Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
The ceremony of blessing on Mount Gerizim and of cursing on Mount Ebal is prescribed to be performed: namely first, that all the people — both Israelites and proselytes, both men, women, and children — go to these mountains. Second, that they erect an altar on Ebal. Third, that they set up stones and coat them with lime. Fourth, that they inscribe the law on them. Fifth, that they sacrifice on the altar. Sixth, that six tribes stand on Gerizim and six others on Ebal. Seventh, that in the middle of these mountains, namely in the valley itself, the priests of the Lord stand with the ark. Eighth, that by these, with a loud and full voice, the prescribed formula of blessing and cursing be recited, to which the people shall respond: Amen.
Vulgate Text: Deuteronomy 27:1-26
1. Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: Keep every commandment which I command you today. 2. And when you have crossed the Jordan into the land which the Lord your God will give you, you shall set up great stones and coat them with lime, 3. so that you may write on them all the words of this law, after crossing the Jordan: that you may enter the land which the Lord your God will give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as He swore to your fathers. 4. When therefore you have crossed the Jordan, set up the stones which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall coat them with lime: 5. and you shall build there an altar to the Lord your God, of stones which iron has not touched, 6. and of rough and unpolished stones; and you shall offer upon it burnt offerings to the Lord your God, 7. and sacrifice peace offerings, and eat there, and feast before the Lord your God. 8. And you shall write upon the stones all the words of this law plainly and clearly. 9. And Moses and the priests of the Levitical order said to all Israel: Attend and hear, O Israel; today you have become the people of the Lord your God: 10. you shall hear His voice, and do the commandments and ordinances which I command you. 11. And Moses commanded the people on that day, saying: 12. These shall stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim, after crossing the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13. And opposite them, these shall stand to curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14. And the Levites shall pronounce, and shall say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice: 15. Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of craftsmen, and sets it up in secret! And all the people shall answer and say: Amen. 16. Cursed is he who does not honor his father and mother! And all the people shall say: Amen. 17. Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundaries! And all the people shall say: Amen. 18. Cursed is he who causes the blind to go astray on the road! And all the people shall say: Amen. 19. Cursed is he who perverts the judgment of the stranger, the orphan, and the widow! And all the people shall say: Amen. 20. Cursed is he who lies with his father's wife, and uncovers the covering of his bed! And all the people shall say: Amen. 21. Cursed is he who lies with any beast! And all the people shall say: Amen. 22. Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or his mother! And all the people shall say: Amen. 23. Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law! And all the people shall say: Amen. 24. Cursed is he who secretly strikes his neighbor! And all the people shall say: Amen. 25. Cursed is he who takes bribes to strike down an innocent life! And all the people shall say: Amen. 26. Cursed is he who does not abide in the words of this law, nor fulfills them in deed! And all the people shall say: Amen.
Verse 2: The Great Stones and the Law
2. "AND WHEN YOU HAVE CROSSED THE JORDAN, etc., YOU SHALL SET UP GREAT STONES" — twelve in number, namely for the number of the twelve tribes; for Moses had established the same number when he was about to recite the law to the Israelites, Exodus 24:4.
"YOU SHALL COAT THEM WITH LIME" (that is, as the Hebrews have it, you shall smear or plaster them with lime, and this for the purpose that, as is said in verse 8, you may write upon them) "ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW PLAINLY AND CLEARLY" — that is, say the Jews, with vowel points, which for the Hebrews serve as vowels; for they hold that these were already given to Moses at that time. But this is a fable. For it is certain that the Hebrew vowel points were invented long after Christ, indeed after the time of St. Jerome, as those most skilled in the Hebrew language teach — indeed Rabbi Elias Levita himself. Therefore "plainly and clearly" means the same as "distinctly and clearly."
Hence it is clear that the whole of this law was inscribed in writing on these stones, that is, the whole of Deuteronomy, both for the encouragement of those present and for the memory of posterity. For it was not only the Decalogue, as Lyranus and Cajetan think; nor only the curses and blessings, as Masius thinks; nor only the affirmative and negative precepts of the law, as Aben-Ezra thinks, that were inscribed on these stones, but the whole of Deuteronomy, as is clear from the command to inscribe on them "all the words of this law": and so Joshua actually did, in chapter 8, verse 32. So Abulensis and Serarius.
Mystically, Cyril in his Glaphyra takes the 12 stones as the 12 Apostles, on whom God's law was inscribed, so that all could read it in their words and conduct.
Verse 12: The Tribes on Mount Gerizim
12. "THESE SHALL STAND TO BLESS THE PEOPLE ON MOUNT GERIZIM, etc.: SIMEON, LEVI, JUDAH, ISSACHAR, JOSEPH" (namely Ephraim and Manasseh: for these were the sons of Joseph; therefore these two tribes are here called one, namely Joseph) "AND BENJAMIN." — Note: Mount Gerizim overlooks the city of Shechem, as is clear from Judges 9:7; on it, in the time of Alexander the Great, Sanballat the governor of Samaria built a temple; of which temple the Samaritan woman makes mention, conversing with Christ, John 4:20.
Verse 13: The Tribes on Mount Ebal
13. "AND OPPOSITE THEM, THESE SHALL STAND TO CURSE" (namely so that when the priests pronounce curses upon the people who do not keep God's law, they applaud and respond: Amen) "ON MOUNT EBAL: REUBEN, GAD, ASHER, ZEBULUN, DAN, AND NAPHTALI." — Mount Ebal is adjacent to Mount Gerizim: for only a valley lies between them.
The Ceremony of Blessings and Curses
Note: With this ceremony and pageantry, the Lord wished to provoke the unlearned people to remember and fulfill the law: whence the Levites, that is the priests, by proclaiming the blessings and curses, like heralds renewed and confirmed the covenant between God and the people. The whole matter, therefore, seems to have been carried out in this order and manner. First, in the valley itself, between the two mountains, namely Gerizim and Ebal, stood those priests who carried the ark of the covenant, as is clear from Joshua 8:33. Second, around them stood the other priests and all the Levites; around them, third, stood the elders, leaders, and judges of the people. Fourth, next came all the tribes, so that the six designated tribes stood facing toward Mount Gerizim, the six others toward Mount Ebal. Fifth, Joshua, either by himself as Prophet, or through the priests, blessed the people, as is clear from Joshua 8:34. Sixth, some priests who seemed the most loud-voiced recited the law. Seventh, standing in the valley near the ark, from an elevated place or a platform, turning toward Mount Gerizim, they pronounced the blessings; then turning toward Mount Ebal, they pronounced the curses: and this appropriately according to the nature of the mountains. For Gerizim is fertile and pleasant, and therefore toward it blessings were rightly directed; but Ebal is barren and unpleasant: therefore it rightly received the imprecations and denunciations.
Rabbi Solomon thinks that the priests, after each individual blessing to which the six tribes responded Amen, turned toward Ebal and pronounced the contrary curse, to which the other six tribes, in alternating voice and chorus as it were, responded Amen; for this seems more fitting and harmonious. Others, however, such as Andreas Masius and Abulensis, hold no less probably that the priests first pronounced all 12 blessings together toward Gerizim, with six tribes responding Amen to each; then after these they pronounced in order the 12 curses toward Ebal, with the other six tribes responding Amen.
Furthermore, these blessings are not described here, but they may be gathered from the curses in verse 15: First, blessed is he who does not make a graven image, but worships the one true God! Second, blessed is he who honors father and mother! Third, blessed is he who does not move the boundaries of his neighbor, and so on for the rest up to 12, namely for the number of 12 tribes. Finally, these blessings are explained more fully in the next chapter, verse 28. So Andreas Masius.
Tropologically, Origen, homily 9 on Joshua, and Rabanus here: those who walk near Mount Gerizim for blessing are those who, not from fear of punishment, but kindled by the hope and love of heavenly promise and eternal blessing, press toward salvation. The others who walk near Ebal, where the curses were pronounced, are those who fulfill the law not from love of the promises, but from fear of punishments, in order to be saved. But all of these walk around the ark: because they do not depart from the bosom of the Church.
Anagogically, Rupert, book 2, chapter 5: Here is signified the universal judgment; for these two hills facing each other, namely Gerizim and Ebal, signify two ranks and two stations of those to be judged: for Gerizim signifies the sheep who shall be at Christ's right — namely, the elect. Ebal signifies the goats who shall be at Christ's left — namely, those to be condemned to hell. Whence these shall hear: "Depart, you cursed, into everlasting fire"; but those: "Come, blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Verse 15: The People Respond Amen
15. "AND ALL THE PEOPLE SHALL ANSWER AND SAY: AMEN." — "Amen," says St. Jerome to Marcella, letter 137, Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion translate it as "faithfully," or "truly"; the Septuagint translated it genoito, that is, "so be it." Amen therefore signifies "truly," or also "firmly"; for the root aman signifies to make firm, to establish: whence the noun emeth, that is, firmness, stability, truth. Amen therefore is not a particle of swearing, as the common people think, but of affirming and confirming; it affirms when it is placed before a statement, as: "Amen, amen I say to you"; it confirms when placed after a statement.
Note: The six nobler tribes responded Amen to the blessings; but to the curses, Amen was responded by the six less noble tribes, namely the four descended from the four sons of the handmaids — Gad, Asher, Dan, and Naphtali — to whom Reuben is added, because he defiled his father's bed by his incest; and Zebulun, because he was the last son of Leah. So Rabanus and Theodoret, Question 34.
Note, second: Each individual in so great a multitude responded Amen; for although those farther from the valley did not sufficiently hear the voice of the priests, nevertheless the very nature of the ceremony and the shouting of those in the front ranks admonished them, and elicited a remarkable Amen from all, says Serarius.
Verses 16-17: Curses on Dishonoring Parents and Moving Boundaries
16. "WHO DOES NOT HONOR" (in Hebrew, "who despises") "HIS FATHER."
17. "WHO MOVES THE BOUNDARIES" — of fields, so as by deceit and injustice to enlarge his estates.