Ecclesiasticus xlvi.
Notes & Commentary:
Ver. 1. Jesus, the son of Nave. So Josue is named in the Greek Bibles. For Josue and Jesus signify the same thing, viz., a Saviour; (Challoner) and Nave is the Greek pronunciation of Nun; (Haydock) or this is an old fault of transcribers. (Calmet) — Among. Greek, “in the prophecies.” (Haydock) — He was endued with the prophetic spirit, and was raised up by God as a noble figure of the great prophet, Deuteronomy xviii. 15. (Calmet) — He succeeded Moses in the temporal power; the spiritual belonged to the sons of Aaron, Numbers xxvii. (Worthington)
Ver. 2. Israel. He led the people into Chanaan, and divided it among them.
Ver. 3. Hands. To pray, (Vatable) or fight, (Bossuet) or to give a signal, Josue viii. 26. (Cornelius a Lapide) — Stretched. Literally, threw (Haydock) darts, romphœas.
Ver. 4. The. Greek, “he conducted the wars of the Lord.” (Calmet) — Other editions agree with us.
Ver. 5. In. Greek, “by his hand,” (Haydock) and order, so that the day-light continued 24 hours.
Ver. 7. Adversaries. The hail destroyed more than the sword, Josue x. 11.
Ver. 8. Power. Greek, “complete armour for his warfare was before the Lord, since he,” &c. They found it was impossible to resist such weapons. (Haydock) — One. “Follow God,” was a maxim of the ancient sages, which they even attributed to Apollo. Josue and Caleb did so in opposition to the rebels, Numbers xiv. 24. (Calmet) — The rest all perished, (Worthington) if we except those who were not 20 years old, or who did not join in the murmurs of the seditious. (Haydock)
Ver. 9. Mercy, and piety, (Calmet) endeavouring to prevent the murmurs of the people, which would draw upon them destruction, as the event shewed. (Haydock)
Ver. 11. Land. Hebron, when he was 85 years old, Josue xiv. 6. (Haydock)
Ver. 13. Lord. Abimelec must be excepted, (Calmet) as he was only an usurper. (Haydock) — The Judges were all saved, though some have been great sinners. (Worthington)
Ver. 14. Place. At the resurrection, which the Jews firmly believed, Ezechiel xxxvii. 3.
Ver. 16. People. Though he disapproved of their resolution, 1 Kings viii. 6., and Osee xiii. 11.
Ver. 17. And the. Sixtus V, &c., read, “and he beheld the God,” 1 Kings iii. 7. (Calmet) — Vulgate may signify also, “God beheld Jacob,” (Greek) with a favourable eye, and enabled Samuel to restore their fallen state, and to recover the ark. (Haydock)
Ver. 18. Because. Greek has not faithful, or what follows. (Calmet) — Yet Grabe’s copy retains pistos oraseos, “faithful in seeing” into futurity; so that his predictions were always verified, and he acquired the confidence of all, 1 Kings iii. 20. Prophets were formerly styled seers: yet they could not behold God, as he inhabits light inaccessible, 1 Timothy vi. 16. (Haydock) — Light. St. James (i. 17.) seems to allude to this passage. (Menochius)
Ver. 19. Without. Greek, “fed with milk,” 1 Kings vii. 6. The Philistines were discomfited, and continued peaceable during the rest of Samuel’s government.
Ver. 21. Tyrians, who were auxiliaries, or in league with the Philistines. (Calmet)
Ver. 22. Shoe. So Abraham declared he would not receive the latchet of a shoe from the king of Sodom, Genesis xiv. 23. — Him. All confessed his integrity, before he delivered up the sovereign power to Saul, 1 Kings xii.
Ver. 23. Nation. Foretelling that Israel should be defeated. Some doubt whether the soul of Samuel appeared; but it seems clear from this passage, (1 Kings xxviii. 18.; Calmet, Diss.) as he could not otherwise be praised for it. (Worthington)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
The praise of Josue, of Caleb, and of Samuel.
1 Valiant in war was Jesus, the son of Nave, who was successor of Moses among the prophets, who was great according to his name,
2 Very great for the saving the elect of God, to overthrow the enemies that rose up against them, that he might get the inheritance for Israel.
3 How great glory did he gain when he lifted up his hands, and stretched out swords against the cities?
4 Who before him hath so resisted? for the Lord himself brought the enemies.
5 *Was not the sun stopped in his anger, and one day made as two?
6 He called upon the most high Sovereign, when the enemies assaulted him on every side, and the great and holy God heard him by hailstones of exceeding great force.
7 He made a violent assault against the nation of his enemies, and in the descent he destroyed the adversaries,
8 That the nations might know his power, that it is not easy to fight against God. And he followed the mighty one:
9 *And in the days of Moses he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb, the son of Jephone, in standing against the enemy, and withholding the people from sins, and appeasing the wicked murmuring.
10 And they two being appointed, were delivered out of the danger, from among the number of six hundred thousand men on foot, to bring them into their inheritance, into the land that floweth with milk and honey.
11 And the Lord gave strength also to Caleb, and his strength continued even to his old age, so that he went up to the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an inheritance:
12 That all the children of Israel might see, that it is good to obey the holy God.
13 Then all the judges, every one by name, whose heart was not corrupted: who turned not away from the Lord,
14 That their memory might be blessed, and their bones spring up out of their place,
15 And their name continue for ever, the glory of the holy men remaining unto their children.
16 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, the beloved of the Lord, his God, established a new government, and anointed princes over his people.
17 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the God of Jacob beheld, and by his fidelity he was proved a prophet.
18 And he was known to be faithful in his words, because he saw the God of light:
19 *And called upon the name of the Lord Almighty, in fighting against the enemies who beset him on every side, when he offered a lamb without blemish.
20 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard.
21 And he crushed the princes of the Tyrians, and all the lords of the Philistines:
22 *And before the time of the end of his life in the world, he protested before the Lord, and his anointed; money, or any thing else, *even to a shoe, he had not taken of any man, and no man did accuse him.
23 And after this he slept, *and he made known to the king, and shewed him the end of his life, and he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the nation.
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*
5: Josue x. 14.
9: Numbers xiv. 6.
19: 1 Kings vii.
22: 1 Kings xii. — ** Genesis xiv. 23.
23: 1 Kings xxviii. 18.