1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible

Presents commentary in a tabular format for ease of reading.Click to learn more.





Sirach 46:1 Valiant in war was Jesus, the son of Nave, who was successor of Moses among the prophets, who was great according to his name,

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) --- Among. Greek, "in the prophecies." (Haydock) --- He was endued with the prophetic spirit, and was raised up by God as a noble figure of the great prophet, Deuteronomy 18:15. (Calmet) --- He succeeded Moses in the temporal power; the spiritual belonged to the sons of Aaron, Numbers xxvii. (Worthington)
Sirach 46:2 Very great for the saving the elect of God, to overthrow the enemies that rose up against them, that he might get the inheritance for Israel.

Israel. He led the people into Chanaan, and divided it among them.
Sirach 46:3 How great glory did he gain when he lifted up his hands, and stretched out swords against the cities?

Hands. To pray, (Vatable) or fight, (Bossuet) or to give a signal, Josue 8:26. (Cornelius a Lapide) --- Stretched. Literally, threw (Haydock) darts, romphoeas.
Sirach 46:4 Who before him hath so resisted? for the Lord himself brought the enemies.

The. Greek, "he conducted the wars of the Lord." (Calmet) --- Other editions agree with us.
Sirach 46:5 *Was not the sun stopped in his anger, and one day made as two?

Josue 10:14. 		In. Greek, "by his hand," (Haydock) and order, so that the day-light continued 24 hours.
Sirach 46:6 He called upon the most high Sovereign, when the enemies assaulted him on every side, and the great and holy God heard him by hailstones of exceeding great force.
Sirach 46:7 He made a violent assault against the nation of his enemies, and in the descent he destroyed the adversaries,

Adversaries. The hail destroyed more than the sword, Josue 10:11.
Sirach 46:8 That the nations might know his power, that it is not easy to fight against God. And he followed the mighty one:

Power. Greek, "complete armour for his warfare was before the Lord, since he," etc. They found it was impossible to resist such weapons. (Haydock) --- One. "Follow God," was a maxim of the ancient sages, which they even attributed to Apollo. Josue and Caleb did so in opposition to the rebels, Numbers 14:24. (Calmet) --- 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)
Sirach 46:9 *And in the days of Moses he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb, the son of Jephone, in standing against the enemy, and withholding the people from sins, and appeasing the wicked murmuring.

Numbers 14:6. 		Mercy, and piety, (Calmet) endeavouring to prevent the murmurs of the people, which would draw upon them destruction, as the event shewed. (Haydock)
Sirach 46:10 And they two being appointed, were delivered out of the danger, from among the number of six hundred thousand men on foot, to bring them into their inheritance, into the land that floweth with milk and honey.
Sirach 46:11 And the Lord gave strength also to Caleb, and his strength continued even to his old age, so that he went up to the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an inheritance:

Land. Hebron, when he was 85 years old, Josue 14:6. (Haydock)
Sirach 46:12 That all the children of Israel might see, that it is good to obey the holy God.
Sirach 46:13 Then all the judges, every one by name, whose heart was not corrupted: who turned not away from the Lord,

Lord. Abimelec must be excepted, (Calmet) as he was only an usurper. (Haydock) --- The Judges were all saved, though some have been great sinners. (Worthington)
Sirach 46:14 That their memory might be blessed, and their bones spring up out of their place,

Place. At the resurrection, which the Jews firmly believed, Ezechiel 37:3.
Sirach 46:15 And their name continue for ever, the glory of the holy men remaining unto their children.
Sirach 46:16 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, the beloved of the Lord, his God, established a new government, and anointed princes over his people.

People. Though he disapproved of their resolution, 1 Kings 8:6., and Osee 13:11.
Sirach 46:17 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the God of Jacob beheld, and by his fidelity he was proved a prophet.

And the. Sixtus V, etc., read, "and he beheld the God," 1 Kings 3:7. (Calmet) --- Vulgate may signify also, "God beheld Jacob," (Greek) with a favourable eye, and enabled Samuel to restore their fallen state, and to recover the ark. (Haydock)
Sirach 46:18 And he was known to be faithful in his words, because he saw the God of light:

Because. Greek has not faithful, or what follows. (Calmet) --- Yet Grabe's copy retains pistos oraseos, "faithful in seeing" into futurity; so that his predictions were always verified, and he acquired the confidence of all, 1 Kings 3:20. Prophets were formerly styled seers: yet they could not behold God, as he inhabits light inaccessible, 1 Timothy 6:16. (Haydock) --- Light. St. James 1:17. seems to allude to this passage. (Menochius)
Sirach 46:19 *And called upon the name of the Lord Almighty, in fighting against the enemies who beset him on every side, when he offered a lamb without blemish.

1 Kings 7. 		Without. Greek, "fed with milk," 1 Kings 7:6. The Philistines were discomfited, and continued peaceable during the rest of Samuel's government.
Sirach 46:20 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard.
Sirach 46:21 And he crushed the princes of the Tyrians, and all the lords of the Philistines:

Tyrians, who were auxiliaries, or in league with the Philistines. (Calmet)
Sirach 46:22 *And before the time of the end of his life in the world, he protested before the Lord, and his anointed; money, or any thing else, *even to a shoe, he had not taken of any man, and no man did accuse him.

1 Kings 12. --- ** Genesis 14:23. 		Shoe. So Abraham declared he would not receive the latchet of a shoe from the king of Sodom, Genesis 14:23. --- Him. All confessed his integrity, before he delivered up the sovereign power to Saul, 1 Kings xii.
Sirach 46:23 And after this he slept, *and he made known to the king, and shewed him the end of his life, and he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the nation.

1 Kings 28:18. 		Nation. Foretelling that Israel should be defeated. Some doubt whether the soul of Samuel appeared; but it seems clear from this passage, (1 Kings 28:18.; Calmet, Diss.) as he could not otherwise be praised for it. (Worthington)