Augustine of Hippo — Commentary on Scripture

Exodus 20:17 · 2 passages

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The law said, “You shall not covet,” in order that, when we find ourselves lying in this diseased state, we might seek the medicine of grace. By that commandment [we might] know both in what direction our endeavors should aim as we advance in our present mortal condition and to what a height it is possible to reach in the future immortality. For unless perfection could somewhere be attained, this commandment would never have been given to us.

There you are then, the law tells you “you shall not covet.” You know the law which says, “You shall not covet.” Covetousness surges up in you, which you didn’t know. It was there inside, you see, but it wasn’t known. You started to make an effort to overcome what was inside, and what was hidden came to light. Proud fellow, through the law you have been made into a transgressor. Acknowledge grace, and become a singer of praise.

Exodus 20:19

And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

But notice how it happened there and how it happened here. There, the people stood a long way off; there was an atmosphere of dread, not of love. I mean, they were so terrified that they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and do not let the Lord speak to us, lest we die.” So God came down, as it is written, on Sinai in fire; but he was terrifying the people who stood a long way off, and “writing with his finger on stone,” not on the heart.Here, however, when the Holy Spirit came, the faithful were gathered together as one; and he didn’t terrify them on a mountain but came in to them in a house. There came a sudden sound, indeed, from heaven, as of a fierce squall rushing upon them; it made a noise, but nobody panicked. You have heard the sound, now see the fire too, because each was there on the mountain also, both fire and sound; but there, there was smoke as well, here, though, the fire was clear. “There appeared to them,” Scripture says, you see, “divided tongues, as of fire.” Terrifying them from a long way off? Far from it. Because “it settled upon each one of them, and they…

But notice how it happened there and how it happened here. There, the people stood a long way off; there was an atmosphere of dread, not of love. I mean, they were so terrified that they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and do not let the Lord speak to us, lest we die.” So God came down, as it is written, on Sinai in fire; but he was terrifying the people who stood a long way off, and “writing with his finger on stone,” not on the heart.Here, however, when the Holy Spirit came, the faithful were gathered together as one; and he didn’t terrify them on a mountain but came in to them in a house. There came a sudden sound, indeed, from heaven, as of a fierce squall rushing upon them; it made a noise, but nobody panicked. You have heard the sound, now see the fire too, because each was there on the mountain also, both fire and sound; but there, there was smoke as well, here, though, the fire was clear. “There appeared to them,” Scripture says, you see, “divided tongues, as of fire.” Terrifying them from a long way off? Far from it. Because “it settled upon each one of them, and they began to talk in languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Hear a person speaking a language, and understand the Spirit writing not on stone but on the heart.

Exodus 21:24

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Not to exceed due measure in inflicting punishment, lest the requital be greater than the injury—that is the lesser justice of the Pharisees. And it is a high degree of justice, for it would not be easy to find a man who, on receiving a fisticuff, would be content to give only one in return and who, on hearing one word from a reviler, would be content to return one word exactly equivalent. On the contrary, either he exceeds moderation because he is angry, or he thinks that, with regard to one who has inflicted an injury on another, justice demands a penalty greater than the injury suffered by the innocent person. To a great extent, such a spirit is restrained by the law, in which is written the directive, “An eye for an eye” and “A tooth for a tooth.” Moderation is signified by these words, so that the penalty may not be greater than the injury. And this is the beginning of peace. But to have absolutely no wish for any such retribution—that is perfect peace.

Exodus 22:20

He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

In the law of the true God it is written, “He that sacrifices to gods shall be put to death, save only to the Lord.” The dreadful sanction of this command makes it clear that God wanted no sacrifices offered to such gods, good or bad.

Exodus 22:28

Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

“Brethren, I did not know that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak ill of a ruler of your people.’ ” The mildness of this prompt reply shows how calmly he had spoken what he seemed to have uttered in anger, for such a reply could not be given by those who are angered or perturbed. And in the reply, “I did not know that he was the high priest,” he spoke the truth to those who understand him. It is as though he were saying, “I have come to know another High Priest for whose name’s sake I am suffering these injuries—a High Priest whom it is not lawful to revile but whom you are reviling, because in me you hate nothing else than his name.”

Exodus 23:20

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Consider these words. Let the Jew, not to speak of the Manichaean, say what other angel he can find in Scripture to whom these words apply, but this leader who was to bring the people into the land of promise. Then let him inquire who it was that succeeded Moses and brought in the people. He will find that it was Jesus and that this was not his name at first but after his name was changed. It follows that he who said, “My name is in him” is the true Jesus, the leader who brings his people into the inheritance of eternal life, according to the New Testament, of which the Old was a figure. No event or action could have a more distinctly prophetical character than this, where the very name is itself a prediction.

Exodus 24:10

And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Moses, of course, might be thought to have seen God with bodily eyes, if not only the Wisdom of God which is Christ but even the wisdom itself … [which] can be seen with the eyes of the flesh, or because it is written of the elders of Israel that “they beheld the place where the God of Israel had stood” and that there was “under his feet as it were a work of sapphire stone and a likeness of the firmament of heaven.” We might therefore be led to imagine that the Word and the Wisdom of God, who extends from end to end mightily and orders all things sweetly, stood in his own substance within the space of an earthly place. And thus the Word of God, through whom all things were made, is thought changeable so that now he draws himself together and now he expands. May God cleanse the hearts of his faithful from such thoughts! But, as we have often declared, all these visible and tangible signs were displayed through a creature that has been made subject, in order to signify the invisible and intelligible God, not only the Father but also the Son and the Holy Spirit, from whom are all things…

Moses, of course, might be thought to have seen God with bodily eyes, if not only the Wisdom of God which is Christ but even the wisdom itself … [which] can be seen with the eyes of the flesh, or because it is written of the elders of Israel that “they beheld the place where the God of Israel had stood” and that there was “under his feet as it were a work of sapphire stone and a likeness of the firmament of heaven.” We might therefore be led to imagine that the Word and the Wisdom of God, who extends from end to end mightily and orders all things sweetly, stood in his own substance within the space of an earthly place. And thus the Word of God, through whom all things were made, is thought changeable so that now he draws himself together and now he expands. May God cleanse the hearts of his faithful from such thoughts! But, as we have often declared, all these visible and tangible signs were displayed through a creature that has been made subject, in order to signify the invisible and intelligible God, not only the Father but also the Son and the Holy Spirit, from whom are all things, through whom are all things, and in whom are all things. Since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God, his everlasting power also and divinity, are seen, being understood through the things that are made.

Exodus 30:7

And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

In the third book there is also a discussion of how the high priest begot sons, since he had the obligation to enter the Holy of Holies twice a day where the altar of incense was, to offer incense morning and evening. Into [this], as the law states, he could not enter while unclean, and the law says that a man is even made unclean as a result of conjugal coition, and indeed it orders him to be washed with water, but it states also that he, although washed, “is unclean until evening.” Hence I said, “It follows logically that he either be continent or that, on some days, the offering of incense be interrupted.” I did not realize that this is not a logical consequence. For what is written, “he will be unclean until evening,” can be understood to mean that he was no longer unclean during the evening itself but up to the evening, so that, cleansed, he could offer incense during the evening even though, after morning offering of incense, he had had conjugal relations with his wife for the procreation of children.

Exodus 31:18 · 2 passages

And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Let us look at the Decalogue itself. Undoubtedly Moses received on the mount a law to be ministered to the people, written on tables of stone by the finger of God. It is comprised in ten commandments, among which there is no charge of circumcision or of the animal sacrifices which by Christians are no longer offered. In these ten commandments, apart from the observance of the sabbath, I would ask what the Christian is not bound to observe. Of the commands, not to make or worship idols or any other gods but the one true God, not to take God’s name in vain, to honor parents, to avoid fornication, murder, theft, false witness, adultery, and the coveting of that which is another’s—which among these commands can be said not to bind the Christian? What the apostle calls “the letter that kills” is not this law, written on the two tables, but that of circumcision and the other ancient ordinances now done away. For in the law of the tables comes “You shall not covet,” the command by which (says Paul), “though it is holy and righteous and good, sin deceived me and thereby slew me”8—which can o…

Let us look at the Decalogue itself. Undoubtedly Moses received on the mount a law to be ministered to the people, written on tables of stone by the finger of God. It is comprised in ten commandments, among which there is no charge of circumcision or of the animal sacrifices which by Christians are no longer offered. In these ten commandments, apart from the observance of the sabbath, I would ask what the Christian is not bound to observe. Of the commands, not to make or worship idols or any other gods but the one true God, not to take God’s name in vain, to honor parents, to avoid fornication, murder, theft, false witness, adultery, and the coveting of that which is another’s—which among these commands can be said not to bind the Christian? What the apostle calls “the letter that kills” is not this law, written on the two tables, but that of circumcision and the other ancient ordinances now done away. For in the law of the tables comes “You shall not covet,” the command by which (says Paul), “though it is holy and righteous and good, sin deceived me and thereby slew me”8—which can only be “the letter killing.”

This law was “written with the finger of God,” and this finger of God the New Testament explicitly identifies with the Holy Spirit. For when one Evangelist has “By the finger of God, I cast out devils,” another says this same thing thus: “By the spirit of God, I cast out devils.” Who would not have this joy in the divine mysteries, when the redemptive doctrine shines with so clear a light, rather than all the powers of this world though they be infused with unwonted peace and happiness?

Exodus 32:10

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

And in case you should suppose that he acted like this more from necessity than from charity, God actually offered him another people: “And I will make you,” he said, “into a great nation,” so leaving himself free to eliminate those others. But Moses wouldn’t accept this: he sticks to the sinners; he prays for the sinners. And how does he pray? This is a wonderful proof of his love, brothers and sisters. How does he pray? Notice something I’ve often spoken of, how his love is almost that of a mother. When God threatened that sacrilegious people, Moses’ maternal instincts were roused, and on their behalf he stood up to the anger of God. “Lord,” he said, “if you will forgive them this sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out from the book you have written.” What sure maternal and paternal instincts, how sure his reliance, as he said this, on the justice and mercy of God! He knew that because he is just he wouldn’t destroy a just man, and because he is merciful he would pardon sinners.

Exodus 32:14

And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Though we sometimes hear the expression “God changed his mind” or even read in the figurative language of Scripture that “God repented,” we interpret these sayings not in reference to the decisions determined on by almighty God but in reference to the expectations of man or to the order of natural causes.

Exodus 32:15

And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

For if we should designate a number which signifies the law, what will it be except ten? For indeed we hold it as most certain that the Decalogue of the law, that is, those very well known ten commandments, were first written by the finger of God on two stone tablets. But the law, when grace gives no aid, makes transgressors and exists only in the letter. For because of this especially the apostle says, “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.” Therefore let the spirit be added to the letter so that the letter may not kill him to whom the spirit does not give life, but that we may practice the commandments, not by our own strength but by the gift of the Savior.

Exodus 32:20 · 2 passages

And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

For Moses ground down the calf’s head, and sprinkled it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink it. All the unbelieving are ground: they believe by degrees; and they are drunk by the people of God and pass into Christ’s body.

Therefore perhaps that calf, being ground to powder, was cast into the water and given to the children of Israel to drink, that so the body of ungodliness might be swallowed up by Israel.

Exodus 33:13

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

Again, in ancient times, in the case of the faithful servant of God, Moses, who was destined to labor on this earth and to rule the chosen people, it would not be surprising that what he asked was granted: that he might see the glory of the Lord, to whom he said, “If I have found favor before you, show me yourself openly.” He received an answer adapted to present conditions: that he could not see the face of God, because no man could see him and live. Thus God made clear that the vision belongs to another and better life. In addition to that, the mystery of the future church of Christ was foreshadowed by the words of God.

Exodus 33:18

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

The saintly Moses, his faithful servant, showed the flame of this desire of his when he said to God, with whom he spoke face to face as to a friend: “If I have found favor before you, show me yourself.” What, then? Was it not himself? If it were not himself, he would not have said “Show me yourself” but “Show me God”; yet, if he really beheld his very nature and substance, he would have been far from saying “Show me yourself.” It was himself, therefore, under that aspect in which he willed to appear (but he did not appear in his own very nature) which Moses longed to see, inasmuch as that is promised to the saints in another life. Hence the answer made to Moses is true that no one can see the face of God and live; that is, no one living in this life can see him as fully as he is. Many have seen, but they saw what his will chose, not what his nature formed … when he willed … not in his nature under which he lies hidden within himself even when he is seen.

Exodus 33:19 · 2 passages

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

What did he here teach us but that as death is the just due of the clay of the first man, it belongs to the mercy of God and not to the merits of man that anyone is saved. And … therein there is no injustice with God, because he is not unjust either in forgiving or in exacting the penalty. Mercy is free where just vengeance could be taken. From this it is more clearly shown what a great benefit is conferred on the one who is delivered from a just penalty and freely justified, while another, equally guilty, is punished without injustice on the part of the avenger.

So if the whole world was being detained in captivity, it was quite in order to say, “I will be merciful to whom I will be merciful and show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” If the whole world is in captivity, the whole world in sin, the whole world very justly sentenced to punishment, but part of it set free through mercy, who can say to God, “Why do you condemn the world?” How can God, the just judge, be indicted when the guilty world is convicted? You’re guilty. If you consider what you owe, it is called punishment, and you cannot in fairness blame the one who inflicts it for exacting from you what you owe. You may blame the debt collector if he seizes what you don’t owe, but who can blame a creditor for demanding payment of a debt, even though you are hoping he will let you off?