Deuteronomy 11:18- private interpretation

[COPLAND_3]

I my preparations for my Daily Mass Readings, I have been researching insights for the 1st reading on Sunday June 1. It has been very difficult gathering sound Catholic commentary on Deuteronomy 11: 18, 26 - 28, 32. I tried extremely hard to provide it with Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church, or even Jewish exegesis from Philo or Josephus, but I was not successful, and I ran an exaustive search. So I did what I thought I would not do, and that was provide a little of my own private interpretation. I only needed to do one verse. Here it is, I just want to run it across with some others for a little scrutiny.

**18 "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. **

in your heart and in your soul: Not to be taken too literally. The idea is that the Word of God should be observed by the conscience.

and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand: That means doing good works.

and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes: That is the eye of our understanding for perceiving the clearness of the true light.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Deut 11:18 cross-references to Deut 6:6-9 and Matt 23:5.

Your interpretation seems to agree with St. Jerome’s commentary on Matthew 23:5 from St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:JEROME; For the Lord, when He had given the commandments of the Law through Moses, added at the end, And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be ever before your eyes; the meaning of which is, Let my precepts be in your hand so as to he fulfilled in your works; let them be before your eyes so as that you shall meditate upon them day and night. This the Pharisees misinterpreting, wrote on parchments the Decalogue of Moses, that is, the Ten Commandments, and folding them up, tied them on their forehead, so making them a crown for their head, that they should be always before their eyes.

Moses had in another place given command that they should make fringes of blue in the borders of their garments, to distinguish the people of Israel; that as in their bodies circumcision, so in their garments the fringe, might discriminate the Jewish nation. But these superstitious teachers, catching at popular favor, and making gain of silly women, made broad hems, and fastened them with sharp pins, that as they walked or sat they might be pricked, and by such monitors be recalled to the duties of God’s ministry. This embroidery then of the Decalogue they called phylacteries, that is, conservatories, because those who wore them, wore them for their own protection and security. So little did the Pharisees understand that they were to be worn on the heart and not on the body; for in equal degree may cases and chests be said to have books, which assuredly have not the knowledge of God.

 

[COPLAND_3]

Todd,

Thank you! I did not run onto that quote! And I thought that I searched every corner of the Fathers. I will use that quote!!

 

[Todd_Easton]

You are most welcome. It is my pleasure to assist such a praiseworthy project.

 

[COPLAND_3]

Todd,

Finding that by cross reference is very impressive. Thanks again, it truly helped, especially my conscience. I really did not want to give my interpretation.