Lectio 2
Lecture 2
Nolite obdurare corda vestra
Harden not your hearts
3:7 Quapropter sicut dicit Spiritus Sanctus: hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, [n. 170]
3:7 Wherefore, as the Holy Spirit says: today if you shall hear his voice, [n. 170]
3:8 nolite obdurare corda vestra, sicut in exacerbatione secundum diem tentationis in deserto, [n. 175]
3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the desert, [n. 175]
3:9 ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri: probaverunt, et viderunt opera mea [n. 178]
3:9 Where your fathers tempted me, proved and saw my works, [n. 178]
3:10 quadraginta annis: propter quod infensus fui generationi huic, et dixi: semper errant corde. Ipsi autem non cognoverunt vias meas, [n. 182]
3:10 Forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation, and I said: they always err in heart. And they have not known my ways. [n. 182]
3:11 sicut juravi in ira mea: si introibunt in requiem meam. [n. 184]
3:11 As I have sworn in my wrath: if they shall enter into my rest. [n. 184]
170. Supra probavit Apostolus, quod Christus est maioris excellentiae quam Moyses, hic concludit quod magis est obediendum Christo. Et hoc facit per auctoritatem prophetae David in Ps. XCIV.
170. Having proved that Christ is greater than Moses, the Apostle now concludes that Christ is more deserving of our obedience. He does this by the authority of David the prophet in Psalm 95.
Ubi tria facit, quia
He does three things:
primo proponit auctoritatem, quae continet quamdam exhortationem;
first, he proposes the authority which contains an exhortation;
secundo exponit eam, ibi videte, fratres;
second, he explains it, at take heed, brethren (Heb 3:12);
tertio ex auctoritate et expositione arguit, c. IV, ibi timeamus ergo.
third, he argues from the authority and the explanation, at let us fear therefore (Heb 4:1).
Circa primum tria facit.
In regard to the first he does three things.
Primo enim insinuat auctoritatem verborum sequentium;
First, he hints at the authority of the following words;
secundo ponit exhortationem, quae est in auctoritate, ibi hodie si vocem;
second, he makes the exhortation, which is in the authority, at today if you shall hear;
tertio ponit quamdam similitudinem, ibi sicut in exacerbatione, et cetera.
third, he presents a resemblance, at as in the provocation.
171. Auctoritas verborum est ex hoc, quod non sunt prolata humana adinventione, sed a Spiritu Sancto.
171. The authority of the words consists in the fact that they were not uttered by human lips, but by the Holy Spirit.
Quasi dicat: Christus est amplioris gratiae quam Moyses; ergo si audivimus Moysen, non debemus obdurare corda nostra ad audiendum Christum.
As if to say: Christ has more grace than Moses. Therefore, if we hearken to Moses, we ought not harden our hearts against hearing Christ.
Ipse autem verba Veteris Testamenti allegat pro Novo, ne credatur, quod tantum sint referenda ad Vetus Testamentum, imo etiam ad Novum, et ad aliud tempus referri debent. Et sunt verba Spiritus Sancti, quia, ut dicitur II Pet. I, 21: non humana voluntate allata est aliquando prophetia, sed Spiritu Sancto inspirati locuti sunt sancti Dei homines. Ipse enim David dicit, II Reg. XXIII, 2 de seipso: spiritus Domini locutus est per me.
But he cites the words of the Old Testament for the New, lest anyone suppose that they refer only to the Old Testament; for they should be referred also to the New and to another time. They are the words of the Holy Spirit, because: prophecy came not by the will of man at any time, but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21). For David himself says of himself: the spirit of the Lord spoke through me (2 Sam 23:2).
In hoc ergo ostendit auctoritatem esse veram, quia scilicet est a Spiritu Sancto, contra Manichaeum.
Therefore, in this he shows that the authority is true, because it is from the Holy Spirit, against the Manicheans.
172. Deinde cum dicit hodie si vocem, etc., ponit monitionem, ubi facit tria.
172. Then when he says today if you shall hear, he gives the admonition in which he does three things.
Primo enim describit tempus cum dicit hodie;
First, he describes the time when he says today;
secundo subdit beneficium, ibi si vocem;
second, he mentions the benefit, at if you shall hear;
tertio subiungit monitionem suam, ibi nolite obdurare.
third, the admonition, at harden not.
173. Tempus est hodie, scilicet tempus diei. Tempus enim legis veteris dicebatur nox, quia erat tempus umbrae. Infra X, 1: umbram enim habens lex futurorum bonorum. Sed tempus Novi Testamenti, quia repellit umbram noctis legis, dicitur dies.
173. The time is today, i.e., daytime. For the time of the old law was called night, because it was a time of shadows: for the law, having a shadow of the good things to come (Heb 10:1). But the time of the New Testament, because it repels the shadow of the night of the law, is called day:
Rom. XIII, 12: nox praecessit, dies autem appropinquavit.
The night is passed, the day is at hand (Rom 13:12).
Dicitur etiam istud tempus dies, propter ortum solis iustitiae. Mal. IV: vobis timentibus nomen meum orietur sol, et cetera. Hunc diem non sequitur nox, sed clarior dies, quando scilicet ipsum solem iustitiae videbimus revelata facie in rota sua, quando ipsum videbimus per essentiam.
That time is called day, because it witnessed the rising of the sun of justice: but unto you that fear my name, the sun of justice shall arise (Mal 4:2). This day is not succeeded by night, but by a clearer day, namely, when we shall see the sun of justice with his face revealed, when we shall see him by his essence.
174. Et in hac die exhibetur nobis beneficium. Nam sequitur si vocem eius audieritis, quia audimus vocem eius, quod non erat in Veteri Testamento, in quo audiebantur tantum verba prophetarum. Supra I, 1 s.: olim Deus loquens patribus in prophetis, novissime vero diebus istis locutus est nobis in filio. Is. LII, 6: propter hoc sciet populus meus nomen meum in die illa, quia ego ipse qui loquebar ecce adsum. Cant. II, 14: sonet vox tua in auribus meis.
174. And in this day a benefit will be given to us. For he continues, if you shall hear his voice, because we hear his voice, which was not true of the Old Testament, in which the words of the prophets were heard: God spoke in times past to the fathers in the prophets, last of all, in these days, has spoken to us by his Son (Heb 1:1–2); therefore, my people shall know my name in that day, because it was I myself that spoke, behold, I am here (Isa 52:6); let your voice sound on my ears (Song 2:14).
In hoc enim exhibetur nobis beneficium tantum desideratum. Lc. XIX, 42: in hac die tua, quae ad pacem tibi, et cetera.
For in this the benefit so long desired is shown to us: if you had known and in this your day, the things that are to your peace (Luke 19:42).
175. Si ergo tantum est beneficium, ecce monitio: nolite obdurare corda vestra. Cor durum sonat in malum. Durum est quod non cedit, sed resistit impellenti, nec recipit impressionem. Et sic dicitur cor hominis durum, quando non cedit divinae iussioni, nec de facili recipit divinas impressiones. Eccli. c. III, 27: cor durum male habebit in novissimo. Rom. II, 5: secundum duritiam tuam, et cor tuum impoenitens thesaurizas tibi iram in die irae.
175. Therefore, if that is the benefit, here is the admonition, harden not your hearts. For a hard heart expresses evil. That is hard which does not yield, but resists and does not receive an impression. Therefore, man’s heart is hard, when it does not yield to God’s command nor easily receive divine impressions: a hard heart shall fear evil at the last (Sir 3:27); but according to your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath (Rom 2:5).
Haec autem induratio ex duobus causatur. Ex uno quasi negative, scilicet ex Deo non apponente gratiam. Rom. IX, 18: cuius vult Deus miseretur, et quem vult indurat.
But this hardening is caused by two things: first, by God not offering grace: he has mercy on whom he will, and whom he wills, he hardens (Rom 9:18).
Ex alio vero positive, et hoc modo indurat peccator seipsum, non obediendo Deo, et non aperiendo cor suum gratiae. Zach. VII, 12: cor suum posuerunt ut adamantem, ne audirent legem et verba, quae misit Dominus exercituum spiritu suo per manum prophetarum priorum. Nolite ergo obdurare corda vestra, id est, nolite corda claudere Spiritui Sancto. Act. VII, 51: vos semper Spiritui Sancto restitistis.
Second, by the sinner hardening himself by not obeying God and by not opening his heart to grace: and they made their heart as the adamant stone, lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts sent in his spirit by the hand of the former prophets (Zech 7:12). Therefore, harden not your hearts, i.e., do not close your hearts to the Holy Spirit: you always resist the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51).
176. Consequenter ponit similitudinem cum dicit: sicut in exacerbatione.
176. Then he presents the resemblance when he says, as in the provocation.
Et haec est similitudo ex facto praeterito; nam fideles instruuntur de his, quae sunt agenda in Novo Testamento ex iis quae facta sunt in praeterito, secundum illud Rom. c. XV, 4: quaecumque scripta sunt, ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt.
This is a resemblance based on a past event: for the faithful are instructed about the things to be done in the New Testament from the things that occurred in the past: what things soever were written, were written for our learning (Rom 15:4).
Facit autem duo circa hoc, quia
In regard to this he does two things:
primo proponit exemplum in generali, ponendo culpam;
first, he gives an example in general by citing their guilt;