§23.3(56) Στίχ. γ΄.
(56) Verse 3.
Οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται Ἀμανίτης. Τί δήποτε τὴν πρὸς Μωαβίτας καὶ Ἀμανίτας ἐπιμιξίαν κωλύει οὐ κατὰ ῥητόν τινα χρόνον, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα;
"An Ammonite shall not enter." Why on earth does he forbid intermingling with the Moabites and Ammonites, not for a certain defined time, but forever?
Πρῶτον διὰ τὴν παράνομον αὐτῶν ῥίζαν· ἐκ παρανόμου γὰρ γεγένηνται συνουσίας·
First, because of their unlawful root; for they were born from an unlawful union.
ἔπειτα διὰ τὴν ἀσέβειαν, ἧς καὶ τοὺς Ἰσραηλίτας μεταλαχεῖν παρεσκεύασαν ὡραΐσαντες τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ διὰ τούτων αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰδώλων λατρείαν ἀγρεύσαντες.
Second, because of their impiety, in which they also prepared the Israelites to share, having adorned their women, and through them having ensnared them into the worship of idols.
Τὸν μέντοι Ἰδουμαῖον καὶ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον μετὰ τρίτην κελεύει προσίεσθαι γενεὰν, τὸν μὲν ὡς ἀδελφὸν, τὸν δὲ ὡς εὐεργέτην ἐν καιρῷ γεγενημένον.
However, he commands that the Edomite and the Egyptian be admitted after the third generation, the former as a brother, and the latter as a benefactor in time of need.
Λιμοῦ γὰρ προσπεσόντος, εἰς Αἴγυπτον εἰσελθόντες οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν διετράφησαν.
For when famine struck, their fathers entered Egypt and were nourished.
Διδάσκει τοίνυν ὁ νόμος ἡμᾶς, μηδὲ παλαιᾶς εὐεργεσίας ἀμνημονεῖν.
Therefore, the law teaches us not to be unmindful even of an old benefit.
§23.14aΣτίχ. ιδ΄.
Verse 14.
Τί ἐστιν, Ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐμπεριπατεῖ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ σου;
What is the meaning of: "For the Lord your God walks in your camp"?
Οἶδε πολλάκις δυσοσμίας ὁ ἀὴρ ἐμπιπλάμενος λοιμὸν ἐμποιεῖν.
The law knows that the air, being often filled with bad odor, produces pestilence.
Ἐκέλευσε τοίνυν αὐτοῖς στρατοπεδευομένοις τὴν ἐκκρινομένην καταχωννύναι κόπρον.
Therefore, he commanded them when camping to bury the excreted dung.
Ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἀπειθήσαντες βλάβην εἰσδέξωνται, ἀναγκαίως ἐπήγαγεν· Ὅτι Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐμπεριπατεῖ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ σου. Καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκει· Ἐβελέσθαι σε, καὶ παραδοῦναι τὸν ἐχθρόν σου πρὸ προσώπου σου. Διὰ δὲ τούτου παιδεύει μηδὲν πράττειν παράνομον.
And so that they might not disobey and receive harm, he necessarily added: "For the Lord your God walks in your camp." And he teaches the reason: "To rescue you, and to deliver your enemy before your face." Through this, he instructs them to do nothing unlawful.
Τοῦτο γὰρ ἐπάγει· Καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολή σου ἁγία, καὶ οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται ἐν σοὶ ἀσχημοσύνης πρᾶγμα. §23.12Στίχ. ιβ΄.
For he adds this: "And your camp shall be holy, and there shall not be found in you an indecent thing." Verse 12.
Καὶ ὁ τόπος ἔστω σοι, φησὶν, ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς, καὶ ἐξελεύσῃ ἐκεῖ. §23.13Στίχ. ιγ΄.
"And you shall have a place," he says, "outside the camp, and you shall go out there." Verse 13.
Καὶ πάσσαλος ἔσται σοι ἐπὶ τῆς δώνης σου.
"And you shall have a peg upon your belt.
Καὶ ἔσται ὅταν καθιζάνῃς ἔξω, καὶ ὀρύξῃς (57) ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐπαναγαγὼν καλύψεις τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην σου ἑαυτοῦ (58). §23.14bΣτίν. ιδ΄.
And it shall be, when you sit outside, you shall dig (57) with it, and turning back you shall cover your own indecency (58)." Verse 14.
Ὅτι Κόριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐμπεριπατῖ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ἐξελέσθαι σε, καὶ παραβοῦναί σοι τὸν ἐχθρύν σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου.
"For the Lord your God walks in the camp to rescue you, and to deliver your enemy into your hands.
Καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολή σου ἁγία, καὶ οὐκ ὀφθήσεται ἐν σοὶ ἀσχημοσύνη πράγματος. Παραιτεῖσθαι μὲν γὰρ πᾶν εἶδος ἀκαθαρσίας πρέπει τοὺς κατανδρίζεσθαι τῶν νοητῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἐχθρῶν.
And your camp shall be holy, and there shall not be seen in you an indecency of a thing." For it is fitting for those who desire to act manly against their spiritual enemies to avoid every kind of uncleanness.
Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλὰ πταίομεν ἅπαντες, καὶ νοσεῖ μὲν ἡ ἀνθρώπου φύσις τὸ εὐόλισθον εἰς τὸ πλημμελές· συνήσει δὲ οὐδεὶς παραπτώματα, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Ψάλλοντος φωνήν· Γένοιτο, φησὶ, μιᾷ τῶν ἐμφύτων καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἀκαθαρσιῶν περιθραύεσθαι μονονουχὶ, καὶ ἁλίσκεσθαί τι νενοσηκότας τῶν ἔξω νόμου καὶ ζωῆς ἁγιοπρεποῦς. Ἐνοικεῖ γὰρ τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς σαρκὸς τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ νόμος.
But since we all stumble often, and human nature is sick with a tendency to slip into error, and "no one understands his transgressions," according to the voice of the Psalmist; "Let it be," he says, "that you are almost shattered by one of the innate uncleannesses in you, and that you, being sick, are caught in something outside the law and a holy life." For the law of sin dwells in the members of the flesh.
Πρῶτον μὲν μὴ ἐναργῶς καὶ ἀκρύπτως, μήτε μὴν ἐν ὄψει πολλῶν, τὰ ἐκ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας πραττέσθω πταίσματα· ἀλλʼ οἷον ἔξω λεληθότες, καὶ ὡς ἀπωτάτω τῆς παρεμβολῆς·
First, let not the transgressions resulting from weakness be done openly and without concealment, nor indeed in the sight of many, but as it were secretly outside, and as far away as possible from the camp.
εἶτα ταῖς ἐπανορθώσεσι κατακαλυπτέσθω, φησί· Σοφοὶ γὰρ καλύψουσι τὰς ἑαυτῶν αἰσχύνας, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον.
Then let them be covered by corrections, he says; for "the wise will cover their own shame," according to what is written.
Καταλήγοντες γὰρ τῶν πλημμελημάτων, καὶ ταῖς εἰς τὰ ἀμείνω ῥοπαῖς ἀναστοιχειοῦντες τρόπον τινὰ τὸν νοῦν, εἰς τὸ δεῖν ἑλέσθαι τὸ ώφελοῦν, ἐκ μέσου ποιούμεθα τὰ προσπταίσματα· καὶ τὴν ἄκοσμον ἁμαρτίαν ταῖς τῶν ἐφεξῆς εὐωδίαις νικήσαντες, εἰσελευσόμεθα πάλιν εἰς τῶν ἁγίων παρεμβολὴν, τουτέστιν εἰς τὴν τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἐκκλησίαν.
For by ceasing from transgressions, and in a way restructuring our mind by inclinations toward better things, so as to choose what is beneficial, we remove the stumbling blocks from our midst; and having conquered the unseemly sin by the sweet fragrance of subsequent deeds, we shall enter again into the camp of the saints, that is, into the church of the firstborn.
Ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ τοῦτο πληροῦται, εἰ λάβοιμεν τὸν αὐτοῦ σταυρὸν, γοργῷ (59) καὶ εὐζωνοτάτῳ φρονήματι κεχρημένοι.
And this is fulfilled in Christ, if we receive his cross, employing a swift and most unencumbered mind.
Τὸ γὰρ ἔχειν ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦ ζωστῆρος πάσσαλον, ἤγουν τὸ ξύλον, τοῦτο πλαγίως ὑπαινίττεται.
For our having a peg on our belt, that is, the "wood," indirectly hints at this.
Πνευματικῶς οὖν τῶν νοητῶν ὑποτύπωσιν ποιούμενοι τὰ σωματικά· οὐ γάρ ἐσμεν ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπαρμύνειν τοῦ πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ εἰς ἐφεδρῶνας ἰόντες.
Therefore, making a spiritual representation of intelligible things through physical things; for we are not to remain in uncleanness in the eyes of God who made us, even when going to the latrines.
Δεῖ οὖν ἡμᾶς καταχωννύειν ἀκαθαρσίας, Ὅτι Κύριος περιπατεῖ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ. Ἐνοικεῖ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ ἐμπεριπατεῖ Χριστός.
We must therefore bury our uncleanness, "For the Lord walks in the camp." For Christ dwells and walks in us.