Joshua — Chapter 10

Lapide: \"The Lord cast down upon them great stones from heaven even unto Azeca, and many more died from the hailstones than were slain by the swords of the children of Israel.\" Josephus adds thunder and lightning. S. Augustinus: similar help of lightning was granted the Christian Legion (Legio Fulminatrix) under Marcus Aurelius; and to Theodosius against Eugenius.

Lapide: \"Then Joshua spoke to the Lord... and said in the sight of Israel: Sun, stand thou still against Gabaon, and thou moon against the valley of Aialon.\" Ecclus. 46:4: Joshua did this moved by zeal and just anger inspired by the Holy Ghost. The Chaldean: Joshua praised God and confidently prayed before commanding. Great power of faith: \"All things whatsoever you shall ask believing, you shall receive\" (Matt. 21:22).

Lapide: The \"Book of the Just\" (liber justorum) = a catalogue of the illustrious deeds of men distinguished by faith and religion; its identity is unknown; it has perished entirely. The sun stood in the middle of heaven and did not hasten to set for the space of one full day (14 additional hours, making 28 hours total for that day).

Lapide: \"There was not before nor after so long a day, the Lord obeying the voice of a man and fighting for Israel.\" S. Bernardus: \"Blush, O ashes — God humbles Himself and you exalt yourself. Blush, O dust — God obeys man and you obey neither man nor God.\" Whoever obeys God in all things, to him God will make all creation obedient, communicating to him as it were His own omnipotence.

Lapide: \"Put your feet upon the necks of these kings\" — three reasons: (1) to give the Hebrews confidence to subdue the remaining Canaanite kings, fulfilling Deut. 33 (\"thou shalt tread upon their necks\"); (2) to exact deserved punishment on these impious tyrants; (3) to separate the Hebrews from the abominable crimes of the Canaanites by showing them as objects of divine vengeance. Allegorically (Origen, Hom. 11): Christ through Joshua now completes in the souls of the faithful what was prefigured — expelling the evil kings (vices) from each soul to make it a dwelling of faith and a temple of the Holy Ghost. S. Hieronymus: the five kings = the five senses that reigned in man before Christ.