Moses seeth the promised land, but is not suffered to go into it. He dieth at the age of 120 years. God burieth his body secretly, and all Israel mourn for him thirty days. Josue, replenished (by imposition of Moses’s hands) with the spirit of God, succeedeth. But Moses, for his special familiarity with God, and for most wonderful miracles, is commended above all other prophets.
Moyses seeth the promised land, but is not suffered to goe into it, 5. He dieth at the age of 120. yeares. God burieth his bodie secretly, and al Israel mourne for him thirtie dayes. 9. Iosue replenished (by imposition of Moyses handes) with the spirite of God succedeth. 10. But Moyses for his special familiaritie with God, and for most wonderful miracles is commended aboue al other Prophetes.
1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab upon mount Nebo, to the top of Phasga over against Jericho: and the Lord shewed him all the land of Galaad as far as Dan.Salì adunque Mosè dalla pianura di Moab sul monte Nebo alla cima del Phasga dirimpetto a Gerico, e il Signore gli fece vedere tutta la terra di Galaad fino a Dan,MOYSES therfore went vp from the champion of Moab vpon mount Nebo, into the toppe of Phasga against Iericho: and our Lord shewed him al the land of Galaad as farre as Dan,Ascendit ergo Moyses de campestribus Moab super montem Nebo, in verticem Phasga contra Jericho: ostenditque ei Dominus omnem terram Galaad usque Dan, 2And all Nephtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasses, and all the land of Juda unto the furthermost sea,E tutta Nephtali, e la terra di Ephraim, e di Manasse, e tutta la terra di Giuda fino al mare ultimo,and al Nephthali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasses, and al the Land of Iuda vnto the vtmost sea,et universum Nephthali, terramque Ephraim et Manasse, et omnem terram Juda usque ad mare novissimum, 3And the south part, and the breadth of the plain of Jericho the city of palm trees as far as Segor.E la parte del mezzodì, e la spaziosa campagna di Gerico città delle palme fino a Segor.and the south part, and the bredth of the plaine of Iericho a citie of palmetrees as farre as Segor.et australem partem, et latitudinem campi Jericho civitatis palmarum usque Segor. 4And the Lord said to him: This is the land, for which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to thy seed. Thou hast seen it with thy eyes, and shalt not pass over to it.E disse a lui il Signore: Questa è la terra, per ragion della quale giurai ad Abramo, a Isacco, e a Giacobbe, e dissi: Darolla ai tuoi discendenti: Tu l'hai veduta cogli occhi tuoi, e non vi entrerai.And our Lord said to him: This is the Land, for the which I sware to Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, saying: To thy seede wil I geue it. Thou hast seene it with thyne eies, and shalt not passe ouer to it.Dixitque Dominus ad eum: Hæc est terra, pro qua juravi Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, dicens: Semini tuo dabo eam. Vidisti eam oculis tuis, et non transibis ad illam. 5And Moses the servant of the Lord died there, in the land of Moab, by the commandment of the Lord:E ivi si morì Mosè servo di Dio nella terra di Moab, secondo il comando del Signore:And Moyses the seruant of our Lord died there, in the land of Moab, our Lord commanding it:Mortuusque est ibi Moyses servus Domini, in terra Moab, jubente Domino:
6And he buried him in the valley of the land of Moab over against Phogor: and no man hath known of his sepulchre until this present day.E questi lo fe' seppellire in una valle della terra di Moab dirimpetto a Phogor, ed è rimaso ignoto a tutti il suo sepolcro fino al dì d'oggi.and he buried him in the valley of the Land of Moab against Phogor: and no man hath knowne his sepulchre vntil this present day.et sepelivit eum in valle terræ Moab contra Phogor: et non cognovit homo sepulchrum ejus usque in præsentem diem. 7Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, neither were his teeth moved.Mosè avea cento venti anni quando morì: non se gl'indebolì la vista, né se gli smossero i denti.Moyses was an hundred and twentie yeares old when he died: his eie was not dimme, neither were his teeth moued.Moyses centum et viginti annorum erat quando mortuus est: non caligavit oculus ejus, nec dentes illius moti sunt. 8And the children of Israel mourned for him in the plains of Moab thirty days: and the days of their mourning in which they mourned Moses were ended.E i figliuoli d'Israele menarono duolo per lui nella pianura di Moab per trenta giorni. E si compieron i giorni del lutto per quei che piangevan Mosè.And the children of Israel mourned him in the champion countrie of Moab thirtie daies: and the daies of their mourning that mourned for Moyses were accomplished.Fleveruntque eum filii Israël in campestribus Moab triginta diebus: et completi sunt dies planctus lugentium Moysen. 9And Josue the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands upon him. And the children of Israel obeyed him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.E Giosuè figliuolo di Nun fu ripieno di spirito di sapienza, perché Mosè gli aveva imposte le sue mani. E a lui prestarono obbedienza i figliuoli d'Israele, e fecer quello che il Signore avea comandato a Mosè.And Iosue the sonne of Nun was replenished with the spirit of wisedome, because Moyses did put his handes vpon him. And the children of Israel obeied him, and did as our Lord commanded Moyses.Josue vero filius Nun repletus est spiritu sapientiæ, quia Moyses posuit super eum manus suas. Et obedierunt ei filii Israël, feceruntque sicut præcepit Dominus Moysi. 10And there arose no more a prophet in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,Né si levò mai più in Israele un profeta simile a Mosè, col quale trattasse il Signore faccia a faccia,And there rose no more a prophete in Israel as Moyses, whom our Lord had knowen face to face,Et non surrexit ultra propheta in Israël sicut Moyses, quem nosset Dominus facie ad faciem, 11In all the signs and wonders, which he sent by him, to do in the land of Egypt to Pharao, and to all his servants, and to his whole land,Né simile a lui in quei prodigii, e miracoli, i quali per la missione datagli dal Signore fece egli nella terra d'Egitto contro di Faraone, e contro tutti i servi di questo, e contro tutto quel paese,in al signes and wonders, which he sent by him, to doe in the Land of Aegypt to Pharao, and to al his seruantes, and to his whole Land,in omnibus signis atque portentis, quæ misit per eum, ut faceret in terra Ægypti Pharaoni, et omnibus servis ejus, universæque terræ illius, 12And all the mighty hand, and great miracles, which Moses did before all Israel.Né simile nella possanza, e nelle opere miracolose, quali fece Mosè in faccia a tutto Israele.and al the strong hand, and great meruailes, which Moyses did before al Israel.et cunctam manum robustam, magnaque mirabilia, quæ fecit Moyses coram universo Israël.
34:1
Year of the World 2553.
Phasga was the highest part of Nebo, which was a summit of the Abarim mountains.
Calmet
Dan. All the conquered countries east of the Jordan, as far as the source of that river, Deuteronomy 33:22., and Genesis 14:14. (Calmet)
Worthington
God miraculously enabled Moses to see so far. (Worthington)
34:2
Calmet
Nephthali, from Libanus to the lake of Genesareth. (Calmet)
Haydock
The other three tribes occupied the greatest part of the country southward, as far as Idumea. (Haydock)
Sea. Hebrew, "the sea behind," or to the west; as, in determining the situation of places, the Jews looked towards the east. Moses took a view of all the countries which the people should possess, as far as the Mediterranean.
34:3
Calmet
South part: the mountains of Judea. (Calmet)
34:4
Haydock
This land, which has been just described, is what God chiefly promised to the Patriarchs, comprising the countries on the east, as well as those on the western side of the Jordan. (Haydock)
Salien
To it. But thou shalt be translated to a better land, the land of the living. Moses was now perfectly resigned to the will of God. (Salien)
Haydock
He no longer cherished those ardent desires of introducing the people into Chanaan, which he had not long before expressed: as he found that God had decreed that he should be deprived of the honour. He received this refusal as a just punishment of his transgression, and calmly reposed in the Lord. There seems no reason why Moses might not have written the preceding verses at least, though the names of some of the tribes are mentioned, who obtained possession only after his death. As he knew the limits of the promised land, so by the prophetic spirit, he might know that these tribes would be settled in the country; and he does not mark out their divisions with any degree of precision. In a word, there seems to be hardly a single passage in the Pentateuch, which may not have Moses for its author. (Haydock)
34:5
Challoner
Died there. This last chapter of Deuteronomy, in which the death of Moses is related, was written by Josue, or by some of the prophets. (Challoner)
Haydock
Josephus ([Antiquities] 4:9.), Philo, and Origen (contra Cels. 2:p. 95,) believe, however, that Moses wrote the account of his own death. See preface to Deuteronomy. (Haydock)
Menochius
Moab, which had formerly belonged to that nation. (Menochius)
Calmet
Commandment. Hebrew literally, "the mouth." The Rabbins say God kissed him, and thus released his soul. Some have nevertheless pretended that Moses was translated, like Elias, without dying. (Chaldean; Catharin; etc.) But his death and burial are too clearly mentioned in Scripture. St. Jerome (in Amos viii.) seems, at first view, to countenance the former opinion: but he only speaks of a spiritual translation, and not of the body. (Calmet)
Josephus thinks that it was to prevent this mistake, that Moses wrote this chapter.
34:6
Challoner
He buried him, viz., by the ministry of angels, and would have the place of his burial to be unknown, lest the Israelites, who were so prone to idolatry, might worship him with divine honours. (Challoner)
Calmet
St. Michael therefore contended with satan about his body, Jude 9. Some have maintained that Josue and Eleazar performed these last rites to their deceased lawgiver. (Calmet)
Haydock
But then some men would have known where he was buried. (Haydock)
Haydock
Day. It is pretended that Jeremias discovered the place, 2 Machabees 2:4, 5. He found indeed a hollow cave....and so stopped the door. Yet this does not prove that he found the sepulchre of Moses, (Calmet) who was buried in some valley over-against Phogor, but it is not said in a cave. (Haydock)
Cajetan infers from the body of Moses not being buried in the mountain, that it was conveyed by angels to some vale, where his attendants could not see him.
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Eye. Hebrew also, "colour." His sight and complexion were as good as in his youth, though he was 120 years old.
Calmet
Moved. The rays "of glory never changed," but attended him to the grave. (Chaldean) Hebrew, "his natural force (and vigour) never left him; or his cheeks did not fall in." (Calmet)
Salien
The Roman Martyrology places the death of Moses on the 4th of September, though the Rabbins say he died in the 12th month. (Salien)
34:8
Calmet
Days, as they had done for Mary [Miriam] and for Aaron: (Josephus) the usual term was only seven days. (Calmet)
Salien
The Jews would probably have prolonged their mourning for Moses forty days, in honour of the years of his government, if they had not been ordered to cross the Jordan. (Salien)
34:9
Haydock
Because. God was pleased to accompany this exterior sign with his blessing. (Haydock)
34:10
Calmet
Moses. No prophet ever appeared with greater dignity, in the old law, than Moses. He behaved in all respects as the envoy of God, who has been pleased to give his character and eulogium, Numbers 12:6., and Ecclesiasticus 45:1. His miracles were most astonishing, performed in the presence both of friends and of enemies, not for a short time, but for a continuance of many years. (Calmet)
Haydock
But when we compare Moses with the Messias, his person and law must be regarded indeed as illustrious figures, but infinitely beneath the reality. Moses was liable to failings, which caused him to be debarred from entering the land of promise; and he wore a veil, to shew that his law was only the shadow of a better, and that it could bring nothing to perfection. He works miracles in the name of the Lord, and with a rod: Jesus performs all by the word of his own power, (Hebrews 1:3,) as the sovereign of the world. But though Moses must sink in a comparison with Christ, yet no other personage sustained a more exalted character, or shone with greater splendour, as lawgiver, priest, prophet, ruler of a great and ungovernable people, and a sacred writer of the highest antiquity. Hence the Jews almost adore him. The Mahometans place him next to Jesus and their false prophet. (Haydock)
Calmet
The pagans have very probably ascribed many parts of his history to their idols, Bacchus, Mercury, and Typhon; and their greatest philosophers, Pythagoras, Plato, etc., have borrowed many things from his writings. "What, said Numenius, is Plato, but Moses in the Attic language?" See Exodus 34:29.; Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1. and 5.; Josephus, contra Apion I.; Bochart, etc. (Calmet)
Haydock
In a word, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Ambrose, (de Cain 2,) and Philo, represent Moses as the most perfect example of a great and pious leader and legislator. (Salien, the year of the world 2583.) (Haydock)
34:5
Died there.... This last chapter of Deuteronomy, in which the death of Moses is related, was written by Josue, or by some of the prophets.
34:6
He buried him, viz.... by the ministry of angels, and would have the place of his burial to be unknown, lest the Israelites, who were so prone to idolatry, might worship him with divine honours.
34:12
THE BOOK OF JOSUE
This Book is called JOSUE, because it contains the history of what passed under him, and according to the common opinion was written by him. The Greeks call him Jesus: for Josue and Jesus in the Hebrew, are the same name, and have the same signification, viz., A SAVIOUR. And it was not without a mystery that he who was to bring the people into the land of promise should have his name changed from OSEE (for so he was called before, Num. 13.17,) to JOSUE or JESUS, to give us to understand, that Moses by his law could only bring the people within sight of the promised inheritance, but that our Saviour JESUS was to bring us into it.
34:1
God eleuated his visiue powre aboue nature to see so farre.
34:6
Onlie Angels (whose ministerie God vsed herein) knew the place of his burial: lest the Iewes prone to idolatrie might haue honored him for God.
34:5
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 2.54
… “By what, then, were you induced (to become the follower of Moses)? Was it because he put on record the following statement about his own death: ‘And Moses, the servant of the Lord died there, in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord ; and they buried him in Moab, near the house of Phogor: and no one knoweth his sepulchre until this day?’”
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 8.9
… But when he had seen all the land, his Lord encouraged him and said to him, “I myself will bury thee and hide thee, and none shall know thy tomb.” So Moses died according to the word of the mouth of the Lord, and He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-Peor, where Israel had sinned, and no man has known his sepulchre unto this day .
St Jerome † AD 420 The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary 7
7. The word of God says in Genesis, “And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem, and lost them until this day.” Likewise at the end of Deuteronomy,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Care to Be Had for the Dead 18
… But if this book be spoken against from the canon of the Hebrews, (because it is not contained therein,) what shall we say of Moses, whom certainly we read both in Deuteronomy to have died,
34:6
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.21
… For therefore the union was of this kind, that He might unite what is man by nature to Him who is in the nature of the Godhead, and his salvation and deification might be sure. Therefore let those who deny that the Son is from the Father by nature and proper to His Essence, deny also that He took true human flesh of Mary Ever-Virgin
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.7
… And though he often spoke with God, yet he was wont to address men gently and pleasantly. Worthily was he considered to stand above all men. For they could not even look on his face, and refused to believe that his sepulchre was found.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 109.1
… We honour the servants that their honour may be reflected upon their Lord who Himself says:—“he that receiveth you receiveth me.” I ask Vigilantius, Are the relics of Peter and of Paul unclean? Was the body of Moses unclean, of which we are told (according to the correct Hebrew text) that it was buried by the Lord Himself?
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 1.22
… There immediately follows: “And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.” Moses, moreover, only saw the land of promise; he could not enter: and
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 124.2
… For we cannot fail to have some who so believe, if there is no want of those also who affirm that Moses is alive; because it is written that his sepulchre could not be found,
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 3.47
Then said Peter: “The law of God was given by Moses, without writing, to seventy wise men, to be handed down, that the government might be carried on by succession. But after that Moses was taken up, it was written by some one, but not by Moses. For in the law itself it is written, ‘And Moses died; and they buried him near the house of Phogor,
34:8
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 39.4
… Jacob put on sackcloth for Joseph, and when all his family gathered round him, refused to be comforted. “I will go down,” he said, “into the grave unto my son mourning.” David also mourned for Absalom, covering his face, and crying: “O my son, Absalom…my son, Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son!” Moses,
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 60.6
… I will not beat my breast with Jacob and with David for sons dying in the Law, but I will receive them rising again with Christ in the Gospel. The Jew’s mourning is the Christian’s joy. “Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.” “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” Accordingly when Moses dies, mourning is made for him,
34:9
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 49
To this I replied, “Do you not think that the same thing happened in the case of Joshua the son of Nave (Nun), who succeeded to the command of the people after Moses, when Moses was commanded to lay his hands on Joshua, and God said to him, ‘I will take of the spirit which is in thee, and put it on him?’ ”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 16.26
… as yet indeed the grace is partial, then it shall be given lavishly.” And he secretly alluded to what was to happen among us on the day of Pentecost; for He Himself came down among us. He had however also come down upon many before. For it is written, And Jesus the son of Nun was filled with a spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.20
99. Everywhere, therefore, he alone kept close to holy Moses amid all these wondrous works and dread secrets. Wherefore it happens that he who had been his companion in this intercourse with God succeeded to his power.
34:2
2. Unto the uttermost sea, that is, unto the western sea, namely the Mediterranean, which was the western boundary of the holy land.
34:5
5. And Moses the servant of the Lord died there. Josephus describes the death of Moses in this manner, in book IV of the Antiquities, at the end: "The senate alone, and the High Priest Eleazar, and the commander Jesus led Moses to Mount Abarim; on that mountain where he stood, he dismissed the senate; and when after mutual embraces with Eleazar and Jesus he was bidding his final farewell, suddenly surrounded by a cloud while speaking, he was carried away into a certain valley; but in the sacred volumes he wrote that he had died, fearing lest on account of his excellent virtue they would proclaim him to have been taken up by God." In a similar manner, when bishops from the city of Constantinople were conducting St. Epiphanius to his ship, he himself said to them: "This city and the palace of the Emperor and the action and story of this life I leave to you: but I am going, hastening to pass over into another city," as Nicephorus relates, book XIII, chapter xiii. Moreover Josephus continues concerning Moses: "The whole time of his life was one hundred and twenty years, of which he spent the third part in rule, lacking one month; and he died in the last month of the year, on the first day of the month, which is called Dystrus by the Macedonians, but Adar by us," and it corresponds roughly to the Latin February. The Hebrews, however, in the Seder Olam, which Andreas Masius follows in Joshua i, hold that Moses was born on the 7th day of the twelfth month, which is called Adar, and on the same day after 120 years he died. But I say that Moses died at the beginning of Adar, namely on the third or fourth day of Adar. That this is so is proved thus: for 36 days elapsed from the death of Moses until the passage of the Hebrews through the Jordan into Chanaan; but this passage occurred on the tenth day of the first month of the following year, as is clear from Joshua iv, verse 19; now reckon backwards 36 days from the tenth day of the first month, and you will arrive at the fourth day of the last month of the preceding year. Furthermore, that precisely 36 days elapsed here is proved thus: for the Hebrews mourned the death of Moses for 30 days; when these were completed Joshua sent spies into Jericho, who lay hidden in the mountain for three days: when they returned Joshua moved his camp to the Jordan, where he remained for three days, and on the next day he crossed the Jordan with his people. Now add three and three days to 30, you will have 36, which we seek. Thus Torniellus. It is remarkable that in the Roman Martyrology the fourth of September is assigned as the day of Moses: for although in the common year September, yet in the sacred year (which Scripture uses) Adar, that is February, is the last month. Note that Josephus says of Moses: "He wrote that he had died;" thus indeed he himself holds, and Philo, and some others. But it is more true, as I have said elsewhere, that these things were written not by Moses, but by Joshua, or some other; for this is plainly indicated by what is said in verse 6: "And no man knew his sepulchre, until this present day;" whence the Hebrews hold that this entire chapter xxxiv was written by Joshua, with whom the Abulensian agrees, excepting only the first four verses of the chapter: for he thinks these were written by Moses, about to ascend Mount Nebo, the rest by Joshua. Note: There were various opinions of the ancients concerning the death of Moses. First, some thought that he had not yet died, but was taken up, so that he might return with Enoch and Elijah against the Antichrist; thus Hilary held, canon 20 in Matthew, John Arboreus, and book XI of the Theosophy, chapter xi, Catharinus in Genesis chapter iii. They proved this both from the fact that his sepulchre was not found, and from Apocalypse xi, 6, where John, speaking of the two witnesses of Christ, who are to be in the time of the Antichrist, adds: "These have power to convert waters into blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues;" by which words Moses seems to be signified: for he himself converted waters into blood, and struck Egypt with all plagues, Exodus vii and following. St. Jerome seems to teach the same opinion in Amos ix, and Nyssenus in the Life of Moses, at the end, and St. Ambrose, book I On Cain and Abel, chapter ii, and this opinion is attributed to St. Ambrose by Viegas in Apocalypse xi, and Suarez III part., Question xlv, article 3; for there St. Ambrose seems to assert that Moses truly did not die, but is only said to have died by the word of the Lord: namely because by the command of the Lord he was taken up in the manner of Elijah. Yet these Fathers are excused by others, because they speak mystically: for St. Jerome says that Moses ascended into heaven, that is, into the heavenly and most perfect life and holiness; for at his death he was most holy, and displayed admirable zeal and spirit, as is evident from Deuteronomy. In the same way the Nyssenus can be explained: but St. Ambrose seems to play allegorically after his manner, and to wish only that Moses was a type of Christ rising immediately from death, and that the death of Moses is so narrated in Scripture that he himself appears to have been not so much dead as translated and immortal. First, in that it is narrated that he did not die from lack of strength; secondly, that he was taken away by men; thirdly, that his sepulchre is not known. From these things indeed he could appear to men rather as translated than as dead; for that Ambrose does not deny that Moses truly died is gathered from the fact that he there expressly teaches that Moses is to rise again. But whatever be the mind of these Fathers, I say that this opinion is erroneous, and therefore it is of faith that Moses died. This is evident from chapter xxxii, verse 49: "Thou shalt be gathered to thy people, as Aaron thy brother died;" and here expressly: "And Moses died there;" and soon after: "And he buried him in a valley." To Apocalypse xi, I answer that there is no discourse there concerning Moses; but only an allusion is made to his wonders, because Henoch and Elias will do things similar to those which Moses did. Secondly, others think that Moses indeed died, but rose again immediately, and therefore no one knew his sepulchre. Thus R. Samuel Marochianus, in the book On the Coming of the Messiah, chapter xiii. To this opinion Gagneaus nearly agrees in chapter xi of the Apocalypse, who teaches that Moses indeed died, but is to rise again, and to come, that he may contend with Antichrist. The same (which is wonderful) Maldonatus thinks in Matthew xvii. But this opinion is improbable and rash, as being without solid foundation, and repugnant to the common opinion of the Fathers, who teach that not Moses, but Henoch and Elias are to come against Antichrist. Thirdly, others thought that Moses died, but rose again in the transfiguration of Christ, on Mount Thabor. Thus St. Jerome seems to think in Matthew xvii, and the author of On the Wonders of Holy Scripture (which book is falsely attributed to St. Augustine) book III, chapter x. But this too is improbable; for it is certain that Christ rose first of all, and before all men to immortal life: hence Christ is called by the Apostle "The firstfruits of them that are asleep," and "The firstborn of the dead." If you say that Moses rose again, but died again afterwards, I answer: It would have been far harder and more bitter for Moses, after resurrection, to die, than not to rise. Then it is quite probable that Moses, shortly after Christ, with the patriarch Jacob, Joseph and other ancient Saints (of whom Matthew xxvii, 52) rose again: therefore he did not rise in the transfiguration, but only appeared there in an assumed body, as angels appear: thus teach Lyra and Abulensis in Matthew xvii, St. Thomas, III part., Question xlv, article 3, to 2, and others. For if other patriarchs rose with Christ: therefore much more Moses, who was the lawgiver and leader of the people, and an express type of Christ. Moses the servant of the Lord. This is an eulogy and as it were a sepulchral inscription of Moses, which comprehends all the rest. "Servant" therefore is the same as legate, leader, lawgiver, prophet "of the Lord." It is great dignity to be a servant of the Lord who rules over all. Hear Ambrose, book On Paradise 14: "Religious servitude subject to the word of God is much better than the freedom of the world." Hear Philo, book On the Cherubim: "To serve God is the greatest glorying, not only greater than liberty, but also than riches, and principality, and all things which mortals admire, more precious." Hence St. Paul glories in being a servant of Christ. Hence St. Agatha to the tyrant: "Much," she says, "more precious is Christian humility and servitude than the riches and pride of kings," namely, "to serve God is to reign." And as St. Ambrose says: "It is dignity to be a servant of the mighty." Let us say therefore with Cassiodorus: "To thee, O Lord, it is more noble to serve than to seize the kingdoms of the world; with reason, since from servants we become sons, from the impious just, from captives we are set free." Alexander the Great said to a general of the army, who was also called Alexander: "Do deeds worthy of thy name, worthy of Alexander;" and let us do deeds worthy of so great a name, worthy of a servant of God. By the command of the Lord. In Hebrew, at the mouth of the Lord, that is, as Vatablus says, according to the word of the Lord, or by the decision of the Lord. Our translator renders it most excellently, by the command of the Lord. God had commanded him, chapter xxxii, verse 49, saying: "Go up into this mountain Abarim, etc., and die in the mountain." There God pronounced the sentence of death upon Moses, namely that he should die in this mountain: here he executes it. God therefore, just as he had first given the soul to Moses, so here he takes it back from him and separates it from the body. Whence we read nothing here of Moses' illness; on the contrary it is said in verse 7 that he remained so healthy and vigorous to the very end that his eyes were not dimmed, nor his teeth moved; God therefore took away his soul. Whence the Septuagint and the Chaldean render it, Moses died by the word of the Lord: for the word and command of God is efficacious, so that if he say to anyone: Die, he immediately dies by the force of his command. Some followers of new interpretations explain at the mouth of the Lord as meaning, In the kiss of the Lord, that is to say, Just as a mother is accustomed to place an infant sleeping in her lap in the bed by applying mouth to mouth: so God placed Moses like a sleeping infant, through a kiss and embrace, in the bosom of Abraham as if in a bed; thus Viegas in Apocalypse xiv, commentary 2, section 3. This is elegant and pious rather than genuine. For in Hebrew, the mouth of the Lord signifies nothing other than the word and command of the Lord, as the Septuagint, St. Jerome, the Chaldean, Vatablus, Oleaster and all interpreters explain.
34:6
And he buried him in a valley. Therefore Moses did not bury himself, as some Rabbis wish; nor Joshua, as St. Ephrem says; but God buried him through the ministry of angels, the devil resisting in vain. Hence St. Jude in his epistle says: "When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he dared not bring a judgment of blasphemy (to blaspheme him, to revile him); but said: The Lord command thee." Where Oecumenius thus writes: "Michael is said to have provided ministry in burying Moses; the devil did not bear this, but brought an accusation, that Moses was unworthy of burial, because he had killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand: and therefore he did not permit him to obtain an honorable burial; but when Michael in this controversy had occasion to curse the devil, on account of his impudence, he did not do this, but inflicted only this upon him: Let God rebuke thee, O devil." Others bring forth other causes of this altercation, which our Serarius reviews at length in his commentary on the epistle of Jude. There once existed a book inscribed: The Ascension of Moses, namely into Mount Nebo, in which the conversations of Moses about to die with God, and his burial, dug out by the hands of angels in a hidden place, and also the dispute of Michael and the devil are recounted; from which St. Jude is thought by Origen, book III of the Peri Archon, chapter ii, and by Clement, book VI of the Stromata, to have received these things, where from the same place he relates that Moses was seen by Joshua and by Caleb, when he was assumed into glory among the angels. But St. Athanasius in the Synopsis of Holy Scripture rejects this ascension of Moses, together with another writing entitled: The Testament of Moses, among the apocrypha. In a valley of the land of Moab, against Phogor. Hence also from verse 5 it is clear that Moses died on Mount Nebo, but that his body was thence translated by angels and buried in the valley of Moab, that is, which borders on Moab, but is in the very lot of the tribe of Gad, or rather Reuben. Against Phogor. Serarius not improbably opines in his commentary on the epistle of St. Jude that among other causes of the altercation of the devil with Michael was this, that the devil was worshipped at Phogor, and therefore he did not bear that the body of so holy a man as Moses should be placed near him, and feared lest by him, either he would be driven from the place, or forced to be silent. The moral cause was that in this valley, Phogor, or Priapus, the Hebrews had worshipped, committing fornication with the daughters of Moab, Num. xxv, 1, so that God might provide a fitting remedy for this wound, he willed Moses to be buried there, so that by the memory of death and the presence of the burial, they might be turned away from the allurements and pleasures of the flesh. For nothing so lulls and extinguishes these as the inspection or consideration of death and a corpse. Thus that holy man in the Lives of the Fathers, tempted by love of a girl, occupying himself in inspecting and smelling her already dead body and worms, completely mortified this temptation. For the same reason we read that others dwelt in sepulchres. And no man knew his sepulchre. Why? I answer first, because it was fitting in honor of so great a man that he be buried not by men, but by angels, in a place unknown to men. Thus Epiphanius, Heresy 9, Oecumenius in the epistle of Jude, Abulensis here, Question iii, and Philo, who says that Moses was buried in a sepulchre so admirable that no man was ever worthy to behold it. Secondly, lest the Hebrews, as if it were a deity or something divine, should worship his body, as that of their leader and lawgiver. Thus Theodoret, Procopius here, and Chrysostom, homily 1 on Matthew. Especially because it is very credible that the body of Moses, although dead, retained the splendor of countenance and beauty which it had before, as happened to many of the Saints, says Bellarmine, book II On the Relics of Saints, chapter iv. And that this was the principal cause of the altercation of Michael with the devil, namely that the devil wished the body and sepulchre of Moses to be open and known to the Jews, but Michael did not wish this, lest it be an occasion of idolatry to them, is commonly taught by both ancient and recent Interpreters of the Epistle of St. Jude. For the Jews then were prone to idolatry: hence the danger was then great, which is not among Christians, when they venerate the relics of Saints: therefore the heretics wrongly twist this against them. Add that God here honored the relics of Moses, in that he hid them from men, and wished them to be treated and buried decently only through angels; and thus by his example he taught us how much we ought to venerate the Saints and their relics. Thus also St. Antony, when about to die, commanded his disciples: "Let no one," said he, "carry my remains to Egypt, lest my body be preserved with vain honor, lest the condemned rite be observed by me, as you know, even concerning me; for this reason chiefly have I returned hither, that no one except you may know the place of my tomb. I trust in the Lord, that necessarily at the time of resurrection this little body shall rise incorrupt." The disciples therefore, having wrapped the body as he had commanded, buried it in the earth: and no one meanwhile until this day, except them, has known where it was laid," says St. Athanasius. It is probable, as Josephus teaches, namely that Moses, accompanied by Joshua, Eleazar, and other leaders, ascended into Nebo; and there before them, as Cajetan says, or before some of them, he died; then his body, with the same ones watching, was borne by angels through the air and transferred into the valley of Moab, and there buried, although those watching could not see and note the determined place of the valley in which it was buried, as is said here: thus far Cajetan. Moses was 120 years old when he died: therefore Moses died in the year of the world 2493, in the year 836 from the flood, in the year 1456 before Christ. Romulus wished to imitate this rapture of Moses, or certainly the Romans fabricated something similar to it; for he himself, either slain by the senators or snatched away, did not appear. Whence Julius Proculus, a Roman patrician, feigned that Romulus appeared to him, and when asked what had happened to him, replied: "To the gods, O Julius, from whom I came, it seemed good thus, that I should be with men for a time, and should found a city whose dominion and glory would be greatest, and thence again I should inhabit heaven: farewell, and tell the Romans that if they cultivate temperance and fortitude, all mortals shall excel in power. But I myself shall be propitious to you as god, Quirinus," as Plutarch relates in his Life of Romulus. Thus also Apollonius of Tyana, a magus and impostor of the world, sending away his disciple David to the Emperor Nerva, lest he be a witness of his final end, met a hidden death in the year of Christ 99, so that he might be believed to have been translated immortal into heaven: Philostratus is witness in his Life of him. These were as it were apes of Moses, as the devil is the ape of God.
34:7
7. His eye was not dimmed, as the eyes of the aged are wont to be dimmed. Nor were his teeth moved, as the teeth of the aged, even the molars, are wont to be moved and to fall out: for this is what is written concerning the miseries of old age in Ecclesiastes, last chapter, verse 3: "When the keepers of the house shall tremble," namely the sight and other senses, "and the strong men shall bow themselves," namely the legs, "and the grinders shall be idle in a small number," namely the teeth. For "nor were his teeth moved," the Septuagint translates, "neither were his lips corrupted"; the Chaldean version, "neither was the splendor of the glory of his countenance changed": where it plainly signifies that the horns of light always adhered to Moses, which Bellarmine also holds, cited a little before: concerning which matter I have spoken in Exodus xxxiv, 29. Vatable translates it, "his jaw had suffered no defect," or "the vigor of his strength had not withered"; thus also Cajetan, as if to say, His face and body remained always succulent to him; for old age is wont to be dry. Hence it is plain that Moses did not die from a defect of strength, or from disease; but only from the command and will of God: for he ascended the mountain in vigor, and there immediately died, God surely dissolving him, separating his soul from his body, and leading it to the limbo of the Fathers. This vigor and strength came to Moses, says Abulensis, from familiarity and the presence of God: because he dwelt and spoke with God twice for forty days on Sinai, and then neither ate nor drank, sustained by God's presence alone. And from this he had horns, that is, rays of light, on his face: from this also he had strength enduring in all his members; so that in the year in which he died, he went forth to war against two kings, namely Og and Sehon, Numbers xxi and xxii. His voice also did not fail him: because with a very great and stentorian voice, which would be heard by all the people, he promulgated the whole Deuteronomy to the Hebrews with great spirit, shortly before his death. Add to this that a sober diet and the tranquility of mind, arising from the meekness of Moses, also helped at that time. For, as Hippocrates says, τά ἄχολα μακρόβια, animals which lack bile are long-lived, and remain healthy and strong to a great age; for which reason stags endure longer-lived and strong beyond other animals. Whence the school of Salerno: If you wish to be unharmed, if you wish to make yourself healthy, put away grave cares, believe anger to be profane. Thus St. Bernard, although sickly, on account of the peace and tranquility of his mind, surpassed the sixtieth year of his age, and dying said to his own: "Three things I commend to you, which in the race in which I ran, as much as I could, I observed: first, I believed less in my own sense than in that of another; second, when injured by an injurer, I did not seek vengeance; third, I wished to cause scandal to no one: and if ever I fell into it, I calmed it as I could;"; whence the couplet: I troubled no one, I reconciled the discordant, I endured being injured, nor did I please myself. Thus also St. Antony, as St. Athanasius testifies, living always with a cheerful mind and countenance, lived to the age of 105 years, persisting to the end in the same tenor and rigor of abstinence and penance, "nor did he ever concede anything to his age through weakness. But rather holding to the equality of his purpose, he neither changed his garment, nor washed his feet, nor sought softer food: and the keenness of his eyes, and the number of his teeth, although they seemed somewhat worn by age; and also the gait of his feet, the firmness of his whole body, thus and against the laws of nature by the grace of his merits he preserved, so that when bodies were washed, which were cherished by baths and delights, his flesh appeared more cheerful." And again: "He had finished speaking, and as his disciples kissed him, stretching out his feet a little, he joyfully beheld death, so that from the cheerfulness of his countenance, the presence of the holy angels, who had descended to bear away his soul, was known." Thus far St. Athanasius. Thus also St. Abraham the hermit, as St. Ephrem testifies in his Life, chapter xviii, although he mortified himself by constant fastings, vigils, tears and penances, was vigorous in old age until death. "His appearance," says St. Ephrem, "was like a certain unfading flower; and in his face the purity of his mind was known. And his whole little body appeared, as if he had done nothing, strong and robust, inasmuch as he enjoyed divine grace in all things, and was possessed of the joy of spiritual gladness. In the hour of his falling asleep he appeared so very splendid in countenance, as if he had not spent the time of his life in abstinence; and in all fifty years of his abstinence, he did not change the hair garment with which he was clothed."
34:8
8. And the children of Israel wept for him thirty days. Hence also among Christians the thirty days' masses for the dead are performed, as I have said in Numbers xx, 29. 9. Moses laid his hands upon him, as if to say, By the laying on of hands of Moses, Joshua received the Holy Spirit, says Vatable. See what is said in Numbers xxvii, 18.
34:10
10 and 11. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, namely one so familiar with God and working wonders, whom the Lord knew face to face, and like unto him in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do, giving him namely power and authority to do them. It could be translated more clearly with Vatablus and Cajetan, to which, or for which the Lord had sent him to do, etc. In these things therefore Moses surpassed all the Prophets, namely in wonders and in familiarity with God; to which however it is no obstacle that to some other Prophet greater and more numerous mysteries were revealed. For thus David is commonly called the greatest of the Prophets, says Abulensis. Concerning Christ there is no doubt that he was more excellent than Moses: but Christ was not so much a Prophet as a new and clear inspector and legislator of the Gospel. Tropologically. Thus St. Ephrem in the Encomium of St. Basil compares him to Moses and the other Prophets, if not prefers him, saying: "O faithful Basil, thou wast accepted like Abel, saved like Noe, called as the friend of God like Abraham, offered as a victim to God like Isaac; thou didst bear trials mightily like Jacob: and like Joseph, thou wast glorified magnificently: like Moses, thou didst submerge the latter Pharaoh with the rod of the cross, dividing the sea of passions: like Aaron, thou wast the high priest of the Lord: like Jesus the son of Nave, thou didst put enemies to flight: like Phinees the zealot, thou wast held worthy of grace: like Isaiah, thou wast cleansed by spiritual fire: like Ezechiel, thou didst behold him sitting upon the Cherubim: like Daniel, thou didst stop the mouths of lions: and like the three youths, thou didst rightly trample upon the flame of adversaries. Like Peter thou didst preach, like Paul thou didst teach, like Thomas thou didst confess the Son of God suffering: like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, thou didst discourse concerning divine things: like the Apostles thou didst instruct the wicked, thou didst convert the impious, and thou wast pleasing to God: intercede for me most wretched, and recall me by thy intercessions, father." 12. And all the mighty hand, that is, and all the mighty, strong and magnificent works, repeatedly the Lord gave to Moses, that is, gave, when he stirred him up and strengthened him to accomplish them. In the Hebrew the connection is clearer; for it has, and in all the mighty hand, which is aptly connected with what preceded, in all the signs and wonders. And great wonders. In Hebrew, and all the great terror. Great terror, says Vatablus, he says on account of those things which were done in the Red Sea; terror moreover on account of the law which the Lord gave on Mount Sinai, with so many terrifying portents, to which see other terrors, such as the swallowing up of Core, Dathan and Abiron, the burning of 250 princes, Num. xvi, 35, the slaughter of fornicators, Numer. xxv, and others. O long, O profound, O abyssal, O eternal ETERNITY! Moses lived, now lives blessed and glorious with God forever; so may we also live. Our soul is eternal, it will live forever, either blessedly or miserably. Live for Eternity; be certain, be prepared for Eternity. Thou castest here a die, an irrevocable die concerning Eternity. O dear Eternity, eternal truth, true charity, my God and all things, open our eyes, remove from us the stupor of men, that we may know what it is, how immense, how blessed or miserable Eternity is. Thou hast created us for thee, thou hast created us for Eternity, because thou art Eternity; thou hast willed, commanded, ordained that we be made partakers of thy Eternity. For perpetual light shall shine upon thy saints, O Lord, and the Eternity of ages. Grant that we may spend this moment of time piously and holily, that in it we may study for Eternity, labor for Eternity, suffer and strive for Eternity, and that we may cry out the same to all, and as many souls as we can that are perishing we may save forever. Hear, Christians; hear, Pagans; hear, Belgium; let the world hear: There is no security great enough where ETERNITY is in peril. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord, in the mountains of Eternity: for ever and ever shall they praise thee.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
34:1
… Among these mountains took place the oracles of Balaam (v.) and the last events of the exodus from Egypt (Num. 27:12; 33:47 ff.; Deut. 32:49; 34:1). Angelo Penna
34:3
SEGOR (Heb. Ṣā'ar; Gr. Σηγώρ). - An ancient city of Palestine, south of the Dead Sea (Gen. 13:10; Deut. 34:3), first called Bala (Bela: Gen. 14:2-8).
34:6
… archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Rafael, Uriel) as companions of the risen Jesus on the journey to the fifth firmament (ed. C. Schmidt, pp. 46-49). Hermas alludes to six archangels (Pastor, visio 3, 4), as does the rabbinic tradition (Targum of Ps.-Jonathan on Deut. 34:6); the midhrāshim named four archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Rafael): Numeri Rabbā, 2, 10. The Babylonian Talmud names Sariel, "Prince of the Face" (Bārākhōth, 51a). Clement of …
Beelphegor (Hebrew Ba'al-Pe'or)
… In this sense it is also called Bethphegor (Deut. 3:29; 4; 46; 34:6), corresponding, it seems, to bèth ("fanum") of the Ba'al of Pe'ôr.
Moses (Mōšeh, Μω[θ]σῆς, Vulg. MoySES, Ancient Latin Moses)
… It contained the narration of the death of M. and, probably, his merely spiritual assumption into heaven (cf. 1, 15; 10, 14; and Deut. 34, 6). The ancients speak of the altercation of St. Michael with the devil, over the body of M.
… The "valley" of P. (Deut. 3:29; 4:46; 34:6) therefore corresponds to the Wādi 'Ajūn Mūsā, which separates the two ranges. …
… desire for cohabitation after death finds its realization in the successive Jewish cemeteries, cut into rocky walls, but also artificial ones (cf. for Abraham and Sarah: Gen. 23, 4-20; for Deborah: ibid. 35, 8; for Jacob, ibid. 49, 29-30; for Moses: Deut. 34, 6; for Joshua: Ios. 24, 30-33; for David: I Reg. 2, 10; for Solomon: ibid. 11, 43; etc.). …
34:7
… Thus it is considered a portent that Moses at his death, at 120 years, had no dimming of sight, nor lost freshness (Deut. 34:7). It is moreover to be observed that Abraham, who cannot beget at 100 years, afterwards marries Keturah and has children by her. The manner of Ham's acting with his naked father would …
34:8
… Palestine on the 3rd, 7th and 30th. This usage is inspired by biblical events: on the 3rd day Jesus came forth from the tomb; Joseph the Hebrew proclaimed a mourning of 7 days for his father (Gen. 50, 10); the Hebrew people wept for 30 days for Moses (Deut. 34, 8) and for Aaron (Num. 20, 30).
34:10
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.). …
The biblical sources recall, after Moses, the great prophet (Os. 12:14 [Vulg. 13]; Num. 11:25; 12:6; Deut. 18:15, 18; 34:10): Miriam his sister (Ex. 15:20; Num. 12:2; cf. Mt. 6:4); Joshua (Ecli. 46:1); during the period of the Judges: Deborah and an anonymous nābhi (Iude. 4:4; 6:8), an anonymous …
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.