Deuteronomy 29

Deuteronomy 29:1

Augustine of Hippo: These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant that he made with them in Horeb. This text demonstrates why this book is called Deuteronomy, as if it were a second law. Actually, it is more a repetition of that law than something different. Well, there are few things that are not there, in which it occurred for the first time. And yet, this should not be called two alliances, although it seems that these words sound like this. Because both alliances are a unique alliance, which in the Church is called Antigua. Because if because of these words should speak of two alliances, there would be two, but many more, in addition to the New. For the Scripture speaks in many passages of covenant, like that which was made with Abraham about the circumcision (Cf Genesis 17,4) or that older one with Noah. 50 (Deuteronomy 29.2-4). You have seen all the things that the Lord your God did in the land of Egypt before you with Pharaoh and all his servants and with all his land, great trials that your eyes saw, those great signs and wonders and the mighty hand, and the Lord God did not give you a heart to know, neither eyes to see, nor ears to hear to this day. How can you say above: You have seen the great trials your eyes saw, if the Lord did not give you eyes to see or ears to hear? Unless it is said that it is because they saw with the body and did not see with the heart, because it is also spoken of the eyes of the heart. This is why he began there: And the Lord God did not give you the heart to know. This is what the following two things refer to: Neither eyes to see nor ears to hear, that is, to understand and obey. Because what it says: And the Lord God did not give you, would not say in any way admonishing or blaming, unless he wanted to be understood that it also refers to their fault, so that no one thinks he is free of guilt in this issue. At the same time it shows that they, without the help of the Lord God, can not understand or obey with the eyes or with the ears of the heart; and, nevertheless, if God’s help is lacking, the sin of man is not excusable, because the judgments of God, although secret, are just. — QUESTIONS ON DEUTERONOMY, Q. 49 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

Deuteronomy 29:5

Augustine of Hippo: And he led you for forty years in the desert. Your clothes did not age, and your skins were not broken by your feet. You did not eat bread; you did not drink wine or fermented drink, so that you would know that this is the Lord your God. From this it follows that the Israelites were able to carry in their impediment, when they left Egypt, the amount of wine they could consume immediately, because if they had not taken anything with them, where would that come from what has been said: The people sat down to eat and they got up to play? (Exodus 32,6) Because this could not be said of the water, when the clear words of Moses are that this affirmation was not the beginning of a war, but the beginning of a party (Cf Exodus 32,6.18). — QUESTIONS ON DEUTERONOMY, Q. 51 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

Deuteronomy 29:18

Augustine of Hippo: Is there among you man or woman, or family or tribe whose mind has departed from the Lord your God going to serve the gods of those people? Is there a root among you that grows in gall and bitterness? And it will happen that when someone hears the words of this curse and says in his heart, saying: “Holy things happen to me, because I walk in the error of my heart so that the sinner does not lose at the same time the one who is without sin”, God He will not forgive him, but the anger of the Lord and his jealousy against that man will be kindled, and all the curses of this covenant that are written in the book of this law will fall on him. The text reads as follows: Is there anyone among you? You have to understand it, then, in the form of a question, in case there is one. If there had been, it filled him with terror, so that no one would say in his heart, upon hearing those curses: Be holy to me (curses be holy things to me), for I walk in the error of my heart, that is, I wish these things do not happen to me; that bad things do not happen to me, but holy things, that is, auspicious and favorable, because I walk in the error of my heart, following the gods of the Gentiles and giving them worship as with impunity. It will not be like that, therefore. That the sinner does not lose the one who is without sin at the same time. It means: make sure that no one of you convinces you to do these things who thinks them. God will not forgive him, both the one who thinks such things, and the one who has been persuaded by them, just as the other had thought when he said: Be holy to me, as if removing the force of that curse in this way. But then the wrath of the Lord and his jealousy will be kindled against that man, when he thinks that he will turn it away from himself, by saying those things in his heart. And all the curses of this covenant, which are written in the book of this law, will fall on him. All of them can not come on one man, because a man can not die so many times how many genera of deaths are announced here. The text says “all” by “any”, so that he will not be free from all those to whom any of the curses that cause him to perish come to him. The words: So that the sinner does not lose at the same time the one who is without sin, it is not necessary to take them in the sense that the Greek word antarcton designates an absolutely clean and pure one of all sin, but the term anamárteton, literally « without sin “, refers to one who would be free from the sin that was being talked about. As when the Lord says in the Gospel: If I had not come and spoken to you, you would not have sin (John 15,22), where you do not mean that you would not have any sin, but that you would not have this sin if you did not believe in it. God also says to Abimelek, referring to Sarah, the wife of Abraham: I know that you did it with a clean heart. It is evident that the Lord did not mean to say that the heart of Abimelek was as clean as those of whom it is said: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Abimelek had his heart clean of that sin that was involved, because, as far as he had depended, he had not wanted the other woman’s. 53 (Deuteronomy 30.6). And the Lord will purify your heart and the heart of your offspring around you to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul so that you may live. It is evident that it is the promise of grace. Well, God promises that he will do what he usually commands to be done. — QUESTIONS ON DEUTERONOMY, Q. 52 (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

Deuteronomy 29:23

Origen of Alexandria: He pretends then that he does not see your future so that he may preserve your self-determination by not foretelling or foreknowing whether you will repent or not. So he says to the prophet, “Speak, perhaps they will repent.” You will find numerous other passages where Scripture talks about God “taking on the manners of” man. If you hear of the anger of God and his wrath, do not suppose that anger and wrath are passions of God. The purposes of using this way of speaking are for converting and educating the infant, since we also use a fearful expression with children, not from an actual state of mind but because of a purpose to cause fear. — HOMILIES ON Jeremiah 18.6.7