No league nor fellowship to be made with the Chanaanites: God promiseth his people his blessing and assistance, if they keep his commandments.
No league nor felowship to be had with the Gentiles: 5. but their altares, groues, and al their idoles to be destroyed. 17. God promiseth victories to his people, willing them to trust in him, and serue him.
1When the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations before thee, the Hethite, and the Gergezite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous than thou art, and stronger than thou:Quando il Signore Dio tuo ti avrà introdotto nella terra, di cui entrerai in possesso, e avrà disperse innanzi a te varie genti, l'Hetheo, e il Gergezeo, e l'Amorrheo, il Cananeo, e il Pherezeo, e l'Heveo, e il Jebuseo, sette nazioni molto più numerose e possenti che tu non sei:VVHEN the Lord thy God shal haue brought thee into the land, which thou doest enter in to possesse, and shal haue destroyed manie Nations before thee, the Hetheite, and the Gergezeite, and the Amorrheite, and the Chananeite, and the Pherezeite, and the Heueite, and the Iebuseite, seuen nations of much greater number then thou art, and stronger then thou:Cum introduxerit te Dominus Deus tuus in terram, quam possessurus ingredieris, et deleverit gentes multas coram te, Hethæum, et Gergezæum, et Amorrhæum, Chananæum, et Pherezæum, et Hevæum, et Jebusæum, septem gentes multo majoris numeri quam tu es, et robustiores te: 2And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:E quando il Signore Dio tuo le avrà date in tuo potere, le sterminerai interamente. Non farai con esse alleanza, né userai con esse misericordia.and the Lord thy God shal haue deliuered them to thee, thou shalt strike them vnto vtter destruction. Thou shalt not make league with them, nor pitie them,tradideritque eas Dominus Deus tuus tibi, percuties eas usque ad internecionem. Non inibis cum eis fœdus, nec misereberis earum, 3Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son:E non contrarrai matrimonii con loro. Non darai la tua figliuola a un uomo di quella stirpe, né prenderai la figliuola di lui pel tuo figliuolo:nor make mariages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not geue to his sonne, nor take his daughter for thy sonne:neque sociabis cum eis conjugia. Filiam tuam non dabis filio ejus, nec filiam illius accipies filio tuo: 4For she will turn away thy son from following me, that he may rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee.Perocché ella sedurrebbe il tuo figliuolo, e lo alienerebbe da me per farlo anzi servire a' dii stranieri: e si accenderebbe il furor del Signore, e ben presto ti sterminerebbe.for he wil seduce thy sonne, that he folow not me, and that he rather serue strange goddes, and the furie of our Lord wil be wrath, and shal quickly destroy thee.quia seducet filium tuum, ne sequatur me, et ut magis serviat diis alienis: irasceturque furor Domini, et delebit te cito.
5But thus rather shall you deal with them: Destroy their altars, and break their statues, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven things.Ma piuttosto fate loro così: Gettate a terra i loro altari, e spezzate le statue, e tagliate i boschetti, e date alle fiamme i simulacri,But these thinges rather you shal doe to them: Ouerthrow their altares, and breake their statuees, and cutte downe their groues, and burne their sculptiles.Quin potius hæc facietis eis: aras eorum subvertite, et confringite statuas, lucosque succidite, et sculptilia comburite: 6Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are upon the earth.Perché tu se' un popolo consacrato al Signore Dio tuo. Ti elesse il Signore Dio tuo per essere popolo di sua proprietà tra tutti i popoli, che son sulla terra.Because thou art a holie people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of al peoples, that are vpon the earth.quia populus sanctus es Domino Deo tuo. Te elegit Dominus Deus tuus, ut sis ei populus peculiaris de cunctis populis, qui sunt super terram. 7Not because you surpass all nations in number, is the Lord joined unto you, and hath chosen you, for you are the fewest of any people:Non perché voi superaste in numero ogni altra gente, si è unito a voi il Signore, e vi ha eletti, mentre siete inferiori di numero a tutti i popoli:Not because you passed al nations in number, is our Lord ioyned vnto you, and hath chosen you, wheras you are fewer then al peoples:Non quia cunctas gentes numero vincebatis, vobis junctus est Dominus, et elegit vos, cum omnibus sitis populis pauciores: 8But because the Lord hath loved you, and hath kept his oath, which he swore to your fathers: and hath brought you out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao the king of Egypt.Ma perché egli vi ha amati, e ha mantenuto il giuramento fatto a' padri vostri, per questo vi trasse con man possente, e vi riscattò dalla casa di schiavitù, dalle mani di Faraone re dell'Egitto.but because our Lord hath loued you, and hath kept the oath, which he sware to your fathers: and hath brought you forth in a strong hand, and redemed you from the house of seruitude, out of the hand of Pharao the king of Aegypt.sed quia dilexit vos Dominus, et custodivit juramentum, quod juravit patribus vestris: eduxitque vos in manu forti, et redemit de domo servitutis, de manu Pharaonis regis Ægypti.
9And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:E tu conoscerai, come il Signore Dio tuo egli è un Dio forte, e fedele, che mantiene il patto, e la misericordia con quei che lo amano, e osservano i suoi precetti, per mille generazioni:And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faith ful God, keping his couenant and mercie to them that loue him, and to them that keepe his preceptes, vnto a thousand generations:Et scies, quia Dominus Deus tuus, ipse est Deus fortis et fidelis, custodiens pactum et misericordiam diligentibus se, et his qui custodiunt præcepta ejus in mille generationes: 10And repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to destroy them, without further delay immediately rendering to them what they deserve.E rende tosto la loro mercede a coloro, che l'odiano, onde gli sperde, e non differisce più oltre, pagando loro immediatamente quel che han meritato.and rendring forthwith to them that hate him, so that he destroyeth them, and differreth no longer, immediatly rendering to them that they deserue.et reddens odientibus se statim, ita ut disperdat eos, et ultra non differat, protinus eis restituens quod merentur. 11Keep therefore the precepts and ceremonies and judgments, which I command thee this day to do.Osserva adunque i precetti, e le cerimonie, e le leggi, che io oggi ti ordino di osservare.Keepe therfore the preceptes and ceremonies and iudgementes, which I command thee this day to doe them.Custodi ergo præcepta et cæremonias atque judicia, quæ ego mando tibi hodie ut facias. 12If after thou hast heard these judgments, thou keep and do them, the Lord thy God will also keep his covenant to thee, and the mercy which he swore to thy fathers:Se dopo di avere udite queste leggi, le manterrai, e le metterai in esecuzione, manterrà a te parimente il Signore Dio tuo il patto, e la misericordia promessa con giuramento a' padri tuoi.If after thou hast heard these iudgementes, thou keepe and doe them, the Lord also thy God wil keepe the couenant vnto thee, and the mercie which he sware to thy fathers:Si postquam audieris hæc judicia, custodieris ea, et feceris, custodiet et Dominus Deus tuus pactum tibi, et misericordiam quam juravit patribus tuis: 13And he will love thee and multiply thee, and will bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy vintage, thy oil, and thy herds, and the flocks of thy sheep upon the land, for which he swore to thy fathers that he would give it thee.Ed egli ti amerà, e ti moltiplicherà, e benedirà il frutto del tuo seno, e i frutti della tua terra, il tuo frumento, e la tua vendemmia, e l'olio, e gli armenti, e i greggi delle tue pecore nella terra, la quale egli giurò ai padri tuoi di dare a te.and he wil loue and multiplie thee, and wil blesse the fruite of thy wombe, and the fruite of thy land, thy corne, and vintage, oile, and heardes, the flockes of thy sheepe vpon the Land, for the which he sware to thy fathers that he would geue it thee.et diliget te, ac multiplicabit, benedicetque fructui ventris tui, et fructui terræ tuæ, frumento tuo, atque vindemiæ, oleo, et armentis, gregibus ovium tuarum super terram, pro qua juravit patribus tuis ut daret eam tibi.
14Blessed shalt thou be among all people. No one shall be barren among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle.Sarai benedetto tra tutti i popoli. Non vi avrà chi sia sterile in casa tua dell'un sesso, o dell'altro né tra gli uomini, né tra gli animali.Blessed shalt thou be among al peoples. There shal be none barren with thee of neither sexe, as wel in men as in thy flockes.Benedictus eris inter omnes populos. Non erit apud te sterilis utriusque sexus, tam in hominibus quam in gregibus tuis. 15The Lord will take away from thee all sickness: and the grievous infirmities of Egypt, which thou knowest, he will not bring upon thee, but upon thy enemies.Manderà lungi da te il Signore tutti i malori; e non sopra di te, ma sopra de' tuoi nemici farà cadere que' flagelli pessimi dell'Egitto, che sono a te noti.Our Lord wil take away from thee al disease: and the sore infirmities of Aegypt, which thou knowest, he wil not bring vpon thee, but vpon al thyne enemies.Auferet Dominus a te omnem languorem: et infirmitates Ægypti pessimas, quas novisti, non inferet tibi, sed cunctis hostibus tuis. 16Thou shalt consume all the people, which the Lord thy God will deliver to thee. Thy eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve their gods, lest they be thy ruin.Tu divorerai tutti i popoli, i quali dal Signore Dio tuo saran dati in tuo potere. Non s'impietosisca sopra di essi il tuo occhio, e guardati di servire agli dii loro, che non sieno a te di rovina.Thou shalt deuoure al the peoples, which the Lord thy God wil gene thee. Thyn eye shal not spare them, neither shalt thou serue their goddes, lest they be the ruine of thee.Devorabis omnes populos, quos Dominus Deus tuus daturus est tibi. Non parcet eis oculus tuus, nec servies diis eorum, ne sint in ruinam tui. 17If thou say in thy heart: These nations are more than I, how shall I be able to destroy them?Se tu dirai in cuor tuo: Queste genti sono in maggior numero, che non son io, come potrò io sterminarle?If thou say in thy hart: These nations are moe then I, how shal I be able to destroy them?Si dixeris in corde tuo: Plures sunt gentes istæ quam ego: quomodo potero delere eas ? 18Fear not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians,Non temere, ma ricordati di quello che fece a Faraone, e a tutti gli Egiziani il Signore Dio tuo,Feare not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to al the Aegyptians,noli metuere, sed recordare quæ fecerit Dominus Deus tuus Pharaoni, et cunctis Ægyptiis, 19The exceeding great plagues, which thy eyes saw, and the signs and wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched out arm, with which the Lord thy God brought thee out: so will he do to all the people, whom thou fearest.(Ricordati) delle piaghe grandissime, che tu vedesti cogli occhi tuoi, e dei segni, e de' prodigii, e della mano forte, e del braccio, che stese per liberarti il Signore Dio tuo: il simile farà egli a tutti i popoli, dei quali tu hai timore.the exceding great plagues, which thyne eies saw, and the signes and wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched out arme, that the Lord thy God might bring thee forth: so wil he doe to al peoples, whom thou fearest.plagas maximas, quas viderunt oculi tui, et signa atque portenta, manumque robustam, et extentum brachium, ut educeret te Dominus Deus tuus: sic faciet cunctis populis, quos metuis.
20Moreover the Lord thy God will send also hornets among them, until he destroy and consume all that have escaped thee, and could hide themselves.Oltre a ciò il Signore Dio tuo spedirà contro di essi i calabroni, sino a tanto che abbia spersi e distrutti quelli che avran potuto nascondersi a te colla fuga.Moreouer hornettes also wil the Lord thy God send vpon them, vntil he destroy and consume al that escaped thee, and can hide them selues.Insuper et crabrones mittet Dominus Deus tuus in eos, donec deleat omnes atque disperdat qui te fugerint, et latere potuerint. 21Thou shalt not fear them, because the Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a God mighty and terrible:Tu non li temerai, perché il Signore Dio tuo è in mezzo a te, il Dio grande e terribile.Thou shalt not feare them, because the Lord thy God is in the middes of thee, a mightie God and terrible:Non timebis eos, quia Dominus Deus tuus in medio tui est, Deus magnus et terribilis: 22He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee.Egli consumerà dinanzi a te queste nazioni a poco a poco, e parte a parte. Tu non potrai sterminarle ad un tratto, affinché non moltiplichino in tuo danno le fiere selvagge.he wil consume these nations in thy sight by litle and litle and by partes. Thou mayest not destroy them al together: lest perhappes the beastes of the earth multiplie against thee.ipse consumet nationes has in conspectu tuo paulatim atque per partes. Non poteris eas delere pariter: ne forte multiplicentur contra te bestiæ terræ. 23But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight: and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.E il Signore Dio tuo le darà in tuo potere, e le andrà uccidendo, fino a che sieno affatto distrutte.And the Lord thy God wil geue them in thy sight: and wil kil them vntil they be vtterly destroyed.Dabitque eos Dominus Deus tuus in conspectu tuo: et interficiet illos, donec penitus deleantur. 24And he shall deliver their kings into thy hands, and thou shalt destroy their names from under Heaven: no man shall be able to resist thee, until thou destroy them.E ti darà nelle mani i suoi regi, e farà si, che dei loro nomi non resti memoria sotto del cielo. Nissuno potrà resistere a te, fino a che tu gli abbia ridotti in polvere.And he wil deliuer their kinges into thy handes, and thou shalt destroy their names vnder heauen: no man shal be able to resist thee, vntil thou destroy them.Tradetque reges eorum in manus tuas, et disperdes nomina eorum sub cælo: nullus poterit resistere tibi, donec conteras eos.
25Their graven things thou shalt burn with fire: thou shalt not covet the silver and gold of which they are made, neither shalt thou take to thee any thing thereof, lest thou offend, because it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.Getterai alle fiamme le loro statue: non desidererai l'argento e l'oro, onde son fatte, e nulla di queste cose ti approprierai per non dare inciampo: perocché sono abominazione del Signore Dio tuo:Their sculptiles thou shalt burne with fyre: thou shalt not couet the siluer and gold, wherof they were made, neither shalt thou take to thee any thing therof, lest thou offend, because it is the abomination of the Lord thy God.Sculptilia eorum igne combures: non concupisces argentum et aurum, de quibus facta sunt, neque assumes ex eis tibi quidquam, ne offendas, propterea quia abominatio est Domini tui: 26Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house, lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest it as dung, and shalt utterly abhor it as uncleanness and filth, because it is an anathema.E nissuna cosa dell'idolo entrerà in tua casa, affinché tu non diventi anatema, come egli pure lo è. Lo detesterai come immondezza, e qual sudiciume e sporcizia, perché egli è un anatema.Neither shalt thou bring in ought of the Idol into thy house, lest thou become anathema, as also that is. As filthines thou shalt detest it, and as vncleannes and filth thou shalt account it abominable, because it is anathema.nec inferes quippiam ex idolo in domum tuam, ne fias anathema, sicut et illud est. Quasi spurcitiam detestaberis, et velut inquinamentum ac sordes abominationi habebis, quia anathema est.
7:1
Year of the World 2553.
Destroyed. So the Vulgate often expresses the Hebrew term, which signifies, "to cast out."
Calmet
Seven. Ten are mentioned, Genesis 15:9; but some of the less powerful nations were either mixed with the others, or were exterminated. The Hevites are omitted in the passage of Genesis, and sometimes no notice is taken of the Gergezite or the Pherezite. The latter had been already conquered by Moses, as well as the Raphaim and Amorrhites, over whom Og and Sehon ruled, chap. 3:5. (Calmet)
7:2
League. Yet Josue 9:3, by mistake, entered into one with the Gabaonites, and observed it; (Haydock) whence we may conclude, that only such leagues are forbidden as would leave these nations in possession of their lands and idols, chap. 20:10., and 23:6. With foreign nations it was lawful to make leagues defensive and offensive, as David, Asa, and the Machabees did with Hiram, Benadad, and the Romans, 3 Kings 15:18, etc. If the Hebrews were so hostile to the nations of Chanaan, it was in execution of God's decree, who had sentenced them to die; and Tacitus hence unjustly inferred, that they hated all but their own nation. See Grotius, Jur. 2:15.
7:3
Marriages. Some believe that it was unlawful to marry the people of Chanaan, if they were even converted, and also those of other nations, as we find that Esdras (1 Esdras 10:2, 12,) ordered such strange wives to be sent away. But the context shews, as well as the practice of most pious Hebrews, that it was only forbidden to marry with those who adhered to their idolatry, ver. 4. Salmon took to wife Rahab, of Jericho; Mahalon and Booz successively married Ruth, the Moabitess, and Moses himself allows the Hebrews to espouse their captives, and to preserve the lives of women and children, (Deuteronomy 20:14.; Deuteronomy 21:11.) (Calmet) See Exodus 34:15.
Hence all the Chanaanites were not necessarily to be slain. The few exceptions did not hinder the rule from being general. See ver. 16., and Numbers 14:23.
7:4
Haydock
Gods. So great is the natural tendency to evil, that though a woman be generally inclined to follow the inclinations and religion of her husband, yet, when his method of living is more repugnant to flesh and blood, she is but too apt to influence him to glide smoothly with her down the hill of pleasure, into the very abyss of dissolution. The prediction, she will turn, etc., is so often verified, that those who marry with unbelievers ought to tremble. (Haydock)
7:5
Calmet
Things. This was to be done with regard to the idols of Chanaan, when it was first conquered, ver. 25. Afterwards David made no scruple in wearing a crown, which had been taken from the spoils of Melchon, the idol of the Ammonites, 1 Paralipomenon 20:2. (Calmet)
7:6
Menochius
Peculiar. Hebrew sogula, laid up like something most precious and desirable. (Menochius)
Calmet
God seemed to have abandoned other nations to the corruption of their own heart. "This was, by a particular mystery, a prophetical nation." (St. Augustine, ep. cii.) (Exodus 19:5.) (Calmet)
Therefore must they destroy every idol in their land, to set a pattern to all other less favoured nations how they ought also to treat them.
7:7
Haydock
Joined. Hebrew, "has set his love upon you." God is the most disinterested lover. (Haydock)
7:9
Calmet
Strong. Hebrew el, means also God. He requires us to imitate his perfections, as much as we are able. Being faithful, he will comply with his covenant exactly, and will punish those who neglect it. (Calmet)
7:10
Calmet
Deserve. Hebrew, "he will repay to his face," or "he will punish immediately the person who hateth him to his face." God does not always defer the correction of the wicked till their death. (Calmet)
Du Hamel
But this seems to be spoken principally of those who have engaged in the covenant, 2 Machabees 6:12. (Du Hamel)
Tirinus
Thus he immediately chastised those who adored the calf, Core, Mary [Miriam], etc., (Menochius) and he does not dissemble the faults even of his chosen servants. (Tirinus)
Calmet
The Chaldean and some Rabbins give another interpretation. "The Lord rewards his enemies for the good works which they perform in this life, reserving their punishment till the life to come. He does not delay to reward what good they do, but he will punish them (for their crimes) in another world." (Calmet)
7:12
Worthington
If. The promises of God to the Hebrews were conditional. (Worthington)
7:13
Menochius
Womb. He will grant thee many children. (Menochius)
Calmet
This was esteemed a very great blessing, at a time when they might hope to give birth to the Messias. (Calmet)
7:14
Tirinus
Cattle. This shews, that no precept to marry is here given, but only a blessing. Even men cannot be commanded not to be barren, as that is not in their own power. It was, however, deemed a mark of some secret transgression when married people had no children. (Vasques.) (Tirinus)
7:15
Menochius
Sickness, sent in punishment of sin, (Haydock) like the plagues of Egypt, Exodus ix. (Menochius)
Brun
Egypt was afflicted with some peculiar disorders, such as the leprosy, called Elephantiasis. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 26:1.) The people were also much troubled with sore eyes, or blindness, and with ulcers upon their legs. (Juvenal, Sat. 13:91.) One-fourth of the inhabitants of Grand Cairo have sore eyes, or are blind. (Brun.)
Calmet
Joinville speaks of the diseases which attacked the army of St. Louis in Egypt, preying chiefly upon the legs and gums, and causing them to putrify. (Calmet)
7:16
Consume. Kill the inhabitants, plunder their effects, (Menochius) destroy their idols.
7:19
Haydock
Plagues. Hebrew, "trials." God manifested by this means the latent dispositions of the Egyptians, while he punished their wickedness at the same time. (Haydock)
7:20
Calmet
Hornets. Abenezra understands the leprosy, which the Hebrew may also signify. But hornets and such like insects are very destructive in hot countries; and Pausanias informs us that the Minsiens were driven out of their country by them. (Calmet)
Butler
God destroyed the army of Sapor II, the Persian king, by sending an army of gnats, at the prayer of St. James of Nisibis, A.D. 350. "Lord, said the saint, thou art able by the weakest means to humble the pride of thy enemies, defeat these multitudes by an army of gnats." (Butler, Lives of the Saints, July 11.)
We may, therefore, explain this text in a literal sense. (Calmet) (Wisdom 12:8., and 16:9., and Josue 24:12.)
7:21
Haydock
Fear. Septuagint, "be wounded." In the war with the Madianites, not one was killed, (Numbers 31:49,) as Josephus ([Antiquities?] 3:2,) informs us, was also the case when king Amalec and his people attacked the Hebrews, Exodus 17:13. The people seem to have expected such a miraculous interference of Providence in their favour; and hence, when 36 were slain at the siege of Hai, all were greatly dejected, Josue 7:5. (Haydock)
7:22
Menochius
Thee. Three millions of people not being sufficient to cultivate the land, Exodus 23:29. (Menochius)
Du Hamel
God could easily have destroyed those mighty nations at once; but he would not give the Israelites any occasion of boasting. (Du Hamel)
Haydock
If they never succeeded to expel them entirely out of the country, they might attribute it to their own negligence and other sins. (Haydock)
7:25
Challoner
Graven things. Idols, so called by contempt. (Challoner)
Made. Hebrew, "gold (plates) on them," to cover the wood, etc. See ver. 5.
7:26
Challoner
An anathema. That is, a thing devoted to destruction; and which carries along with it a curse. (Challoner)
7:25
Graven things.... Idols, so called by contempt.
7:9
Not withstanding this commination, God ofrentimes differreth punishment, expecting the sinners repentance.
7:12
Gods promises cōditional, if his people serue him.
7:1
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 12.17
… Ye heard what we read to you, all of you who were present in the Mappalia. “When the land shall have been given into your power” (he saith first, “into your power,” and so enjoined what was to be done); “then,” saith he, “ye shall destroy their altars, and break in pieces their groves, and hew down all their images.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 3.19
… Thou shalt make no league with them. Neither shalt thou make marriage with them.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
… and the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them.”
7:5
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Harmony of the Gospels 1.32
… gods, and that it was only through them that He had power to do things so great as these, we may well ask whether the God of Israel also worshipped their gods, who has now fulfilled by Christ what He promised with respect to the extension of His own worship through all the nations, and with respect to the detestation and subversion of those other deities?
7:7
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 14
After having said, “Of His fullness have all we received,” he adds, “and grace for grace.” For by grace the Jews were saved: “I chose you,” saith God, “not because you were many in number, but because of your fathers.” (
7:13
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 1
He is here alluding to the blessings of the Jews ; for that was blessing also, but it was not spiritual blessing. For how did it run? “The Lord bless thee, He will bless the fruit of thy body;” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 57.11
… On the other hand we do right to reject Aquila, the proselyte and controversial translator, who has striven to translate not words only but their etymologies as well. Who could accept as renderings of “corn and wine and oil”
7:21
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.14
… He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight; and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.”
7:25
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 47.3
… “Thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou become a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 46
… As to the idols, Gideon was commanded by the Lord to make a whole burnt-offering of the bullock which he killed. And in the book of Joshua the son of Nun, it is said of Jericho that all the silver, and gold, and brass should be brought into the treasures of the Lord, and the things found in the accursed city were called sacred. Also we read in Deuteronomy:
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1. Seven nations. — Genesis XV, 19, ten nations of the Canaanites are numbered, whom the Hebrews expelled: three therefore of the remainder either perished before, or were mixed with the other seven, as I said in Genesis XV. Tropologically, seven hostile nations signify seven capital vices; concerning which matter Cassian treats at length, Conferences V, chapter XVI, and following. 2. AND SHALL DELIVER THEM TO THEE, — in Hebrew before thee, that is, into thy power.
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3. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. — Note: Here it is forbidden only that they mix marriages with the Canaanites, so long as they remain idolaters. For if they are converted and are joined to the people of God, they are now Jews, not Canaanites; therefore it is lawful to enter into marriage with them. For then the reason of the law ceases which is given verse 4, "because he will seduce thy son, that he follow me not, and serve strange gods rather." Thus Salmon took Rahab the Jerichuntine, who had received the spies sent by Joshua, Matthew I, 5; for Rahab became a proselyte and accepted the sacred things of the Jews.
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6. BECAUSE THOU ART A HOLY PEOPLE TO THE LORD. — "Holy," that is, separated from those nations, and devoted to the true religion of God. THAT THOU MAYEST BE A PECULIAR PEOPLE TO HIM. — In Hebrew, that thou mayest be to him a people segulla, that is, like a treasure or thing most dear and precious. See the sayings in Exodus chapter XIX, verse 5.
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10. AND REPAYING THOSE WHO HATE HIM IMMEDIATELY. — For "immediately," in Hebrew it is in their faces, that is, while they still live, that is to say, God does not defer the punishment owed to the sins of parents to the sons, but inflicts it upon the parents themselves while they live. The Chaldean does not understand these things of punishment, but of goods and rewards of certain virtues which the impious have; for he translates, repaying his enemies the good which they themselves do before him, in their life, so as to destroy them (in the future life), and he does not defer doing good to his enemies, for the good which they do before him, but in their lifetime he repays them. But this sense is refuted by what follows: "So that he may destroy them, and delay no longer, immediately restoring to them what they deserve." The genuine sense therefore is of the punishment of the impious, that is to say, Beware, O Hebrews, lest you offend God, because as God bestows good things on those who love him in a thousand, that is, very many generations, so he immediately punishes those who hate him, as appeared in the punishment of those who worshipped the golden calf, Exodus XXXII, and those who lusted for flesh, Numbers XI, and the punishment of Core, Dathan and Abiron, Numbers XVI, and the punishment of the murmuring of Mary, Numbers XII.
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13. And he shall bless the fruit of thy womb, — namely thy sons; abundance of children was a blessing to those ancients, as to Rebecca, Genesis XXIV, 60, and to Abraham, Genesis XXII, 17, and to Leah, Genesis XXX, 13; and this both for its own sake: for fertility is a great good, both for parents and for the commonwealth; and also for the hope of the Messiah, who was to be born from their descendants. Hence it was noted among the Hebrews to be barren and childless; for there was suspicion that such a one had committed some crime, on account of which she was deprived of this common blessing, as it were, of her nation, as is gathered from Hosea IX, 14, and Genesis XX, 18. Thus Maldonatus in Luke I, 25.
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16. THOU SHALT DEVOUR ALL PEOPLES (consuming them with the sword, and plundering their wealth thus) SO THAT THY EYE SHALL NOT SPARE THEM, — that is, so that thou shalt spare none of the enemies the Canaanites in the land promised to thee, but shalt kill all; and this first, on account of their enormous crimes, especially their lusts, as I have said in Leviticus XVIII, 27; secondly, lest they be a scandal to the Jews, as is said here, and draw them to enormous lust.
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20. AND HORNETS. — Concerning these hornets I have spoken in Exodus XXIII, 28, and Joshua, last chapter, verse 12. 21. THY GOD IS IN THE MIDST OF THEE, — is with thee, helps thee. A similar phrase is in Exodus XVII, 7. 22. THOU SHALT NOT BE ABLE TO DESTROY THEM AT ONCE, — that is, together, at the same time. See what is said in Exodus chapter XXIII, verse 29.
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24. THOU SHALT DESTROY THEIR NAMES, — thou shalt destroy them with their whole race, so that their names may not remain in their sons, but their whole memory may be blotted out.
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25. THE SILVER AND GOLD OF WHICH THEY ARE MADE. — In Hebrew it is, that which is upon them, that is, with which they are covered, or overlaid. For they were accustomed to gild wooden or bronze idols, and to cover them with gold or silver, for the sake of ornament and to win reverence for them. BECAUSE IT IS AN ABOMINATION TO THE LORD THY GOD, — it is abominable in the sight of thy God.
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26. LEST THOU BECOME ACCURSED, AS IT ALSO IS. — In Hebrew, lest thou become cherem, that is, a thing devoted to destruction, which is to be cut down and reduced to nothing, as the idol itself is; for this must be cut down and annihilated. Concerning cherem see what is said in Leviticus, last chapter, 28.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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… It is always included by the Bible in the enumeration of the pre-Israelite peoples (Gen. 15:21; Ex. 3:8; 13:5; 23:23; 32:2; 34:11; Deut. 7:1; 20:17; Josh. 3:10; 5:1; 9:1; 11:3; 12:8; 24:11; etc.), sometimes as the chief nucleus of the ethnic group alongside the Hittites (Num. 13:30), so that it also represents the whole …
… ascetic must undertake the struggle against the seven vices of the list, beginning with the 2nd, after having conquered the 1st of all, γαστριμαργία, in the manner in which Israel had still to overcome seven other nations after the victory over Egypt (Deut. 7:1; Cassian, Collatio, V, 17-18; PL 49, 635-36). Eight vices to be overcome, represented in the allegory of the eight nations. …
Girgashites (Hebrew Girgāshī; Septuagint Germachai, Latinized as Gergesites)
… In the Bible the G. are mentioned very few times (Gen. 10:19; 15:21; Deut. 7:1; Ios. 3:10; 24:11; Neh. 9:8) and always with a stereotyped phraseology, which lists the various clans or tribes of pre-Israelite Palestine. …
Herem (Septuagint: Ἀνάθημα) (M.A.)
… Such were the Canaanites (Deut. 7:1-6 etc.), cities that turned to idolatry (Ex. 22:19 etc.), violators of the h., etc. Their goods were sometimes destroyed, at other times partly reserved. …
HEVITES (Heb. hā-hīwāš always with the article and in the singular; Septuagint ὁ Εὐαῖος, sometimes οἱ Εὐαῖοι). - A people settled in the land of Canaan and always included in the list of the whole group of peoples dwelling in the land before the Israelite conquest (Ex. 2, 11; 3, 8; 13, 5; 23, 28; Deut. 7, 1; 20, 17; Josh. 3, 10; 9, 1; 12, 8; 24, 11; Judg. 3, 5; 2 Kings 9, 29; 2 Chron. 8, 7; v. CANAAN).
… article, except in II Sam. 5:8; I Chron. 11:6; Zech. 9:7, and in the singular; Septuagint: ὁ Ἰεβουσαῖς), settled in Canaan (Gen. 10:16; I Chron. 1:14), always included, as a secondary group, in the northern list of the peoples that Israel was to conquer (Deut. 7:1; 20:17; cf. Gen. 15:21; Ex. 3:8, 17, etc.). …
… Gen. 28:6-9; Jud. 3:5 f.; I Kings 11:1 f.; Mal. 2:11 f.; Esd. 9:1 ff.; Neh. 10:30; 13:23-25). In a particular way the prohibition applied to the various Canaanite populations of Palestine or of the neighboring regions (cf. Ex. 34:11-16; Deut. 7:1-4). But in the most ancient times such a law appears less rigorous (cf. Gen. 34:14; 41:45; Ex. 2:21; Jud. 3:6; 14:3, 10; Ruth 1:4). Even Moses had a Midianite as his wife (Ex. …
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TESTAMENT IN SACRED SCRIPTURE. - The term testamentum in the Vulgate often translates the Hebrew berith, by which is indicated both a pact between private individuals and an alliance between nations or ethnic groups (Gen. 21:22 ff.; Ex. 23:32; 34:12, 15; Deut. 7:2; Josh. 9:9 ff.; Judg. 2:2 etc.). …
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… In particular, the action of inducing to idolatry (cf. Deut. 7:4) and to impurity (cf. Prov. 5:20; cf. also Gen. 34:1-31; II Sam. 13) is called seduction.
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… The ancient versions not rarely put 'Ašerāh in place of A. The image of 'Ašerāh was a wooden pillar, which the Canaanites placed beside the altars of Baal (Ex. 34:13; Deut. 7:5; Judg. 6:25, etc.). …
Bamah (Heb. "height"; plural Bāmāth)
The Bible mentions the 'Āšērāh, pl. 'Āšērīm (Deut. 12:4; 7:5, etc.), the hammānīm (Lev. 26:30; II Par. 14:4) (v. Baal), tents (Ez. 16:16, 18), altars erected on high hills and mountain peaks, under leafy trees, where incense was burned …
… The m. was often an idolatrous stele, alongside the 'āferāh and the altar, in Canaanite sanctuaries or sacred high places (Ex. 32, 24; 34, 13; Deut. 7, 5; 12, 3; Jer. 43, 13; in Ez. 26, 11 "protecting columns," like those at the entrance of the temple of Melkart at Tyre).
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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.). …
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.