§1Σὺ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὸν νόμον ὑπέσχετο διδόναι ἂ προείρηκεν· οὐ γὰρ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Ναυῆ.
"You, and all this people." He promised to give what he had foretold to those who keep the law; for it was not to Joshua the son of Nun.
Μὴ φυλάξαντες γὰρ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται οὐκ ἕλαβον, ὡς δηλοῖ τὰ ἑξῆς.
For the Israelites, not having kept it, did not receive it, as the following events show.
§2Πᾶς ὁ τόπος ἐφʼ ᾧ ἂν ἐπιβῆτε. Ἀντέστηπαν οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς Γαῒ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἀχὰρ παρανομίαν.
"Every place on which you tread." Those at Ai resisted because of the lawlessness of Achar.
Καὶ ἄλλως· Ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ παραδόντος εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν τὰ ἕθνη οὐκ ἐξωλόθ ρευσαν, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν, εἰς σκόλοπα αὐτοῖς.
And in another way: Because they did not destroy the nations although God had delivered them into their hands, and they became a thorn to them.
§3Καὶ εἰσήλθοσαν εἰς οἰκίαν γυναικός πόρνης, ὄνομα Ῥαάβ. Πόρνῃ πιστεύουσιν οἱ κατάσκοποι τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν·
"And they entered into the house of a harlot named Rahab." The spies entrust their safety to a harlot; and very reasonably so.
καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Δείκτυται γὰρ ἐξ ὧν ἡ πόρνη διαλέγεται, μόνη πιστὴ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν φοβουμένη· διὸ καὶ διʼ αὐτῆς ἡ συγγένεια σώζεται.
For it is shown from what the harlot says that she alone is faithful and fears God; wherefore through her also her kindred is saved.
§4Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
By the same author.
Ῥαὰβ ἑρμηνεύεται πλατυσμὸς, σύμβολον οὗσα τὴς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίας λεγούσης· « Στενός μοι ὁ τόπος, ποίησόν μοι τόπον ἵνα οἰκήσω. »
Rahab is interpreted as "enlargement," being a symbol of the Church from the nations, which says: "The place is narrow for me; make a place for me that I may dwell." By the same author.
§5Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐκ ἐκ τῆς δεξιώσεως μόνης σώζεται, ἀλλὰ προηγουμένως ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν διαθέσεως.
She is saved not from her hospitality alone, but principally from her faith and her disposition toward God.
§6Καὶ ἔκρυψεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ λινοκαλάμῃ. Τοῖς ξύλοις αὐτοὺς ἔκρυψε τῆς λινοκαλάμης οἷς εἶχεν ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος ἑτοιμάζουσα ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν βύσσον αὐτοῖς ὡς ἀξίοις οὖσιν ἐνδύματος ἀρχιερατικοῦ.
"And she hid them in the flax-stalks." She hid them with the wood of the flax-stalks which she had on the roof, preparing to work the fine linen (byssus) for them, as they were worthy of the high-priestly garment.
Ἡ γὰρ λινοκαλάμη ποιεῖ τὴν βύσσον ἐξ ἧς τὸ ἱερατικὸν ἔνδυμα γίνεται.
For the flax-stalk makes the byssus, from which the priestly garment is made.
§7Καὶ κατεχάλασεν αὐτοὺς διὰ τῆς θυρίδος. Ἰστέον ὅτι ὁ οἶκος αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ τείχει ἦν.
"And she let them down through the window." It should be known that her house was in the wall.
Ἀδελφὰ τῆς παλαιᾶς τὰ νέα· ὅμοιον γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου, ὅτε ἐχάλασαν αὐτὸν ἐν σαργάνῃ διὰ τοῦ τείχους.
The new is sister to the old; for it is similar to what happened in the case of Paul, when they let him down in a basket through the wall.
§8Τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
By the same author.
Ὁ Ἀπόστολος δεύτερον ἐσώθη ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὁμοιοτρόπως, ὥς φησιν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ πρὸς Κορινθίους αὐτοῦ Ἐπιστολῇ· « Καὶ διὰ θυρίδος ἐν σαργάνῃ ἐχαλάσθην διὰ τοῦ τείχους, καὶ ἐξέφυγον. » Πάλιν ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσι· « Παρετηροῦντο δὲ καὶ τὰς πύλας ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς, ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀνέλωσι· λαβόντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς, τοῦ τείχους καθῆκαν αὐτὸν, χαλάσαντες ἐν σπυρίδι. » §9Καὶ κατέμειναν ἐκεῖ τρεῖς ἠμέρας. Οὐχ ὅτ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἦν ἡ ὁδός· πάνυ γὰρ πλησίον ὁ Ἰορδάνης τῆς Ἰεριχὼ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τῶν κατασκόπων ἀκριβῆ ἐξέτασιν.
The Apostle was saved a second time from his enemies in a similar manner, as he says in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians: "And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped." Again in the Acts: "But they also watched the gates day and night that they might kill him; but his disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall, lowering him in a basket." "And they remained there three days." Not because it was a journey of three days; for the Jordan is very near to Jericho, but because of the diligent search of the pursuers.
« Ἐζήτησαν γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ καταδιώκοντες πάσας τὰς ὀδοὺς, καὶ οὐχ εὗρον. » §10« Τετράκις μύριοι εὔζωνοι. Σημειωτέον ὅτι ἡ τετρὰς, εἴτε μονάδων, εἴτε ἑκατοντάδων, εἴτε ἑτέρου πλείονος ἀριθμοῦ, ἐπὶ κακώσεως κεῖται.
"For those pursuing," it says, "sought them throughout all the ways, and found them not." "Forty thousand armed for battle." It should be noted that the number four, whether of units, hundreds, or any other larger number, is set for affliction.
§11Ποίησόν σοι μαχαίρας πετρίνας ἐκ πέτρας ἀμροτόμου. Ζητητέον διὰ τί οὐ περιετμήθησαν οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεχθέντες· ἢ διὰ τί τῷ Σαββάτῳ τις ξύλα συλλέξας ἐπὶ Μωϋσέως ἐκ προστάγματος Θεοῦ λιθόλευστος γέγονε.
"Make for yourself flint knives from a sharp rock." It must be asked why those born in the wilderness were not circumcised; or why, in the time of Moses, a man who gathered wood on the Sabbath was stoned by the command of God.
Τοσοῦτον δὲ πλῆθος ἀπερίτμητον μεμενηκὸς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ οὐδὲ ἐμέμφθη, καίτοι τοῦ Θσοῦ μὲν ἀποφῃναμένου ἐξολοθρεύεσθαι τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν μὴ περιτμημένην τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ, οὐκέτι δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν παραβαινόντων τὸ Σάββατον τοῦτο ὡρίσαντος.
Yet so great a multitude, having remained uncircumcised in the wilderness, was not even blamed, although God indeed declared that the soul that was not circumcised on the eighth day should be destroyed, but did not define this for those transgressing the Sabbath.
Ἥδη μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτόθεν εὔδηλον, ὅτι περιτομὴ καὶ Σάββατον οὐκ αὐτὰ καθʼ ἑαυτὰ καλὰ, ἀλλὰ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς καιρὸν ἐχρησίμευσεν.
Already, therefore, it is quite obvious from this very fact that circumcision and the Sabbath are not good in themselves, but because they were useful for a season.
Ἰστέον δὲ ὅτι σημείου χάριν διὰ τῆς περιτομῆς ἐβουλήθη γνωρίζεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀνασχομένους ἀπὸ πίστεως φαίνεσθαι, ὡς πρόβατα ἄλογα τῷ καυτῆρι κἂν πλανηθῇ, ῥᾳδίαν ἔχει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εὕρεσιν· οὕτω τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐπιμιγνυμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπὸ τῆς περιτομῆς φανεροὺς εἶναι βουληθείς.
It must be known that he wished them to be recognized by means of circumcision for the sake of a sign, and not to appear to have shrunk from faith, just as irrational sheep, even if they wander, are easily found by their brand; so he wished the Jews, when mixing with the nations, to be manifest from their circumcision.
Καὶ τούτου ἀπόδειξις τὸ ἐν μὲν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ περιτέμνεσθαι αὐτοὺς, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἐπειδὴ μόνοι ἦσαν καὶ Αἰγυπτίων κεχωρισμένοι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τῶν κατὰ Παλαιστίνην, ἀπεριτμήτους μεμενηκέναι.
And the proof of this is that while in Egypt they were circumcised, in the wilderness—since they were alone and separated from the Egyptians and the other nations in Palestine—they remained uncircumcised.
Ὅτε δὲ παρελθόντες τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἔμελλον ἐν μέσῳ εἶναι τῶν ἐθνῶν, αὖθις προσετάχθησαν περιτμηθῆναι.
But when they crossed the Jordan and were about to be in the midst of the nations, they were commanded again to be circumcised.
Διόπερ ἐκ δευτέρου εἶπεν, ὅτι οὐκ ὀκταημέρους περιετέμνοντο, ἀλλʼ ἀνδροθέντας ἤδη, καὶ πρὸς γῆράς τινας νενευκότας.
For this reason it said "for a second time," because they were not circumcised as eight-day-old infants, but already as grown men, and some leaning toward old age.
Ἡ δὲ πετρίνη μάχαιρα τὸν Κύριον ἡμῖν δηλοῖ τὸν τὴν νοητὴν δόντα ἡμῖν περιτομὴν, τὴν εἰς νοῦν καὶ καρδίαν.
The flint knife points out to us the Lord, who gave us the spiritual circumcision, that of the mind and heart.
Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστο λος ἡμῖν ἔλεγε περιτομὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν.
For this reason the Apostle also spoke to us of "the circumcision of Christ," not in the stripping off of our flesh.