Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The people murmur in their thirst: whence Moses, by God's command, striking the rock at Rephidim, draws water from it. Second, verse 8, Amalek attacks the Hebrews; but Joshua defeats him while Moses prays.
Vulgate Text: Exodus 17:1-16
1. Therefore the whole multitude of the children of Israel, having set out from the desert of Sin through their encampments, according to the word of the Lord, encamped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. 2. They quarreled against Moses, saying: Give us water to drink. Moses answered them: Why do you quarrel against me? Why do you tempt the Lord? 3. So the people thirsted there for lack of water, and murmured against Moses, saying: Why did you make us leave Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4. And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying: What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me. 5. And the Lord said to Moses: Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6. Behold, I will stand there before you upon the rock of Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. Moses did so before the elders of Israel; 7. and he called the name of that place Temptation, because of the quarrel of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: Is the Lord among us or not? 8. Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9. And Moses said to Joshua: Choose men, and go out and fight against Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, having the rod of God in my hand. 10. Joshua did as Moses had spoken, and fought against Amalek: and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11. And when Moses raised his hands, Israel prevailed; but if he lowered them a little, Amalek prevailed. 12. But Moses' hands were heavy: so they took a stone and placed it under him, on which he sat; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands on either side. And it came to pass that his hands did not grow weary until the setting of the sun. 13. And Joshua routed Amalek and his people by the edge of the sword. 14. And the Lord said to Moses: Write this as a memorial in a book, and deliver it to the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. 15. And Moses built an altar, and called its name: The Lord is my exaltation; saying: 16. Because the hand of the throne of the Lord, and the war of the Lord shall be against Amalek, from generation to generation.
Verse 1: Through Their Encampments
1. THROUGH THEIR ENCAMPMENTS. — In Hebrew, through their departures or journeys, that is, the stages of their journeys, that is, the encampments or stations, which in the desert were altogether 42, and all of these are listed in order in Numbers 33; for otherwise in the entire Exodus, Numbers (except chapter 35) and Deuteronomy, only fifteen stations are numbered: for Moses did not intend in his history to enumerate them all, but only those which were memorable by some event or notable deed. Thus he omits here two stations, namely the ninth, which was at Daphka, and the tenth, which was at Alush: for the eleventh was at Rephidim, which follows here; therefore Moses implies that these two were interposed, and that they are here omitted, when he says that they came through their encampments to Rephidim.
ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD. — In Hebrew it is, according to the mouth of the Lord, indicating, namely, not by an audible voice, but by the movement of the pillar of cloud, when and where the camp was to be moved. This is clear from the last chapter of Exodus, at the end, and Numbers 9:18, where the Hebrews are said to have set out "at the command of the Lord," or, as it is in Hebrew, at the mouth of the Lord, because they set out at the movement of the pillar, as is explained there.
THEY ENCAMPED AT REPHIDIM. — This eleventh station was near Mount Sinai, where the rock gave water, and Amalek was defeated: this place was also called Massah, that is, temptation, from the tempting and murmuring of the Hebrews, verse 7.
Verse 2: Why Do You Tempt the Lord?
2. Why do you tempt the Lord? — Why, distrustful of God's protection and help, which you have experienced so many times, do you again wish to learn through a miracle whether God is among you? as is clear from verse 7, as if to say: Not by murmuring, but by praying, and firmly hoping in God, ask Him with humility for water; and do not doubt that He will, as usual, relieve your thirst.
Verse 5: Take the Rod with Which You Struck the River
5. Take the rod with which you struck the river — through the hand of your brother Aaron, when he turned the river Nile into blood, chapter 7, verse 30. So St. Augustine, Question 64. Others understand by the river the Red Sea, which Moses divided with his rod. But the sea is not a river.
Verse 6: I Will Stand There Before You upon the Rock of Horeb
6. Behold, I will stand there before you, upon the rock of Horeb. — "I will stand," namely in the pillar of cloud which I will fix upon the rock of Horeb, as if to say: I will be present through the pillar of cloud, and I will draw water from the rock of Horeb, so that the thirsty people may drink from it, and thus cease from murmuring. The Septuagint translates: I stand before you, or, before you come. For the Hebrew lephaneca can be translated both as before you and in your presence, as if to say: Before you come to the rock, I am already standing there ready for your aid, and for the miracle, namely to draw water from it for you.
The rock of Horeb. — Horeb is Sinai; therefore this rock was in the desert of Sinai, whence it is called the rock of Horeb, or Sinai; yet it was closer to Rephidim than to Mount Sinai; for these things had happened at Rephidim, as is clear from the following verse: for the Hebrews had not yet reached Mount Horeb, or Sinai; they reached it at the next station, which was the twelfth: for that one was at Sinai.
AND WATER WILL COME OUT FROM IT. — Cosmographers report that this rock still endures and continually pours forth water, says Abulensis, about which see more in Numbers 20, verses 8 and 11. Indeed Abulensis adds in Numbers chapter 20, Question 3, that Arabia had become habitable from this water and the enduring rock of Moses, whereas before it had been uninhabitable due to excessive dryness. Gaspar Sanchez holds the same opinion in his commentary on Isaiah chapter 48, n. 28.
Allegorically, the rock is Christ, 1 Cor. 10:4; the rod striking the rock is the cross, by which Christ, struck and wounded, gave water, that is, His blood, for us, and left it in the Eucharist for all to drink. So Theodoret. And St. Ambrose, book 5 On the Sacraments, chapter 1: "See, he says, the mystery: Moses, that is the Prophet; the rod, that is the word of God: but the priest of God touches the rock, and water flows, and the people of God drink, who have obtained the grace of God." Second, Tertullian, in On Baptism, chapter 9, understands by the water baptism, whose power flows from the cross of Christ. Third, Isidore and Rupert understand by the water grace and the Holy Spirit and His gifts.
Beautifully does St. Bernard speak of this mystical rock, sermon 61 on the Canticle, on that passage in Canticles 2, My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollows of the cliff: "This, he says, the bride hears, that she should dwell with total devotion in Christ's wounds, and linger in them with constant meditation. Thence comes the endurance of martyrdom, thence that great confidence before God; the Martyr need not fear to raise his bloodless and naked face to Him by whose stripes he has been healed: for truly he will not feel his own wounds while he gazes upon His. The Martyr stands exulting and triumphing, though his whole body is torn; and as the iron probes his sides, not only bravely but even eagerly he watches the sacred blood bubbling forth from his flesh. Where then is the soul of the Martyr? Surely in safety, surely in the rock, surely in the depths of Jesus. Dwelling in the rock, what wonder if he has hardened like rock? Nor is this caused by numbness, but by love; for the senses are submitted, not lost; nor is pain absent, but it is overcome, it is despised. Therefore from the rock comes the Martyr's fortitude, no less delightful to the Emperor who watches than to the soldier who triumphs."
The same Bernard, sermon 66 among the shorter sermons: "That, he says, from the very fountain of virtue (that is, from the Spirit of God) the waters of protection are drawn in torments, is shown also by those three youths placed in the burning of the blazing furnace, for whom the flame itself grew cool; and especially that illustrious Martyr Vincent, who, when severely tortured, is reported not only to have endured, but even to have steadfastly provoked his torturer with these words: Rise up, and rage with all the spirit of your malice; you will see that by the power of God I can do more while being tortured than you yourself can, who torture me."
Verse 7: He Called the Name of That Place Temptation
7. AND HE CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE, TEMPTATION. — In Hebrew he called the name of that place, Massah u-Meribah, that is, temptation and contention, or quarrel. There is frequent mention in Scripture of this ingratitude of the Hebrews as well as of this place, showing how greatly it displeased God, as in Deuteronomy 6:16, Psalm 77:15, Psalm 98:8, and Psalm 105:14. Moreover, this is not the water of contradiction spoken of in Numbers 33: for that was after the crossing of Sinai, at the thirty-third station near Kadesh.
Verse 8: Amalek Came and Fought against Israel at Rephidim
8. THEN AMALEK CAME AND FOUGHT AGAINST ISRAEL AT REPHIDIM. — Amalek, that is, the Amalekites, whose king, or prince, was called Amalek, because he was descended from Amalek the son of Eliphaz, and grandson of Esau, Genesis 36:16: just as the kings of Egypt were called Ptolemies, from the first king Ptolemy, the son of Lagus.
The region of the Amalekites was in the desert, to the south of Judea, beyond the city of Petra for those going to Ailah, says St. Jerome in his Hebrew Places.
The cause of Amalek's war seems to have been the ancient and paternal hatred of Esau and his descendants against Jacob and his posterity, on account of the birthright seized from him and his, and on account of the father's blessing snatched away. For the Amalekites feared for themselves from such a great army of the Jacobites, and worried that the blessing which Jacob had snatched from his brother Esau, their ancestor, would now be fulfilled, Genesis 27:29. For they saw the Jacobites heading toward the promised land with such a great armed force; therefore they confronted them, to impede their passage and decide the matter by war.
Tropologically, Amalek in Hebrew means the same as a people that licks: this enemy first meets Israel, because for those who go forth from the flesh and the world to God, the first enemies that confront them are the enticements and blandishments of the flesh; for from these arise the first temptations, against which one must fight in close combat with Joshua, that is with Jesus Christ, by contemplating His and the Saints' abstinence and continence, and by actually mortifying the flesh with Him through bodily chastisement and mortification; but from afar one must fight with prayer, which the mountain-dweller Aaron sustains (Aaron in Hebrew signifies mountain-dweller), that is, Christ, and the hero Hur, that is, the strength of the Holy Spirit. So Rupert and St. Gregory, book 6 on 2 Kings.
Verse 11: When Moses Raised His Hands, Israel Prevailed
11. AND WHEN MOSES RAISED HIS HANDS, ISRAEL PREVAILED: BUT IF HE LOWERED THEM A LITTLE, AMALEK PREVAILED. — By this symbol God was signifying that the Hebrews should attribute this victory not to their own unwarlike crowd, but to God dwelling in the heavens: for it was for this reason that Moses extended his hands toward heaven, to invoke God as the giver of victory. "There stood, says St. Chrysostom, in the homily On Moses (if indeed he is the author of so Latin a discourse), Moses on the mountain, now near to heaven, now close to the stars. And as much as the height of the mountain had elevated him, so much did prayer bring him closer to God. Prayer is directed toward vengeance against the enemy, whose crimes were already provoking destruction, etc. For who among the just did not fight by praying? Who did not defeat the enemy by praying? By prayers Daniel's visions are revealed, flames are stilled, wild beasts grow dull, enemies fall, foes are conquered. One may converse with God by praying, one may speak with Him when one wishes, one may purchase with prayers what one desires. And although you cannot hear His voice, yet while you receive what you ask, He deigns to converse with you, if not with words, then with benefits."
Second, by this symbol God wished to signify the power of prayer; for "prayer, says St. Augustine, is a defense for the one who prays, a sacrifice to God, a scourge to the devil." For the raising of hands represented the intensity of prayer, and the lowering of hands represented the slackening of prayer. And indeed Moses, vigorous and eager, raising his hands, with them equally raised and directed his mind to God: but when, weary and exhausted, he lowered his hands, with them he equally relaxed his spirit and prayer. As to why those praying raise their hands, I assigned seven reasons in 1 Timothy 2:8. Moreover, Moses seems to have raised and extended his hands joined together, so that one palm clasped the other, which held the rod; for he could not have held the rod, being a shepherd's staff and large, raised aloft in one hand for so long.
This rod signified the cross of Christ: whence the Fathers teach that Moses here bore the appearance and type of the cross of Jesus. So Tertullian, book 3 Against Marcion, chapter 18; Cyril in the Collecta, chapter 16; Cyprian, book 2 of Testimonies, chapter 21; Justin, Against Trypho, past the middle; Prosper, part 1 of Predictions, last chapter. Finally, St. Chrysostom has a beautiful homily on this prayer and victory of Moses, in the sermon On Moses, tome 1.
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, Bishop of Neocaesarea, followed the example of Moses. For when a persecution was raging, in order to pray for his citizens and the Martyrs fighting against the tyrant, he ascended a mountain with his deacon, and there they prayed with outstretched hands. The persecutors pursued them, but seeing them did not recognize them: for they thought they were seeing not two men but two trees. Gregory of Nyssa is the witness in his Life of Gregory, who after this adds, saying: "Just as Moses, when he was far from the battle line of the Amalekites, by prayer gave his people strength against the enemy: so he (Gregory), as if gazing with the eyes of his soul upon the events taking place, invoked divine aid for those fighting in the name of the faith." He then narrates the fruit of prayer and its illustrious example: "And when, he says, he was once praying to God, he suddenly seemed to be struck with anguish, and as if some sound were reaching his ears, he seemed to apply his ears to it: and after he had remained erect and motionless for a long time, then as if the spectacle he was watching had had a good outcome, he returned to his former state, and with a loud voice praised God for the victory, saying: Blessed be God, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. And when his companions asked what he had seen, he said that in that hour he had seen a great ruin, with the devil defeated by a certain noble young man in the contests undertaken for piety. He added also the name, calling him Troadius: and that after many torments which he had bravely endured, he had been crowned with the crown of martyrdom; the deacon, astounded upon hearing this, when he later went to the city, discovered that the event had occurred at exactly the same moment and in the same manner as Gregory had narrated."
Symbolically, Moses here was a type of the contemplative life, and Joshua of the active life: and that the latter ought to be directed by the former, and draw and derive all its strength and energy, and victory against all passions and all enemies, from it: for thus Joshua drew his strength for fighting and conquering from the prayer of Moses.
In the Lives of the Fathers, book 7, chapter 18, a similar figure is given in two holy monks, one of whom was Arsenius, a solitary, silent, and contemplative man; the other was Moses, sociable, kind, and beneficent to all. And when someone asked God to reveal to him which was holier and more perfect: "Behold, in an ecstasy two ships appeared to him on a river, and in one indeed he saw the Holy Spirit sailing with silence and rest, together with Abbot Arsenius; but in the other ship he saw Abbot Moses and the angels of God, placing honey and honeycomb into his mouth and into his teeth."
Verse 12: Moses' Hands Were Heavy
12. BUT MOSES' HANDS WERE HEAVY. — That is to say, Moses' hands, being those of an aging man, were heavy both of themselves, and also grew heavier from being extended aloft for a prolonged time: therefore they had Moses sit on a stone, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands; there is no doubt that they too prayed together with Moses as he prayed. Josephus reports that this Hur was the husband of Miriam, Moses' sister; but Scripture rather implies that Miriam was a virgin than a married woman, as I said in chapter 15, verse 20.
AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT HIS HANDS DID NOT GROW WEARY UNTIL THE SETTING OF THE SUN. — In Hebrew it is, there was firmness or stability in his hands, that is, as the Chaldean [Targum] says, his hands were firmly extended in prayer; because, as the Septuagint translates, his hands were supported; namely by Aaron and Hur.
Symbolically Philo says: "A bad man's actions, he says, are windy and light; but those of Moses, that is, of the wise man, are weighty and unshaken, and therefore are supported by Aaron, that is, by reason, and by Hur, that is, by light, that is, by truth; as if to say: The actions of the wise man are supported by reason and truth," especially that truth by which he attentively considers divine and eternal things.
Philo adds that it was not by nature but by a prodigy that now lightness, now heaviness was sent into Moses' hands, and he adds: "As often, he says, as Moses' hands grew heavy, the enemy battle line prevailed, God signifying that the proper inheritance of the one group is the earth, the weak part of the world; but of the other group the most sacred heaven, and that just as in the whole of creation heaven is superior to earth, so also His people would overcome the opposing battle line in war." Finally he concludes: "When therefore for some time his hands, like the pans of a balance, were now raised up, now inclined downward, and the battle was fought with doubtful result; at last suddenly, as if having feathers for fingers, they were raised up and flew through the air, remaining on high, until certain victory came to the Hebrews, with the enemy destroyed by utter annihilation." But this does not sufficiently agree with the narrative of Sacred Scripture, which asserts that Moses' hands were sustained not by a miracle, but by Aaron and Hur.
Verse 13: Joshua Routed Amalek by the Edge of the Sword
13. AND JOSHUA ROUTED AMALEK AND HIS PEOPLE BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD. — For "routed," the Hebrew is yachalosh, that is, he weakened, cast down, overthrew, routed, killing some and driving others to flight; for chalush signifies weary, weakened, cast down.
The Jews narrate, or rather according to their custom they fable, that the Amalekites wished to fly by their enchantments, and thus to fly into and rush upon the camp of the Hebrews; but Joshua, by showing the tetragrammaton name of God, overthrew them. Josephus asserts that this victory was entirely bloodless for the Hebrews, with not one of their own lost. Here the name Joshua is found for the first time; whence from this place and this victory, Origen, Lactantius and others judge that instead of Hoshea he was called Joshua, meaning "Savior of the people," about which see more in Numbers chapter 13, verse 17.
By the edge of the sword. — For thus our Interpreter translates in Hebrews 11:34: whence a two-edged sword is called ditomon, as having two edges, that is, two cutting sides, in Hebrews 4:12. Hence because the edge of the sword, being most sharp, penetrates, cuts, or kills whatever it strikes, therefore when in Scripture it says: "He struck them with the edge of the sword," it commonly signifies that he destroyed them to the point of annihilation; for thus also the French say of an annihilating slaughter: Il les a passes au fil de l'epee (He put them to the sword). So Vatablus.
Second, "by the edge [lit. mouth] of the sword," that is, by the devouring or consuming of the sword: whence the Septuagint translates en phono macheiras, in the slaughter of the sword, so that there is a double figure: the first, in which "mouth" is used metonymically for eating, which is done by the mouth; the second, in which the eating of an animal is metaphorically attributed to an inanimate thing, namely the destroying sword: for just as we eat bread, so war and the sword devour men. Whence the Hebrews call war milchamah, that is, eating, as if to say: Joshua routed Amalek by the slaughter of the sword, or with the sword killing and pursuing him on every side.
Third, Francis Ribera on Hosea chapter 10, number 37 says: "Mouth," he says, in Scripture is often taken for will or desire; thus to reap in the mouth of mercy, that is, to reap according to the will of mercy, as much as mercy wills, that is, to reap most abundantly. Thus to strike with the mouth of the sword is to kill all and spare none, which means to strike as much as the sword wishes to strike; as if to say: He struck them in the mouth (in the will of the sword), that is, he struck them to satisfaction, to pleasure, to the will, to the command of the sword, he struck as many as it pleased the sword and the swordsman to strike.
Verse 14: Write This as a Memorial in a Book
14. WRITE THIS AS A MEMORIAL IN A BOOK, AND DELIVER IT TO THE EARS OF JOSHUA. — That is to say: Write it in the chronicles, and make it known to Joshua, so that he may make known to the leaders and judges of the people who succeed him, and they to those who succeed them, the will and decree of God concerning the carrying out of vengeance and the destruction of Amalek, and this until there arises that very leader, or king Saul, who will actually carry out this vengeance; for Joshua, by God's appointment, was to be the successor of Moses and the leader of the people: whence also in this war against Amalek he was chosen as leader, giving as it were a prelude to his future rule. Then God commands that this be made known to Joshua, lest after the promised land was conquered, he should form or admit alliances with the Amalekites.
FOR I WILL BLOT OUT THE MEMORY OF AMALEK FROM UNDER HEAVEN. — In Hebrew it is, blotting out I will blot out, that is, I will utterly and completely blot out — this is my fixed and certain will, which Samuel reminded Saul of in 1 Kings chapter 15, where Saul, for having neglected and not fully carried out this will of God, was rejected by God and lost his kingdom and his life. Therefore some Jews wrongly excuse Saul through ignorance, on the grounds that the Hebrew word, if the kametz points are substituted, making it zachar, signifies male; but if segol is used, making it zecher, it signifies memory: that Amalek was to be destroyed and abolished.
Moreover, God passed such a severe sentence against Amalek because the Amalekites had attacked with such savage war the innocent and wavering Hebrews, who were novices in their calling, in order to frighten them from following God's leading into Canaan, and because, as is said in Deuteronomy chapter 25, verse 18, they had struck down the stragglers at the rear of the march who were exhausted by weariness, hunger, and toil. From this we may learn how grave an offense against God it is to turn tender and recent followers of God away from His calling and following, that is, from the true faith, or from the Religious life and the state of perfection; on this subject see Jerome Platus, book 3 On the Good of the Religious State, chapter 35.
Verse 15: Moses Built an Altar: The Lord Is My Exaltation
15. AND MOSES BUILT AN ALTAR, AND CALLED ITS NAME, THE LORD IS MY EXALTATION. — In Hebrew it is, Adonai Nissi, which first, our [Vulgate] Translator renders as The Lord (is) my exaltation. Second, it can be translated as The Lord is my banner, that is, the Lord served as my banner, He Himself carried the victorious standards against the enemy. Whence Josephus says that Moses erected this altar to God the Victor, as the Romans used to erect them to Jupiter the Victor. Third, it can be translated as The Lord is my sign, or my miracle, because He bestowed upon me a miraculous victory and so many other miracles. So the Chaldean [Targum].
By this trophy Moses assigned all praise for the victory to God; for he erected the altar not only for the purpose of sacrifice, but also as a trophy, and this nomenclature proves it. Calvin, shuddering at every name given to images and statues, as if they were shadows and phantoms of death, and fearing that we might turn this as a weapon for images against him, shamelessly denies that this name was given to the altar, against the express testimony of Sacred Scripture, which asserts that the altar was called by this name as a trophy of victory; for names are properly given to trophies and titles, and this name can suit nothing but a trophy. For it is not the case, as Calvin fears, that the name of God is here communicated to the altar as though it were God; but the meaning is, as if to say: By this altar as by a trophy I testify, I signify, that God is my exaltation, who made me superior to the Amalekite enemies, and therefore to it, as to a sign of the thing signified, I give the name, and call it: "The Lord is my exaltation"; just as we are accustomed to say of an image of Caesar or a King: That is Caesar, this is the King, meaning that image is of Caesar, this one is of the King. Similar designations are found throughout Scripture. For thus Isaac, Genesis chapter 26, verse 20, named a well from its event Contention, and another in verse 21, he called Breadth. Thus Gideon, Judges chapter 6, verse 24, calls his altar "The Lord's peace." Similar examples are found in 1 Kings chapter 7, verse 12, and 2 Kings chapter 18, verse 48.
Note here that victory in wars depends on God, and is a singular gift of God. Thus Judith consecrated the head of Holofernes, as an offering, to God the author of victory, Judith chapter 16, verse 23. Thus the prophet Jahaziel, when he had promised a remarkable victory to King Jehoshaphat against the Moabites, added: "You will not be the ones fighting, but only stand with confidence, and you will see the help of the Lord upon you; do not fear. Tomorrow you will go out against them, and the Lord will be with you," 2 Chronicles chapter 20, verse 17.
Thus Judas Maccabeus, when his men were afraid, being few in number, encouraging them said: "It is easy for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven, whether He delivers by many or by few; for the victory of war does not depend on the size of the army, but strength comes from heaven," 1 Maccabees chapter 3, verse 17.
Thus Trajan, a military commander sent by the Emperor Valens against the Barbarians, when he had been defeated and was accused of cowardice by Valens, nobly replied: "It is not I, O Emperor, who was defeated, but you yourself have lost the victory, you who do not cease to draw up battle lines against God, and thus win His aid for the Barbarians. For He whom you attack joins Himself to them. But victory follows God, and comes to those to whom God offers Himself as leader. Do you thus know what men you have expelled from the Churches, and to whom you have handed them over?" So Theodoret, book 4 of his History, chapter 29.
Thus when victory over the tyrant John was announced to the Emperor Theodosius during the Circus games, crying out to the people he said: "Come, let us leave this entertainment and go to this house of prayer, and let us compose hymns of thanksgiving to the author of the victory." He said it and did it. So Nicephorus, book 14, chapter 7.
Thus Clothar, king of the Franks, when about to fight against his rebellious son Chramnus: "Look down, he said, O Lord, from heaven, and judge my cause. For I suffer injuries unjustly from my son. Look down, and judge justly, and impose that same judgment which you once imposed between Absalom and his father David." Therefore when battle was joined, Chramnus was captured and killed by Clothar. So Gregory of Tours, book 4, chapters 16 and 17.
Alfonso, king of Aragon, to his son Ferdinand, as he was going to war against the Florentines: "Do not, he said, O son, attribute so much to your own or your fellow soldiers' boldness as to think that any victory can be obtained without God's help. For victory is not won by men's training or industry, but by the kindness and will of God the best and greatest: therefore worship God and conciliate Him to yourself: and if ever you suspect Him to be angry with you, beware of contending; and whatever seems to have befallen you from Him, take it in good part, and appease Him with patience and repentance." So Panormitanus in his Life.
Verse 16: The Hand of the Throne of the Lord
16. SAYING: BECAUSE THE HAND OF THE THRONE OF THE LORD, AND THE WAR OF THE LORD SHALL BE AGAINST AMALEK FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. — In Hebrew it is, because the hand is upon the throne of the Lord, that is, because God extended His hand upon His throne, that is, by the extension of His hand upon His throne He swore, and, that is that, the war of Himself and the Hebrews against Amalek will be eternal, that is, as long as Amalek exists, as if to say: There will be between the Hebrews and Amalek an irreconcilable and exterminating war.
Note first, the word "because" here is not causal, but enclitic; for it corresponds to the Hebrew ki, which often is redundant. Whence Vatablus translates: and he said: With raised hand by the throne of God I swear. For Moses here both gave a name to the altar and at the same time swore eternal war against Amalek: for these are separate things, and one is not the cause of the other. Second, this hand of the one swearing is either that of Moses, as Vatablus holds, or rather that of God: for our [Vulgate] Translator renders it, "the hand of the throne of the Lord"; the Chaldean and the Septuagint say the same more clearly. Third, the word "and" is not a conjunction, but a confirmatory particle designating the matter of the oath, meaning "that" or "because." Hence the Chaldean beautifully translates: With an oath this was said from before the Terrible One, whose majesty is upon the throne of glory, that war should be waged from before the Lord against the men of the house of Amalek, to consume them from the generations of the age.
The Septuagint interprets the hand upon the throne as a hidden hand, or rather, as others read, an exalted hand: for thus they have, hoti en cheiri krouphaia (Eugubinus reads koruphaia, that is, exalted, and this better corresponds to the Hebrew) polemei Kurios, that is, because with a hidden and exalted hand the Lord wages war, as if the hand of God upon His throne, though hidden, nevertheless works from on high.
One may ask, why was it the custom of old, and still is, to swear with the hand raised toward heaven? I answer: Because by this rite we attest that God resides in the heavens, as if on His throne. Second, because by this rite we signify that just as the heavens stand and endure, so firm will be the thing we promise by oath. Thus therefore God here swears by His throne, as by something eternal and immutable. So the Hebrews teach.
Hence St. Augustine, book 22 Against Faustus, chapter 74, defends Moses against the calumnies of Faustus, and proved against him (and against our Anabaptists and enthusiasts) that war is lawful for the faithful, on the grounds that Moses undertook it by the will of the Lord, and it is said here that the war of the Lord will be against Amalek forever.
Tropologically, let us also say as resolute soldiers of Christ: The war of the Lord will be mine, that is, war against Amalek, that is, against the flesh and the world forever: for this is the war of the Lord, which namely the Lord commands us, and which He Himself wages through us. Consider that saying of St. Francis:
Small the pleasure here: but afterward immense the punishment.
Small the labor here: but afterward eternal the glory.
Choose.
Many are called, few are chosen, all are recompensed.
Consider eternity.