The ten commandments are repeated and explained.
The tenne commandements are repeted and explaned. 23. with commemoration of their dread and feare, When they heard the voice from the clowde, and saw the mountaine burne.
1And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the ceremonies and judgments, which I speak in your ears this day: learn them, and fulfil them in work.E Mosè convocò tutto Israele, e gli disse: Ascolta, o Israele, le ceremonie, e le leggi, le quali io intimo alle vostre orecchie: imparatele, e mettetele in pratica.AND Moyses called al Israel, and said to them: Heare Israel the ceremonies & iudgements, which I speake in your eares this day: lerne them, and fulfil them in worke.Vocavitque Moyses omnem Israëlem, et dixit ad eum: Audi, Israël, cæremonias atque judicia, quæ ego loquor in auribus vestris hodie: discite ea, et opere complete. 2The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.Il Signore Dio nostro ha fermato un patto con noi in Horeb.The Lord our God made a couenant with vs in Horeb.Dominus Deus noster pepigit nobiscum fœdus in Horeb. 3He made not the covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are now present and living.Non co' padri nostri fermò egli questo patto, ma con noi, che or siamo e viviamo.Not with our fathers did he make the couenant, but with vs at this present, and doe liue.Non cum patribus nostris iniit pactum, sed nobiscum qui in præsentiarum sumus, et vivimus. 4He spoke to us face to face in the mount out of the midst of fire.Egli ci parlò faccia a faccia dal monte di mezzo al fuoco.Face to face did he speake to vs in the mount out of the middes of the fyre.Facie ad faciem locutus est nobis in monte de medio ignis. 5I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you his words, for you feared the fire, and went not up into the mountain, and he said:Io fui allora interprete e mediatore tra 'l Signore e voi per annunziarvi le sue parole: perché voi temeste quel fuoco, e non saliste al monte. Or egli disse:I was arbiter and mediatour betwixt our Lord and you at that time, to shew you his wordes, for you feared the fire, and went not vp into the mount, and he said:Ego sequester et medius fui inter Dominum et vos in tempore illo, ut annuntiarem vobis verba ejus: timuistis enim ignem, et non ascendistis in montem. Et ait: 6I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.Io il Signore Dio tuo, che ti condussi fuor della terra di Egitto, della casa di schiavitù.I the Lord thy God, that brought thee out of the Land of Aegypt out of the house of seruitude.Ego Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis. 7Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.Non avrai altri dei in mio confronto.Thou shalt not haue strange goddes in my sight.Non habebis deos alienos in conspectu meo.
8Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.Non ti formerai statua, o figura di alcuna delle cose, che sono lassù in cielo, né di quelle che sono quaggiù in terra, o abitano nelle acque sotto la terra.Thou shalt not make to thee a thing grauen, nor the similitude of any thinges, that are in heauen aboue, and that are in the earth beneath, and that abide in the waters vnder the earth.Non facies tibi sculptile, nec similitudinem omnium, quæ in cælo sunt desuper, et quæ in terra deorsum, et quæ versantur in aquis sub terra. 9Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me,Non le adorerai, né renderai loro verun culto. Perocché io sono il Signore Dio tuo: Dio geloso, che punisco l'iniquità de' padri sopra i figliuoli sino alla terza, e alla quarta generazione di coloro, che mi odiano:Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serue them. For I am the Lord thy God, a Iealouse God, tendering the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generation to them that hate me,Non adorabis ea, et non coles. Ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus: Deus æmulator, reddens iniquitatem patrum super filios in tertiam et quartam generationem his qui oderunt me: 10And shewing mercy unto many thousands, to them that love me, and keep my commandments.E fo misericordia per molte migliaia di generazioni a coloro, che mi amano, e osservano i miei comandamenti.and doing mercie vpon manie thousandes to them that loue me, and keepe my preceptes.et faciens misericordiam in multa millia diligentibus me, et custodientibus præcepta mea. 11Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.Non prenderai il nome del Signore Dio tuo invano: perocché non andrà impunito chiunque per una cosa vana avrà adoprato il nome di lui.Thou shalt not vsurpe the name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for he shal not be vnpunished that taketh his name vpon a vaine thing.Non usurpabis nomen Domini Dei tui frustra: quia non erit impunitus qui super re vana nomen ejus assumpserit. 12Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.Osserva il giorno di sabato per santificarlo, come ti ordinò il Signore Dio tuo.Obserue the day of the Sabbath, to sanctifie it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.Observa diem sabbati, ut sanctifices eum, sicut præcepit tibi Dominus Deus tuus.
13Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.Sei giorni lavorerai, e farai tutto quello che ti occorre.Six dayes shalt thou worke, and shalt doe al thy workes.Sex diebus operaberis, et facies omnia opera tua. 14The seventh is the day of the sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself.Il settimo giorno egli è il sabato, vale a dire la requie del Signore Dio tuo. In esso non farai alcun lavoro tu, e il tuo figliuolo, e la figliuola, il servo, e la serva, e il bue, e l'asino, e tutte le tue bestie, e il forestiero, che sta dentro le tue porte, affinché abbia requie il tuo servo, e la tua serva, come anche tu.The seuenth is the day of the Sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not doe any worke therin, thou, and thy sonne and daughter, man seruant and woman seruant, and oxe, and asse, and al thy cattel, and the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy man seruant may rest, and thy woman seruant, euen as thy selfe.Septimus dies sabbati est, id est, requies Domini Dei tui. Non facies in eo quidquam operis tu, et filius tuus, et filia, servus et ancilla, et bos, et asinus, et omne jumentum tuum, et peregrinus qui est intra portas tuas: ut requiescat servus tuus, et ancilla tua, sicut et tu. 15Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.Ricordati, che tu pur fosti servo in Egitto, e di là ti trasse il Signore Dio tuo con mano possente, e braccio disteso. Per questo ei ti comandò di ricordarti del giorno di sabato.Remember that thou also didest serue in Aegypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence in a strong hand, and stretched out arme. Therfore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldest obserue the Sabbath.Memento quod et ipse servieris in Ægypto, et eduxerit te inde Dominus Deus tuus in manu forti, et brachio extento. Idcirco præcepit tibi ut observares diem sabbati. 16Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayst live a long time, and it may be well with thee in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.Onora il padre tuo, e la madre, come ti ordinò il Signore Dio tuo, affinché tu viva lungamente, e sii felice sopra la terra, di cui il Signore Dio tuo ti darà il dominio.Honour thy father and mother, as our Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayst liue a long time, and it may be wel with thee in the Land, which the Lord thy God wil geue thee.Honora patrem tuum et matrem, sicut præcepit tibi Dominus Deus tuus, ut longo vivas tempore, et bene sit tibi in terra, quam Dominus Deus tuus daturus est tibi.
17Thou shalt not kill.Non ammazzare.Thou shalt not murder.Non occides, 18Neither shalt thou commit adultery.Non fornicare.Neither shalt thou committe aduoutrie.neque mœchaberis, 19And thou shalt not steal.Non rubare.And thou shal not steale.furtumque non facies: 20Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.Non dire il falso testimonio contro il prossimo tuo.Neither shalt thou speake against thy neighbour false testimonie.nec loqueris contra proximum tuum falsum testimonium. 21Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife: nor his house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.Non desiderare la moglie del prossimo tuo; non la casa, non il podere, non il servo, non la serva, non il bue, non l'asino, non alcuna cosa di tutte quelle che a lui appartengono.Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife: Nor house, nor field, nor man seruant, nor woman seruant, nor oxe, nor asse, and al thinges that are his.Non concupisces uxorem proximi tui: non domum, non agrum, non servum, non ancillam, non bovem, non asinum, et universa quæ illius sunt. 22These words the Lord spoke to all the multitude of you in the mountain, out of the midst of the fire and the cloud, and the darkness, with a loud voice, adding nothing more: and he wrote them in two tables of stone, which he delivered unto me.Queste parole disse il Signore a tutta la vostra adunanza sul monte di mezzo al fuoco, e alla nuvola, e alla caligine con voce grande, e non aggiunse nulla di più: e le scrisse su due tavole di pietra, le quali ei diede a me.These wordes spake our Lord to al your multitude in the mount, out of the middes of the fire and the cloude, and the darkenes, with a loude voice, adding nothing more: and he wrote them in the two tables of stone, which he deliuered vnto me.Hæc verba locutus est Dominus ad omnem multitudinem vestram in monte de medio ignis et nubis, et caliginis, voce magna, nihil addens amplius: et scripsit ea in duabus tabulis lapideis, quas tradidit mihi. 23But you, after you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and saw the mountain burn, came to me, all the princes of the tribes and the elders, and you said:Ma voi dopo avere udita quella voce di mezzo alle tenebre, e dopo aver veduto ardere il monte, veniste da me voi tutti principi delle tribù, e seniori, e diceste:And you after you heard the voice out of the middes of the darkenes, and saw the mount burne, came to me al the princes of the tribes and the elders, and you said:Vos autem postquam audistis vocem de medio tenebrarum, et montem ardere vidistis, accessistis ad me omnes principes tribuum et majores natu, atque dixistis:
24Behold the Lord our God hath shewn us his majesty and his greatness, we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire, and have proved this day that God speaking with man, man hath lived.Ecco che il Signore Dio nostro ci ha fatto conoscere la sua maestà e grandezza: abbiamo udito la sua voce di mezzo al fuoco, e abbiamo oggi fatto prova, che parlando Dio a un uomo, l'uomo sia rimaso in vita.Behold the Lord our God hath shewed vs his maiestie and greatnes, for we haue heard his voice out of the middes of the fire, and haue proued this day that God speaking with man, man hath liued.Ecce ostendit nobis Dominus Deus noster majestatem et magnitudinem suam: vocem ejus audivimus de medio ignis, et probavimus hodie, quod loquente Deo cum homine, vixerit homo. 25Why shall we die therefore, and why shall this exceeding great fire comsume us: for if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.Ma perché morremo noi, e sarem divorati da quel gran fuoco? Imperocché, se udiremo un poco più la voce del Signore Dio nostro, noi morremo.Why shal we die therfore, and this exceding great fire deuoure vs? For if we heare the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shal die.Cur ergo moriemur, et devorabit nos ignis hic maximus ? si enim audierimus ultra vocem Domini Dei nostri, moriemur. 26What is all flesh, that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaketh out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live?Che è egli l'uomo, chiunque egli sia, che possa udire la voce di Dio vivente, che parla di mezzo al fuoco, come l'abbiamo udita noi, e possa vivere?What is al flesh, that it should heare the voice of the liuing God, who speaketh out of the middes of the fire as we haue heard, and may liue?Quid est omnis caro, ut audiat vocem Dei viventis, qui de medio ignis loquitur sicut nos audivimus, et possit vivere ? 27Approach thou rather: and hear all things that the Lord our God shall say to thee, and thou shalt speak to us, and we will hear and will do them.Piuttosto appressati tu, e ascolta tutto quello che il Signore Dio nostro ti dirà: e lo ridirai a noi, e noi avendolo udito lo faremo.Approche thou rather: and heare al thinges that the Lord our God shal say to thee: and thou shalt speake to vs, and we hearing wil doe them.Tu magis accede: et audi cuncta quæ dixerit Dominus Deus noster tibi: loquerisque ad nos, et nos audientes faciemus ea. 28And when the Lord had heard this, he said to me: I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they spoke to thee: they have spoken all things well.Udita tal cosa, il Signore disse a me: Ho sentito il suono delle parole dette a te da questo popolo: hanno parlato bene in tutto.Which when our Lord had heard, he said to me: I haue heard the voice of the wordes of this people, which they spake to thee: they haue spoken al thinges wel.Quod cum audisset Dominus, ait ad me: Audivi vocem verborum populi hujus quæ locuti sunt tibi: bene omnia sunt locuti.
29Who shall give them to have such a mind, to fear me, and to keep all my commandments at all times, that it may be well with them and with their children for ever?Chi darà loro tale spirito, che mi temano, e osservino tutti i miei comandamenti in ogni tempo, affinché sien felici eglino, e i loro figliuoli in eterno?Who shal geue them to haue such a minde, that they would feare me, and keepe al my commandementes at al time, that it may be wel with them and with their children for euer?Quis det talem eos habere mentem, ut timeant me, et custodiant universa mandata mea in omni tempore, ut bene sit eis et filiis eorum in sempiternum ? 30Go and say to them: Return into your tents.Va' e di' loro: Tornatevene alle vostre tende.Goe and say to them: Returne into your tentes.Vade et dic eis: Revertimini in tentoria vestra. 31But stand thou here with me, and I will speak to thee all my commandments, and ceremonies and judgments: which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land, which I will give them for a possession.Ma tu sta qui meco, e io ti spiegherò tutti i miei precetti, e le cerimonie, e le leggi, le quali tu insegnerai ad essi, affinché le osservino nel paese, di cui darò loro il possesso.But thou stand here with me, and I wil speake to thee al my commandementes, and ceremonies and iudgementes: which thou shalt teach them, that they may doe them in the Land, which I wil geue them in possession.Tu vero hic sta mecum, et loquar tibi omnia mandata mea, et cæremonias atque judicia: quæ docebis eos, ut faciant ea in terra, quam dabo illis in possessionem. 32Keep therefore and do the things which the Lord God hath commanded you: you shall not go aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.Osservate adunque, e adempite tutti i precetti dati a voi dal Signore Dio: non torcete né a destra, né a sinistra:Keepe therfore and doe the thinges which our Lord God hath commanded you: you shal not decline neither to the right hand, nor to the left:Custodite igitur et facite quæ præcepit Dominus Deus vobis: non declinabitis neque ad dexteram, neque ad sinistram: 33But you shall walk in the way that the Lord your God hath commanded, that you may live, and it may be well with you, and your days may be long in the land of your possession.Ma camminate per quella via, che vi ha prescritta il Signore Dio vostro, affinché abbiate vita e felicità, e si moltiplichino i giorni vostri nella terra, di cui otterrete il possesso.but the way that the Lord your God hath commanded shal you walke, that you may liue, and it may be wel with you, and your daies may be prolonged in the land of your possession.sed per viam, quam præcepit Dominus Deus vester, ambulabitis, ut vivatis, et bene sit vobis, et protelentur dies in terra possessionis vestræ.
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Year of the World 2553.
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Menochius
Fathers, the ancient patriarchs, who were not favoured in such a signal manner. (Menochius)
Haydock
Though many of those who had heard the words of God at Horeb, were dead, and had not enjoyed the full benefit of the covenant, some still remained, and the children of the deceased were about to enter the land which had been there promised. (Haydock)
Du Hamel
God did not make a covenant with the Patriarchs only, but also with their posterity at Horeb. (Du Hamel)
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To us. Hebrew and Septuagint, "to you."
St. Augustine
Face to face, in such a manner that no doubt could be entertained of his presence. (St. Augustine)
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Calmet
Mediator. St. Paul acknowledges this title of Moses, (Galatians 3:9,) who was a figure of Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Testament, Hebrews 8:6., 9:15., and 12:24. (Calmet)
Haydock
Let not Protestants, therefore, reject this title with so much indignation, when it is applied in the like limited sense to the saints, to denote that they pray for us, as we pray for one another. Christ is the one mediator (1 Timothy ii.) of redemption. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Sight. Chaldean, "Thou shalt not have any other god but me." Elohim often designates the true God. (Calmet)
Haydock
See the decalogue explained, (Exodus xx.) where we have observed, that pictures are only forbidden when they are the objects of sovereign worship, as the context here plainly shews, ver. 9. Other images God himself authorized, (Worthington) even in the old law, and in the most sacred place, where people were ordered to fall prostrate before the ark, to adore his footstool, Psalm 98:5. If, therefore, a people so prone to idolatry as the Jews were, might have pictures in the temple of God without danger, how can any one suppose that the images of Jesus Christ, and of his saints, are necessary incentive to idolatry among Christians, who all know that God will allow of no rival! (Haydock)
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St. Augustine
Serve. We must neither treat idols, nor their images, with the honour due to God alone. (St. Augustine, q. 61, in Gen.)
If we do, he will punish our infidelity.
Haydock
Generation, for a long time, or as long as the remembrance of the parents' wickedness subsists, so as to have an influence upon others. (Haydock)
God mercifully defers correction. (St. Jerome in Ezec. xviii.) He chastises those who imitate their wicked forefathers.
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Menochius
In vain, by perjury. See ver. 20, where the same word is used, (Du Hamel) or by any irreverent speech. (Menochius)
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Calmet
Therefore. This is another reason why the Jews were to observe the sabbath with particular rigour. The institution of a day of rest every week, (Haydock) was intended to preserve the memory of the creation. (Calmet)
Calmet
God also requires that his people should be grateful on this day for the rest which he had granted to them, (Haydock) and preserve carefully all the monuments of the true religion. (Calmet)
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Menochius
Adultery. Under this name God forbids every species of impurity. (St. Augustine, q. 71.) (Menochius)
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False. Hebrew shave, "vain," is synonymous with sheker, "false," used [in] Exodus 20:16.
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Calmet
More to the people: the other precepts were communicated to Moses. The Chaldean and others gives a contrary turn to the Hebrew, "and he ceased not" ever since to instruct us. (Calmet)
Du Hamel
Moses gives the sense, not the very words of the decalogue, in which he is not guilty of any lie. (St. Augustine, q. 8.) (Du Hamel)
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You said, by the mouths of your princes, Exodus 20:19.
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Haydock
Die. Past experience did not entirely remove from them the fear which was so generally entertained, that the sight of the heavenly beings would prove destructive. So Daniel (chap. 10:17) said on a similar occasion, my breath is stopped. (Haydock)
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Estius
A mind. God speaks like men, and insinuates how agreeable to him is a disposition influenced by a salutary fear. He does not mean that He cannot convert the heart of man. (Estius)
Maimonides
God exerts his power over our will by persuasive invitations. (Maimonides)
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Menochius
Left: a proverbial expression, to signify that no sort of transgression is to be allowed. (Menochius)
Calmet
It is of the same import as, You shall not add, etc., Deuteronomy 4:2. (Calmet)
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It is not ynough to beleue only, or to know the commandments, but necessarie also to fulfil them in •vor•e.
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The title of mediator lawfully ascribed to Gods lieu•enant in ••rth.
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8. Thou shalt not make.] If our aduersaries would quietly consider the coherence of the holie text, they might easely see, that this prohibition of making, and worshipping the similitude of anie creature, perteyneth to the Images of Idols forbid, but not of other things. former sentence: Thou shalt not haue strange goddes: more particularly forbidding either to make Idoles, or to worship such as others make; and that with commination, because our Lord is a ielous God, and wil not suffer his honour to be geuen to anie creature. But other Images were made in the old Testament, by Gods commandment, and likewise Images of Christ and his Sainctes are lawful and profitable among Christians. as before is noted. Exod. 20.
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Coueting as other mans wife, and coueting his goodes, differ as much, as the exterior actes of adultry and of theft. And so these two commandments are as distinct as the former two.
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.16.2
… As also Moses himself says to the people in Deuteronomy: “The Lord thy God formed a covenant in Horeb. The Lord formed not this covenant with your fathers, but for you.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Commentary on Galatians 3
He either calls the priests Angels, or he declares that the Angels themselves ministered to the delivery of the Law. By Mediator here he means Christ,
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 2
Eran. —But was not Moses called a mediator, though only a man?
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 55.22
… For we have been taught literally not to worship idols; and the precepts enjoining us not to take God’s name in vain, to honour our father and mother, not to commit adultery, or kill, or steal, or bear false witness, or covet our neighbour’s wife, or covet anything that is our neighbour’s,
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 3.6.5
… but his meaning is similar to that of Moses, when it is said, “Thou shalt not make to thyself any image for God, of whatsoever things are in heaven above, whatsoever in the earth beneath, and whatsoever in the waters under the earth.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 56
… xxiv. 16 .) And of a certain king Scripture saith, that for this very reason he did not this thing, observing the law of Moses. But if any one argue, “How then is it said, ‘Who visiteth the sins of the parents upon the children unto the third and fourth generation’?” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 46
And it is said, with much appearance of probability, that infants are involved in the guilt of the sins not only of the first pair, but of their own immediate parents. For that divine judgment, “I shall visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children,”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 55.20
… because a creature is mutable, and therefore it is said, “The whole creation is subject to vanity,” since the nature of the whole is manifested also in any part of it, lest any one should think that the Son of God, the Word by whom all things were made, is a creature, the second commandment is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
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St Barnabas † AD 61 The Epistle of Barnabas 15
Further, also, it is written concerning the Sabbath in the Decalogue which [the Lord] spoke, face to face, to Moses on Mount Sinai, “And sanctify ye the Sabbath of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart.”
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 260.3
… After seven years the Hebrew used to be freed from slavery.
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.30
… For even our good works, when they are understood to be rather His than ours, are imputed to us that we may enjoy this Sabbath rest. For if we attribute them to ourselves, they shall be servile; for it is said of the Sabbath, “Ye shall do no servile work in it.”
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.23
So far, indeed, as I in my ignorance know, to begin with inferior and more dense things, God, knowing the denseness of the Israelites and their carnal love and propensity towards matter in everything, made this law: first, in order that the servant and the cattle should rest
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Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 8.9
… — As for this Moses who brought us up from the land of Egypt we know not what has become of him. So they made them a calf and worshipped it, and they remembered not God Who brought them up from Egypt by means of Moses with a mighty hand and an uplifted arm .
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St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 7.15
15. But while honouring our heavenly Father let us honour also the fathers of our flesh : since the Lord Himself hath evidently so appointed in the Law and the Prophets, saying, Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and thy days shall be long in the land
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 31.5
… Thou hast given an answer then, but thou hast not solved the “All men are liars.” Make answer to him to this too, that he may not fancy that he has said anything to persuade to lying, in bringing a testimony out of the Law; so urging thee out of the Law against the Law. For it is written in the Law, “Thou shalt not bear false witness;”
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St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 46.1
… Truly God’s laws would groan aloud on seeing so great a pollution on the earth. They have pronounced their prohibition of old “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife”;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 82.20
… for I do not think that he speaks here of circumcision merely, or of the sacrifices then offered by our fathers, but now not offered by Christians, and other observances of the same nature. I rather hold that he includes also that precept of the law, “Thou shalt not covet,”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.15
… As Moses says in Deuteronomy, “These are all the words which the Lord spake to the whole assembly of the sons of Israel on the mount, and He added no more; and He wrote them on two tables of stone, and gave them to me.”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.16.4
4. And therefore does the Scripture say, “These words the Lord spake to all the assembly of the children of Israel in the mount, and He added no more;”
St Hippolytus † AD 235 The Refutation of All Heresies 8.1
… In this manner, the (Docetic) affirms, have been produced three Æons, which are principles from the primal originating cause of the universe. And Moses has not been silent on this point, when he says, that there are three words of God, “darkness, gloom, tempest, and added no more.”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.20.6
… which, as I have already said, was declared figuratively by the prophets, that God should be seen by men who bear His Spirit [in them], and do always wait patiently for His coming. As also Moses says in Deuteronomy, “We shall see in that day that God will talk to man, and he shall live.”
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St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 12.13
… The Lord came down in fire on Mount Sinai, and the people could not bear it, but said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; and let not God speak to us, lest we die : and again, For who is there of all flesh that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, and shall live
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 An Exhortation to Theodore After His Fall 1
… “Who will grant unto them to have such an heart as to fear me, and to keep my commandments all their days, that it may be well with them and with their children forever?”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 18
… For you cannot even say this. For how should God have demanded this of you, when this would just throw His grace into the shade? And this he said out of a wish to show that He was most desirous that they might be saved. (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 64
… For the, “Adam, where art thou?” ( Gen. iii. 9 ), and, “That I may know whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it” ( Gen. xviii. 21 ); and, “Now I know that thou fearest God” ( Gen. xxii. 12 ); and, “If they will hear” ( Ezek. iii. 11 ); and, “If they will understand” (
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 6.64
… For not one of us asserts that “God partakes of form or colour.” Nor does He even partake of “motion,” because He stands firm, and His nature is permanent, and He invites the righteous man also to do the same, saying: “But as for thee, stand thou here by Me.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 12.32
… were standing where Jesus was, having the footsteps of the soul firmly planted with Jesus, and the standing of their feet was akin to the standing of which Moses said in the passage, “And I stood on the mountain forty days and forty nights,” who was deemed worthy to have it said to him by God who asked him to stand by Him, “But stand thou here with Me.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose 63.24
… The Apostle has taught us what it is “to stand,” that is what was said to Moses: “The place whereon thou standest is holy ground;” for no one stands unless he stand by faith, unless he stands fixed in the determination of his own heart. In another place also we read: “But do thou stand here with Me.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 122.4
… but that after a time your feet sank beneath you as if resting on water and indeed—to speak plainly—gave way altogether. For her part she heard the Lord saying to her as to Moses: “as for thee stand thou here by me;”
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Verse 3. NOT WITH OUR FATHERS DID HE MAKE A COVENANT, — understand only, as if to say, God made a covenant not only with our fathers on Sinai, but also with us. It is similar to Genesis xxxii, 28, and elsewhere. Secondly and more simply, as if to say, God on Sinai made a covenant not with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the other fathers, who died in Egypt or before; but with us ourselves, who are living. For, as St. Augustine notes, many of those present remained and were present who had heard the law as children at Horeb, namely those who had not yet reached the twentieth year, and therefore were neither numbered nor comprehended in the penalty of the murmurers, of which in Numbers chapter xiv, 29, whom Moses calls all. The Hebrew has greater emphasis; for thus it reads, not with our fathers did Jehova make this covenant, because with us, with us these here today, all of us living.
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Verse 4. FACE TO FACE HE SPOKE TO US. — Not as if you had seen his form or appearance: for this he denied in chapter iv, 12; but "face to face," that is openly, without an intermediary. For the Decalogue from verse 6 to 22, an angel proclaimed in the place of God from Sinai, before all the people; but the other precepts, judicial and ceremonial, the Hebrews received through the intermediary of Moses, as follows, who ascended alone into the mountain, while the people, terrified by the fear of fire and the voice of the angel, and fleeing from the mountain, by the command of God returned to their camps and tents, as is said in verses 30 and 31.
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Verse 5. I was the mediator and the middle. — Moses therefore was mediator between God and the people, as the Apostle says to the Galatians iii, 19: why therefore should the Saints not be called mediators?
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Verse 6. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. — In Hebrew, out of the house of servants, namely out of a workhouse, that is out of Egypt, where thou didst serve the hardest bondage. Note, for Lord, in Hebrew is the name of the tetragrammaton Jehova, which is proper to the divine essence, which is the source of all creation. Again, for God, in Hebrew is Elohim, which signifies God as judge and governor of all; Elohim therefore inculcates to the Hebrews the majesty, wisdom, dominion and supreme power of God the legislator.
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Verse 7. THOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS IN MY SIGHT. — There are no truly strange gods, but there is one true God, who, since He is common to all, cannot be strange to anyone. They are called strange gods, therefore, not because they truly are such, but because foreigners, namely nations alienated from the true God, hold and worship them as gods; whence in Hebrew it is: Thou shalt not have unto thee other gods, that is, gods, other. He forbids therefore that any other god be held; but He commands that they alone acknowledge and worship the one and only God, both by the internal sense and affection of the mind, and by external adoration and sacrifice. In my sight, — before me; the Septuagint and the Chaldean render, besides me, as if to say, Do not worship idols while I am seeing, and even contemplating your most hidden things; do not think that you can escape my eyes. It could secondly be taken, before me, for in opposition to me, as if to say, Do not set other gods against me. Whether the sculptile belongs first, or to the second precept? The Jews here establish the first and complete the precept of the Decalogue, so that the second is: "Thou shalt not make to thyself a sculptile." On the contrary, that "thou shalt not make to thyself a sculptile" is not the second, but pertains to the first precept, Clement of Alexandria, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and commonly the Scholastics teach. And this is far more true and fitting. First, because these two, namely: "Thou shalt not have strange gods," and "thou shalt not make to thyself a sculptile," aim at the same thing. Second, because otherwise there will be not ten, but eleven precepts of the Decalogue; for the two last, which the Jews join together, must be separated. For they differ so much: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife;" and: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods." You will say: Rom. vii, 8, these two precepts are cited as one, namely: "Thou shalt not covet." I answer, the Apostle did not care to describe them distinctly, because he only intended to prove that not only external work, but also internal concupiscence, is forbidden by the law of God.
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8. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing. — The preceding verse forbade other gods in general; here he forbids images of gods in particular; for the nations worshipped their gods chiefly by means of these. God therefore forbids here both the making and the worship of images of gods: for both are wicked. Note first: The Hebrew pesel signifies a graven thing, from the root pasal, that is, to carve, to hew. For images were generally accustomed to be carved or hewn into statues: yet under graven thing understand also cast, molten, turned on a lathe, etc. Note second: For graven thing the Septuagint, in Exodus chapter xx, 4, renders idol; for throughout Scripture by graven things are understood idols. Moreover, although Origen and Theodoret take idol here more strictly, yet we shall better take it according to its common signification, so that it be an image of a false and fictitious god. Note third: An idol among the Greeks was any empty and false image; whence by Virgil they are called Thin lives without body, and: Hollow beneath the semblance of form. For eidolon is a diminutive from eidos, as if you were to say: Form, small image, shadowy appearance. Hence Holy Scripture and ecclesiastical writers have restricted the name of idol to an image of one who is held to be God, but is not truly God. This is evident from I Corinthians viii, 4: "We know that an idol is nothing in the world." And Esther chapter xiv, 11: "Deliver not thy sceptre to them that are not." Whence Hebrew Scripture commonly calls idols tohu, that is, empty; elilim, that is, vain; scheker, that is, falsehood; lo ioilu, that is, they that have not profited. Wherefore Henry Stephanus and John Scapula are deceived and deceive in their lexicons, while they assert that idol among ecclesiastical writers is called any image whatsoever. For not every image is an idol, but only the image of a false deity.
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9. Thou shalt not adore them (by kneeling and prostrating thyself before them, and by invoking them), AND THOU SHALT NOT SERVE THEM, — by oblations, festivals, and especially by sacrifices. In Hebrew it is, thou shalt not serve them, namely with latria, as the Septuagint explains. FOR I AM THE LORD THY GOD, A JEALOUS GOD, — or zealous, as the Septuagint translates it. This zeal of God, says St. Augustine in Against Adimantus, chapter xi, signifies not torment of mind, but a most tranquil and most sincere justice. Secondly, this zeal declares the charity of God, says Theodoret. (1) Qana, zealous, is said of a husband who cannot endure a rival: thus God cannot bear a partner in worship. VISITING THE INIQUITY (the punishment of iniquity) OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN, UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION, TO THEM THAT HATE ME. — Some understand this of the iniquity of parents alone. But this is rare: wherefore commonly the Fathers understand this passage of children who imitate the sins of their parents. Thus St. Jerome in Ezechiel xviii, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, Chrysostom. Therefore to them that hate me is to be referred both to the children and to the parents. The sense therefore is, as if to say, I am God so severely just that I avenge the sins of parents upon the children who imitate them. For God is wont not to rush immediately to avenge sins, but to wait until men have filled up the measure of sins defined by Him. Hence those words: "The iniquities of the Amorrhites are not yet full," Genesis xv, 16. "And you fill up the measure of your fathers," Matthew xxiii, 32. Thou wilt say: In Ezechiel xviii, 3, the Lord retracts this complaint and parable of the Jews: "The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge." I answer: The Lord speaks there of innocent children. UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION, — as far as the life and memory of the sins of fathers is wont to extend. St. Athanasius notes here that it is signified that the clemency of God is greater than His justice. Plutarch relates in the Apophthegms of the Romans that Artaxerxes, the son of Xerxes, had his right hand longer than his left, and from this was called Longimanus. Much more is God Longimanus for doing good, Brevimanus for punishing, Nullimanus for receiving. Yet secondly, this definite number could be understood for an indefinite one: "Unto the third and fourth generation," that is unto many generations. For the number three, on account of the mystery of the Holy Trinity, Scripture willingly uses. Hence that passage in Isaiah xl, 12: "Who hath weighed the mountains in three fingers." Ecclesiastes iv, 12: "A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Tropologically, says St. Jerome in chapter xviii of Ezechiel, the father is the incentive of vice, the son is sin, the grandson is the deed perpetrated, the great-grandson is to glory in sin; which two last God is wont especially to punish.
Concerning Sacred Images From what has been said, the ignorance of our heretics is evident, while they assert that all images whatsoever are here forbidden by the law of nature. But this is refuted in the same manner: for first, an image of the true God is not an idol. Secondly, here only the worship of other gods is forbidden, as is clear from what precedes and follows; for it preceded: "Thou shalt not have strange gods;" and it follows: "Thou shalt not adore them, nor serve them." Therefore the graven thing which is here forbidden to be made is a graven thing or image of strange gods. Whence Moses, verse 23, says: "Thou shalt not make gods of silver, nor gods of gold." Thirdly, it is certain that God did not forbid all graven work, or the art of sculpture, inasmuch as He himself adorned Ooliab and Beseleel with it, and commanded it to be used for fashioning the Cherubim. If therefore He forbade only some determined kind of graven thing, thus let us understand it: "Thou shalt not make thee a graven thing," that is, graven images of strange gods. Fourthly, God presented to the eyes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Moses and others a corporeal and sensible image of Himself: therefore He did not forbid it, as though it were unlawful by the law of nature. Calvin responds that it was only a temporal symbol of God. But this evasion is empty: for the law of the Decalogue is eternal and perpetual. Calvin objects that by this precept at least concomitantly all superstition is forbidden. I respond, and from this I form a fifth argument: an image of God is not an injury, nor dishonorable to God; therefore it is not forbidden by the law of nature. I prove the antecedent: first, because no injury is done to angels, even if they are the purest spirits, if they are painted. Hence secondly, I prove the same from a similar case: for it is no injury to God that Holy Scripture attributes to God ears, nostrils, eyes, hands, feet and other members. Nay, God has deigned not only to descend to human words, but also to the very human form itself, when the Word was made flesh and admitted His image. Why therefore should it not be lawful to preserve and venerate the memory of God made man by an image? Calvin objects secondly, from Isaiah xl, 25: "To whom," he says, "have you likened me?" I respond: The sense is, as if to say, Why have you made idols, why have you made false likenesses your God? But this was a great injury to God, namely to equate Him with statues of stone and bronze. It is asked here further, granted that an image of God is not forbidden by the law of nature, is it at least not forbidden to the Jews here by the positive law of God? Gabriel Vasquez affirms this. This opinion is favored by Origen, Tertullian, Alexander of Hales, Albert, Bonaventure and others. But it is more true that here not all images are forbidden, but only superstitious and idolatrous ones: thus teach Damascene, Bede, St. Thomas, Burgensis, Cajetan. It is proved first, from the fact that the Septuagint calls this graven thing an idol. Secondly, Solomon made very large Cherubim. Thirdly, the word "to thee" signifies the same thing. Fourthly, otherwise the Jews could not have had spheres and astronomical globes. Again, at that time, by a law not positive but natural, it was forbidden to the Jews not to set forth publicly to the whole people an image of God, on account of the evident danger of idolatry. You will say, in chapter iv, 15, it is said: "You saw not any similitude." I respond: God here does not properly enact a precept concerning not making an image, but only relates that He did not appear to you on Sinai through any visible form. The substance therefore of the precept is: "You shall not make a graven thing, that is, an idol;" but the end is, "that you may not worship, nor adore it." Two things therefore are forbidden by this precept: first, not to make an idol; secondly, not to adore it. NOR THE LIKENESS OF ALL THINGS THAT ARE IN HEAVEN ABOVE. — Here he explains graven thing, as is clear from the Hebrew, namely that it is an idol, or likeness of a deity. AND THAT ARE IN THE WATERS UNDER THE EARTH. — For the sea is not higher than the earth, but lower and more depressed: whence Psalm xxiii, 2, it is said: "For He hath founded it upon the seas."
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Verse 10. AND SHOWING MERCY UNTO MANY THOUSANDS, TO THEM THAT LOVE ME. — In Hebrew and Chaldaic, unto a thousand, that is, unto very many generations. Behold how mindful divine goodness is of our piety and obedience. Symbolically, note here that the thousand is a symbol of God and of His infinity, and of infinite mercy. For the thousand is the cube of ten, and the end of all numbers. Thus God is the cube and end of all things, and through mercy He strives to bring all back to Himself.
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11. THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN, — namely, to no purpose. But we have already heard this forbidden in the first commandment; here the sense of this precept is not the same. Secondly, St. Thomas, II II, Question cxxii, article 3, holds that this second precept properly forbids only perjury. Thirdly and most rightly, Theodoret and the Doctors everywhere hold that here not only perjury, but every irreverence and abuse of the divine name is forbidden. Note: By the name of God, here is understood not only the tetragrammaton Jehovah, but also all other names of God; indeed Abulensis proves that this precept is to be understood especially of the name Jesus. For the moral exaggeration of this precept, see St. Thomas in Opuscule VII. The perjurer therefore does injury to God, to himself, and to all men: first to God; secondly to himself, because he binds himself to the judgment of God; thirdly, he injures other men, for no society among any can endure unless they believe one another, and "every controversy is ended by an oath," Hebrews vi, 16. BECAUSE HE SHALL NOT BE UNPUNISHED THAT SHALL TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN. — For unpunished, Exodus xx, 7, has innocent; but innocent there is taken for unpunished, by metonymy. It is a litotes, which is frequent among the Hebrews. Note: God appoints a penalty to this second precept, equally as to the first. Thus God punished Israel with a famine of three years on account of the perjury of Saul. Thus on account of the perjury of King Zedekiah, Jerusalem and all Judaea were destroyed.
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12. OBSERVE THE SABBATH DAY, THAT THOU MAYEST SANCTIFY IT. — Here, as also in Exodus xx, a perfect precept concerning the observance of the sabbath is given. Note: This precept, insofar as it commands that some day and time be given to the public and external worship of God, is moral and natural; but insofar as it determines the seventh day or sabbath for this purpose, it is ceremonial, and therefore already abolished in the new law. Thus St. Thomas, II II, Question cxxii, article 4. Note secondly: The Sabbath, that is the rest of God, was a sacrament and the legal cause of this feast. Tropologically it was a type of our sabbath, in which we ought to cease from sins. Anagogically the sabbath was a type of eternal rest in heaven, as St. Paul teaches in Hebrews iv, 3, for, as St. John says, Apocalypse xiv, 13: "Now saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours." That thou mayest sanctify it, — that is to say, Observe and celebrate the sabbath as if it were holy. This sanctification of the sabbath was nothing other than abstention from all work. You will ask, what was the origin of the sabbath? The first cause was that men might consider the work of creation. The second, that the Hebrews might celebrate the memory of Egyptian servitude. The third, that the sabbath might be a sign of divine election. Hence Ovid: And the seventh day sacred to the Jewish man is worshipped. The fourth, that rest might be given to servants and animals. The symbolic cause is: because the number seven is mystical. Philo gives the arithmetical reason: The number seven, he says, alone within the ten, neither begets nor is begotten. St. Jerome gives the physical congruence: Galen teaches that the most burning fevers are resolved on the seventh day. Cicero says that seven is the knot and fullness of all things. Hence Philo says that by six is signified the mortal; but by seven the blessed and immortal. Note: The sabbath was the greatest solemnity before all other feasts. Josephus writes that in Judaea there is a river which flows for six days, and ceases to flow on the seventh, and therefore it is called the Sabbatic river. Concerning the change of the sabbath to the Lord's Day, see St. Thomas in Opuscule VII. Hence in the Fourth Council of Carthage those are excommunicated who, on a solemn day, neglecting the assembly of the Church, go to spectacles. Therefore the faithful sin who, after hearing Mass, spend the whole day at cards or dice. Against them thunders Malachi ii: "Behold I will scatter upon your face the dung of your solemnities." And Isaiah i: "Your solemnities my soul hateth." Furthermore, Isaiah describes the fruits and rewards of those who keep the feasts in chapter lviii: "If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, then shalt thou delight in the Lord." But those who violate the feasts are punished in body, in goods, and are deprived of spiritual goods. Hear Jeremiah, chapter xvii: "If you will not hear me, I will kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem." Hear Ezekiel, xx: "They violated my sabbaths."
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14. THOU SHALT NOT DO ANY WORK THEREIN, — understand servile work, as is expressed in the similar passage Leviticus xxiii, 28. For, as Tertullian says: "The work of salvation is not the work of man, but of God." Much less is spiritual work forbidden here. The Jews superstitiously observed the sabbath. That saying about a Jew in England is well known, who, falling into a pit on the sabbath and unwilling to be drawn out, was forced by a Christian judge to remain in it, and on the Lord's Day to remain in the same: I keep the holy sabbaths, I will not rise from the filth; the judge replied: Our sabbaths indeed, Solomon, thou shalt celebrate therein. Indeed the Maccabees were unwilling to fight on the sabbath. And the stranger that is within thy gates. — that is to say, A merchant, or any other foreigner, when he is with thee, shall not violate the public feast of the place. Thus Cajetan.
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16. HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER. — "Honor" first, by loving; second, by showing reverence; third, by obeying; fourth, by helping. Pliny relates a memorable example of piety toward parents in book VII, chapter xxxvi. Also noteworthy is what Egnatius narrates concerning Cardinal Grimano. THAT THOU MAYEST LIVE A LONG TIME UPON THE EARTH. — Whence in Ephesians vi, this commandment is said to be the first in a promise. See St. Thomas in Opuscule VII. He brings forth from Cassiodorus and St. Ambrose an example of storks. Abuensis notes that he who honors his parents, although he may die quickly, nevertheless lived long because time is the measure of actions; whence in Wisdom iv: "Being made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled a long time."
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17. Thou shalt not kill. — He forbids here the killing of a man, not of a beast or plant. For the word ratsach, that is, he killed, belongs to man alone; whence meratsechim are called murderers. God therefore forbids here the unjust killing of a man, likewise blows, quarrels and anger. See St. Thomas in Opuscule VII. Philo notes, in the book On the Decalogue, that God in the assembly and gathering of so many thousands of Hebrews addressed each one individually, not all together; for he says: Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery (in the singular). And this first, that he might teach each one that he is honored equally with the people; second, that each might become more obedient; third, that God might show how much he valued each one.
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18. NEITHER SHALT THOU COMMIT ADULTERY. — God forbids here all carnal union outside of matrimony. On the more obvious part, namely adultery, he wished the whole kind of lust to be understood. Thus St. Augustine, Questions lxxi. St. Thomas notes that the adulterer violates: first, the law of nature; second, the ordinance of God; third, the Sacrament of matrimony; fourth, he is a traitor; fifth, he is a thief.
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19. NEITHER SHALT THOU STEAL. — In like manner all illicit usurpation of another's property is forbidden here, says St. Augustine.
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20. NEITHER SHALT THOU BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR. — From the principal crime of false witness, understand also the other lesser crimes related to it. Thus St. Thomas, II II, Question cxxii, article 6. Hear how great a sin detraction is. First, from Holy Scripture: "If a serpent bite in silence, he is no less to be blamed that secretly detracts." "A detractor is an abomination to men." "Detractors are hateful to God." Second, from the Doctors who teach that detraction is a graver sin than theft: for it takes away reputation, which is more excellent than gold. St. Bernard says that a detracting tongue is a viper and a three-pronged lance.
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21. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. — Note: Concupiscence is forbidden by a special precept, because many thought that the sixth and seventh precepts forbade only the external act. For concupiscence in itself instills the poison of its malice into the external act, and these words properly signify it: "Thou shalt not covet." Heretics, Luther and Calvin, think that concupiscence remaining from original sin is forbidden here. But that this is false, and that only voluntary concupiscence is forbidden here, is shown in Romans vii, 7. Neither his house, nor his field. — After concupiscence of the wife forbidden by the ninth precept, this tenth precept forbids concupiscence of another's property. Morally St. Thomas, Opuscule VII: "Concupiscence is forbidden, first, on account of the infinity of concupiscence. The covetous man shall not be filled with money. Second, because it takes away peace. The satiety of the rich does not allow him to sleep. Third, because it causes uselessness. Fourth, because it destroys the equity of justice. Fifth, because it kills charity. Sixth, because it produces all iniquity: for it is the root of all evils." "But it is overcome in four ways: first, by fleeing external occasions. Second, by not giving access to thoughts. Third, by persisting in prayers. Fourth, by persisting in lawful occupations. St. Jerome: Always do something good, that the devil may find thee occupied. Jerome to Paulinus: Love the knowledge of the Scriptures, and thou wilt not love the vices of the flesh." These therefore are the ten precepts, by which, says St. Augustine, as by ten strings, ten beasts, that is, vices, are overcome; thou touchest the first string, the beast of superstition falls; thou touchest the second, the beast of perjury falls; thou touchest the third, the beast of love of the world falls; thou touchest the fourth, the beast of impiety falls; thou touchest the fifth, the beast of cruelty falls; thou touchest the sixth, the beast of lust falls; thou touchest the seventh, the beast of rapacity falls; thou touchest the eighth, the beast of falsehood falls; thou touchest the ninth, the beast of adulterous thought falls; thou touchest the tenth, the beast of covetousness falls.
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26. WHAT IS ALL FLESH, THAT IT SHOULD HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD LIVING, etc., AND BE ABLE TO LIVE? — As if to say: All man is nothing, that he should be able to bear so terrible a presence and voice of God. Thus Daniel, chapter x, says: "O Lord, at thy vision my joints were loosed." For under that old law, which was a law of fear, God showed himself even to the Saints as terrible. Hence the parents of Samson thought they would die, Judges chapter xiii, verse 22.
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31. But thou shalt stand here with me. — For Moses, when God proclaimed the Decalogue, stood somewhat removed from the people, on the ascent of Mount Sinai: thence he was commanded by God to descend; which done, he ascended again to the summit of Sinai, and remaining there forty days, heard from God other precepts. 32. THOU SHALT NOT DECLINE, NEITHER TO THE RIGHT HAND, NOR TO THE LEFT: — because the keeping of the laws is and is called the way to God, heaven and blessedness.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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a nation (Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:6-22). The D., the essence of the covenant, is still the essence of ancient Yahwism, the magna charta of the chosen nation. …
… Thou shalt not have strange gods before me" (Ex. 20:2-6; Deut. 5:6-10), reconfirmed in the Gospel: "The first of all is: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; therefore love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy …
Moses (Mōšeh, Μω[θ]σῆς, Vulg. MoySES, Ancient Latin Moses)
The attempts to remove his figure from the Egyptian framework (how else would the name M. be explained, and more generally the Egyptian names Hur, Ophni, Phinees, Phutiel, etc., and all the reminiscences, such as Ex. 20:2; Lev. 19:34; 25:42; 26:45; Num. 15:41; Deut. 5:6, 15, etc.?) and the Sinaitic framework, in which biblical tradition places him, have been recognized even by non-Catholic critics as contrary to historical evidence (C. P. Tiele-N. …
The text has several readings that diverge from the Decalogue of the Masoretic text, both of Ex. 20:2-17 and of Deut. 5:6-18 (it inverts, for example, the order of the commandments: "Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery!"). …
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III. MALIZIA. - Every i. [idolatry] that does not derive from invincible ignorance is a grave sin. In the Old Testament it was forbidden by the first precept of the Decalogue and punished with the severest penalties (Deut. 5:7-9; 7:25-26, etc.). …
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I. ORIGIN, FOUNDATION, VALUE AND JUSTIFICATION. - The precept is included in the Decalogue: "Remember the day of rest, to keep it holy" (Ex. 20, 8-11; cf. Deut. 5, 12-15).
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… But at bottom the religious concept always predominates, that of a kind of offering which the people made to God (cf. Ex. 16:23; 20:10; Lev. 23:3; Deut. 5:14).
5:16
Consanguinity (Lat. Consanguinitas; Greek Ὀμειμότης = Being of the Same Blood)
In the first place, the fourth precept of the Decalogue: Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16, etc.). …
… The natural instinct, which places the relations between parents and children on a plane of mutual affection, is sublimated by the positive divine precept that enjoins: "Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long-lived upon the earth which the Lord thy God will give thee" (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:2-3). This commandment lays the foundations of the well-being of the family, which is an august institution of God.
5:17
… It is the summary norm given as the 5th in the Decalogue ([v.] Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17). This norm agrees with the conscience innate in man, and God limited himself to recalling a rule already common, as is attested in the murder of Abel (Gen. 4:8-16). If there was …
5:20
Horeb (Hebrew Hōrēb, «Drought», «Desolation»)
… divine 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 …
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.