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*H In their affliction they will rise early to me: Come, and let us return to the Lord.
Ver. 1. Early, or in haste. All the people will repent. C.
*H For he hath taken us, and he will heal us: he will strike, and he will cure us.
Ver. 2. Cure us. God is always ready to receive penitents. W.
* Footnotes
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1_Corinthians
15:4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures:
*H He will revive us after two days: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. We shall know, and we shall follow on, that we may know the Lord. His going forth is prepared as the morning light, and he will come to us as the early and the latter rain to the earth.
Ver. 3. Third. In a short time the Lord will easily set us free. But the prophet refers more directly to the resurrection of the faithful, and of Christ. Eph. ii. 5. and 1 Cor. xv. 4. C. — S. Paul mentions the third day according to the Scriptures, which nowhere else so clearly specify it. W. See S. Jer. S. Cyp. Sanct. 9. — Know. Hitherto we have been reproached with voluntary ignorance in adoring idols. C. iv. 6. We will amend. — His, Christ's. — Rain. It falls only in autumn and in spring. Deut. xi. 14. C.
*H What shall I do to thee, O Ephraim? what shall I do to thee, O Juda? your mercy is as a morning cloud, and as the dew that goeth away in the morning.
Ver. 4. Mercy. Heb. chesed, (H.) "piety," &c. (Grot.) whence the word Assideans is derived. 1 Mac. ii. 42. The captives flattered themselves, that as soon as they began to entertain sentiments of repentance, God would relieve them. But he answers that their virtue is inconstant, and that they must suffer in proportion to their crimes.
*H For this reason have I hewed them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments shall go forth as the light.
Ver. 5. Mouth. I have ordered my prophets to denounce death unto them, and to treat them roughly, like a piece of marble designed for a statue. Sept. &c. "I have slain thy prophets," &c. by Elias, Jehu, &c. The former sense is preferable. — Thy judgments, or condemnation. C. — Heb. "and thy judgments light shall go forth." H. — Pocock labours hard, but in vain, to explain this; as all the old versions, except the Vulg. have, "my judgments as the light," &c. Heb. letters may probably have been ill joined, (Kennicott) as Meibomius suspects they have been also. Jer. xxiii. 33. Here umospoti caur, "my judgments as the light," &c. is exchanged for umishpatec or. This would be very easy when words were written undivided, as in ancient MSS. H. — "Some transcriber upon hearing umishpatecaor, from the person dictating to him, writ umishpateca or instead of umishpate caor. Kennicott, Diss. 1.
* Footnotes
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1_Kings
15:22
And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat or rams.
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Matthew
9:13
Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.
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Matthew
12:17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaias the prophet, saying:
*H For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than holocausts.
Ver. 6. Mercy: sincere piety. v. 4. — Sacrifice. They had offered many. C. v. 6. C. — "My victims are the salvation of the faithful, and the conversion of sinners." S. Jer. — Knowledge, of a practical nature, which was deficient. C. iv. 6. and vi. 4. C.
* Summa
*S Part 3, Ques 30, Article 4
[II-II, Q. 30, Art. 4]
Whether Mercy Is the Greatest of the Virtues?
Objection 1: It would seem that mercy is the greatest of the virtues. For the worship of God seems a most virtuous act. But mercy is preferred before the worship of God, according to Osee 6:6 and Matt. 12:7: "I have desired mercy and not sacrifice." Therefore mercy is the greatest virtue.
Obj. 2: Further, on the words of 1 Tim. 4:8: "Godliness is profitable to all things," a gloss says: "The sum total of a Christian's rule of life consists in mercy and godliness." Now the Christian rule of life embraces every virtue. Therefore the sum total of all virtues is contained in mercy.
Obj. 3: Further, "Virtue is that which makes its subject good," according to the Philosopher. Therefore the more a virtue makes a man like God, the better is that virtue: since man is the better for being more like God. Now this is chiefly the result of mercy, since of God is it said (Ps. 144:9) that "His tender mercies are over all His works," and (Luke 6:36) Our Lord said: "Be ye . . . merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Therefore mercy is the greatest of virtues.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle after saying (Col. 3:12): "Put ye on . . . as the elect of God . . . the bowels of mercy," etc., adds (Col. 3:14): "Above all things have charity." Therefore mercy is not the greatest of virtues.
_I answer that,_ A virtue may take precedence of others in two ways: first, in itself; secondly, in comparison with its subject. In itself, mercy takes precedence of other virtues, for it belongs to mercy to be bountiful to others, and, what is more, to succor others in their wants, which pertains chiefly to one who stands above. Hence mercy is accounted as being proper to God: and therein His omnipotence is declared to be chiefly manifested [*Collect, Tenth Sunday after Pentecost].
On the other hand, with regard to its subject, mercy is not the greatest virtue, unless that subject be greater than all others, surpassed by none and excelling all: since for him that has anyone above him it is better to be united to that which is above than to supply the defect of that which is beneath. [*"The quality of mercy is not strained./'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes/The throned monarch better than his crown." Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene i.]. Hence, as regards man, who has God above him, charity which unites him to God, is greater than mercy, whereby he supplies the defects of his neighbor. But of all the virtues which relate to our neighbor, mercy is the greatest, even as its act surpasses all others, since it belongs to one who is higher and better to supply the defect of another, in so far as the latter is deficient.
Reply Obj. 1: We worship God by external sacrifices and gifts, not for His own profit, but for that of ourselves and our neighbor. For He needs not our sacrifices, but wishes them to be offered to Him, in order to arouse our devotion and to profit our neighbor. Hence mercy, whereby we supply others' defects is a sacrifice more acceptable to Him, as conducing more directly to our neighbor's well-being, according to Heb. 13:16: "Do not forget to do good and to impart, for by such sacrifices God's favor is obtained."
Reply Obj. 2: The sum total of the Christian religion consists in mercy, as regards external works: but the inward love of charity, whereby we are united to God preponderates over both love and mercy for our neighbor.
Reply Obj. 3: Charity likens us to God by uniting us to Him in the bond of love: wherefore it surpasses mercy, which likens us to God as regards similarity of works. _______________________
*H But they, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant, there have they dealt treacherously against me.
Ver. 7. Adam. A compact was made with him, that if he continued faithful or otherwise, his posterity should be born in original justice or sin. H. — He transgressed, and was expelled from paradise, as the Jews were from their land. Sept. "like a man:" like any who had not been so highly favoured with the law, &c. C. — Adam means "a man," and sometimes it would be as well rendered in this sense. H.
*H Galaad is a city of workers of idols, supplanted with blood.
Ver. 8. Supplanted with blood. That is, undermined and brought to ruin for shedding of blood; and, as it is signified in the following verse, for conspiring with the priests, (of Bethel) like robbers, to murder in the way such as passed out of Sichem to go towards the temple of Jerusalem. Or else supplanted with blood signifies flowing in such a manner with blood, as to suffer none to walk there without embruing the soles of their feet in blood. Ch. — Thus they would become unclean, and might easily slip. H. — Galaad was famous for the treaty between Laban and Jacob; and all such places were chosen for altars in the latter times of the two kingdoms. Maspha or Ramoth were the usual resort. Theodoret reads, "Galgal." C. iv. 15. C.
*H And like the jaws of highway robbers, they conspire with the priests who murder in the way those that pass out of Sichem: for they have wrought wickedness.
Ver. 9. Robbers. Jephte had infested those parts, and the country was noted for murders; whence more cities of refuge were appointed in it. Judg. xi.and Jos. xx. 8. The prophet alludes to what had been said to Gad. Gen. xlix. 19. — Out of, or to Sichem. They were jealous of people going thither, (C.) wishing to receive their offerings themselves. H.
*H And thou also, O Juda, set thee a harvest, when I shall bring back the captivity of my people.
Ver. 11. Harvest. This implies punishment or felicity. The turn of Juda shall come, and he shall be chastised; but after the captivity, he shall enjoy plenty. C. ii. 15. Is. ix. 3. C.