
30:14
14. BUT THE WORD IS NIGH THEE, IN THY MOUTH, AND IN THY HEART, as if to say: Thou hast the law of God at hand, so that in thy heart, that is in memory, thou mayest ponder it and speak it forth with thy mouth. The Apostle cites this passage, Romans x, and accommodates it most beautifully and allegorically, as St. Augustine teaches, Questions LIII, to faith, so as to show how easily by it a man may be justified: for it is not necessary for this that anyone ascend into heaven, and thence bring down Christ to us, so that we may see Christ, and seeing be saved; but it suffices to believe that Christ is God, and came down from heaven for our sake. Thus it is not necessary that anyone descend to the lower regions, and thence bring Christ from the dead to life; but it suffices that we believe that Christ rose by divine power: but to believe this in the heart, and to profess it with the mouth is most easy. See the remarks on Romans x, 6.
30:15
15. Consider that today I have set before thee in thy sight life and good, and on the other hand evil and death, namely in free prey, says St. Chrysostom. For he wished it to be as it were a free hunting of death and life, so that suspended on high as it were, they might be exposed to the prey of faithful souls. To this the Wise Man alluded, Ecclesiasticus xv, 17: "He hath set water and fire before thee: stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt. Before man is life and death, good and evil: that which he shall choose shall be given him." The will of man, says Jansenius in the same place, God as it were suspended in the air between two elements: water, as a symbol of the refreshment of eternal life; fire, as an expression of the torments in the lower regions.
30:16
16. Walk in his ways, by studiously and continually obeying his law. Note: Scripture frequently uses the word of walking, because it is the part of the faithful never to stand still, but always to advance in the way of the Lord. "Never," says St. Bernard, epistle 253 to Garin, "does the just man think that he has attained; never does he say: It is enough; but he always hungers and thirsts for justice: because he has devoted himself forever to divine service." Hence Proverbs IV, 18, it is said: "The path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forward and increaseth even to perfect day." And Psalm LXXXIII, verse 8: "Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: he hath disposed the ascents in his heart, etc., they shall go from virtue to virtue." Excellently St. Bernard, epistle 253: "There thou, O Christian, fix the goal of thy course and progress, where Christ placed it, who never stood still, but exulted as a giant to run his way, made obedient unto death."
30:19
19. I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH TO WITNESS THIS DAY. How heaven and earth are witnesses, both of the law, and of the transgression, and of divine vengeance, I have explained chapter IV, verse 26. THAT I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH. Thus it should be read with the Roman, Hebrew, Chaldean and Septuagint texts, not however, life and good, as if to say: If thou keep this law, I promise thee life here long and happy: if thou violate it, I threaten and foretell to thee death swift and miserable, and that both present and eternal. Choose therefore one of the two.
30:20
20. HE HIMSELF IS INDEED YOUR LIFE, AND THE LENGTH OF YOUR DAYS, that is to say, God is effectively your life and longevity, because namely he himself will prolong your life, if you obey his law. Whence in Acts XVII, it is said: "In him," that is, through him, "we live, and move, and are." Beautifully St. Dionysius, chapter vi On the Divine Names, teaches that God is life essentially in himself; again that he is the causal life of the life of animals, plants, men, angels and the blessed: and that this is threefold, first exemplary, second efficient, third final.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
30:6
Circumcision (From Lat. circumcisio, «cutting around»; Gr. περιτομή; Heb. Milāh)
… Already in Deut. 30:6 the necessity of this spiritual circumcision is emphasized (cf. Jer. 4:4: "circumcision of the heart"), and in Lev. 26:41 the wicked and rebellious are called "uncircumcised in …
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.