βJesus the son a Nave was valiant in the wars, and was the successor of Moses in prophecies, who according to his name was made great for the saving of the elect of God, and taking vengeance of the enemies that rose up against them, that he might set Israel in their inheritance.β
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) β Among. Greek, βin the prophecies.β (Haydock) β 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) β He succeeded Moses in the temporal power; the spiritual belonged to the sons of Aaron, Numbers xxvii. (Worthington)
βHow great glory gat he, when he did lift up his hands, and stretched out his sword against the cities!β
Israel. He led the people into Chanaan, and divided it among them.
βWho before him so stood to it? for the Lord himself brought his enemies unto him.β
Hands. To pray, (Vatable) or fight, (Bossuet) or to give a signal, Josue viii. 26. (Cornelius a Lapide) β Stretched. Literally, threw (Haydock) darts, romphΕas.
βDid not the sun go back by his means? and was not one day as long as two?β
The. Greek, βhe conducted the wars of the Lord.β (Calmet) β Other editions agree with us.
βHe called upon the most high Lord, when the enemies pressed upon him on every side; and the great Lord heard him.β
In. Greek, βby his hand,β (Haydock) and order, so that the day-light continued 24 hours.
βIn the time of Moses also he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb the son of Jephunne, in that they withstood the congregation, and withheld the people from sin, and appeased the wicked murmuring.β
Adversaries. The hail destroyed more than the sword, Josue x. 11.
βAnd of six hundred thousand people on foot, they two were preserved to bring them in to the heritage, even unto the land that floweth with milk and honey.β
Power. Greek, βcomplete armour for his warfare was before the Lord, since he,β &c. They found it was impossible to resist such weapons. (Haydock) β One. βFollow God,β 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) β 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)
βThe Lord gave strength also unto Caleb, which remained with him unto his old age: so that he entered upon the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an heritage:β
Mercy, and piety, (Calmet) endeavouring to prevent the murmurs of the people, which would draw upon them destruction, as the event shewed. (Haydock)
βAnd concerning the judges, every one by name, whose heart went not a whoring, nor departed from the Lord, let their memory be blessed.β
Land. Hebron, when he was 85 years old, Josue xiv. 6. (Haydock)
βSamuel, the prophet of the Lord, beloved of his Lord, established a kingdom, and anointed princes over his people.β
Lord. Abimelec must be excepted, (Calmet) as he was only an usurper. (Haydock) β The Judges were all saved, though some have been great sinners. (Worthington)
βBy the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the Lord had respect unto Jacob.β
Place. At the resurrection, which the Jews firmly believed, Ezechiel xxxvii. 3.
βHe called upon the mighty Lord, when his enemies pressed upon him on every side, when he offered the sucking lamb.β
People. Though he disapproved of their resolution, 1 Kings viii. 6., and Osee xiii. 11.
βAnd the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard.β
And the. Sixtus V, &c., read, βand he beheld the God,β 1 Kings iii. 7. (Calmet) β Vulgate may signify also, βGod beheld Jacob,β (Greek) with a favourable eye, and enabled Samuel to restore their fallen state, and to recover the ark. (Haydock)
βAnd he destroyed the rulers of the Tyrians, and all the princes of the Philistines.β
Because. Greek has not faithful, or what follows. (Calmet) β Yet Grabeβs copy retains pistos oraseos, βfaithful in seeingβ 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) β Light. St. James (i. 17.) seems to allude to this passage. (Menochius)
βAnd before his long sleep he made protestations in the sight of the Lord and his anointed, I have not taken any man's goods, so much as a shoe: and no man did accuse him.β
Without. Greek, βfed with milk,β 1 Kings vii. 6. The Philistines were discomfited, and continued peaceable during the rest of Samuelβs government.
Tyrians, who were auxiliaries, or in league with the Philistines. (Calmet)
Shoe. So Abraham declared he would not receive the latchet of a shoe from the king of Sodom, Genesis xiv. 23. β Him. All confessed his integrity, before he delivered up the sovereign power to Saul, 1 Kings xii.
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)