_Choose. Hebrew, "take," as [in] chap. iii. 12. Those twelve men were ordered to attend the ark, and to observe the miracle with care: these are chosen to carry the stones for the monuments. (Salien) --- Calmet supposes that they are the same people, and that the former verse might be translated, "t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hard. The Hebrew term is referred by some to the priests, "from the station of the priests, prepared, or standing firm," (chap. iii. 17,) by others to the stones, which were to be prepared, hard, or exactly twelve. (Calmet) --- The Septuagint have take it in the latter sense, "twelve stones ready,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Of Israel, who had twelve sons. The same expression occurs [in] Deuteronomy xxxii. 8., and must be explained of the immediate sons of Jacob, without including those grandchildren who might be born before his death. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Day. Some hence infer that Josue did not write this book. But surely if he wrote it towards the end of his life, he might well use this expression, (Menochius) as St. Matthew does to denote a shorter term. The twelve stones at Galgal, and in the bed of the Jordan, at Bethabara, (Haydock) were proba... [ Continue Reading ]
_To him. Moses had been dead forty days. But it seems this miraculous division of the Jordan had been revealed to him, and he had cautioned Josue to let slip no opportunity of attaching the people to God's service, by erecting monuments of religion, as he did on this occasion. (Calmet) --- Haste. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_People, who passed over 2000 cubits lower down, and always kept the same distance, till they arrived at Galgal. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Them. (Chap. i. 14., and Numbers xxxii. 28.) Forty thousand were only chosen. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bands. Hebrew, "prepared for war passed over, before the Lord, unto battle, to the plains of Jericho." (Haydock) --- These formed the van-guard. --- Plains. Hebrew harboth, which is translated desert, Jeremias lii. 8. A large plain, fit for pasturage, extended from the city to the Jordan, on the ea... [ Continue Reading ]
_In, &c. Josue recapitulates how this miracle established his authority, and how he was ordered to command the priests to come up from the midst of the Jordan, after the people had all got to the other side, and the stones were fixed, to denote where the ark had stood, like a wall, to hinder the wat... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER IV. Ver 1. _Over. Hebrew and Septuagint, "clean, or entirely;" perhaps two million people, with all their possessions, had crossed the river on that day, the 10th of Nisan, leaving many of their brethren to cultivate and defend the eastern parts of the Jordan. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Month of the ecclesiastical year. They had left Egypt on the 15th of Nisan, so that they had spent forty years, within five days, on their journey. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Galgal. It received its name afterwards, chap. v. 9. It lay in a direct line from Jericho to the Jordan eastwards, being ten stadia from the former, and fifty from the latter place. Josue had his camp here while he subdued the kings of Chanaan, (Calmet) as it had plenty of water and wood in its env... [ Continue Reading ]
_Earth, particularly of Chanaan. This miracle tends to inspire the enemy with fear and consternation, and to confirm the faith and hope of the Israelites. The obstinacy of the former was thus rendered more inexcusable. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]