:
1 Jesus the son a Nave was valiant in the wars, and was the successor of Moses in prophecies, who according to his name was made great for the saving of the elect of God, and taking vengeance of the enemies that rose up against them, that he might set Israel in their inheritance. 2 How great glory gat he, when he did lift up his hands, and stretched out his sword against the cities! 3 Who before him so stood to it? for the Lord himself brought his enemies unto him. 4 Did not the sun go back by his means? and was not one day as long as two? 5 He called upon the most high Lord, when the enemies pressed upon him on every side; and the great Lord heard him. 6 And with hailstones of mighty power he made the battle to fall violently upon the nations, and in the descent [of Beth-horon] he destroyed them that resisted, that the nations might know all their strength, because he fought in the sight of the Lord, and he followed the Mighty One. 7 In the time of Moses also he did a work of mercy, he and Caleb the son of Jephunne, in that they withstood the congregation, and withheld the people from sin, and appeased the wicked murmuring. 8 And of six hundred thousand people on foot, they two were preserved to bring them in to the heritage, even unto the land that floweth with milk and honey. 9 The Lord gave strength also unto Caleb, which remained with him unto his old age: so that he entered upon the high places of the land, and his seed obtained it for an heritage: 10 That all the children of Israel might see that it is good to follow the Lord. 11 And concerning the judges, every one by name, whose heart went not a whoring, nor departed from the Lord, let their memory be blessed. 12 Let their bones flourish out of their place, and let the name of them that were honoured be continued upon their children. 13 Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, beloved of his Lord, established a kingdom, and anointed princes over his people. 14 By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation, and the Lord had respect unto Jacob. 15 By his faithfulness he was found a true prophet, and by his word he was known to be faithful in vision. 16 He called upon the mighty Lord, when his enemies pressed upon him on every side, when he offered the sucking lamb. 17 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and with a great noise made his voice to be heard. 18 And he destroyed the rulers of the Tyrians, and all the princes cf the Philistines. 19 And before his long sleep he made protestations in the sight of the Lord and his anointed, I have not taken any man's goods, so much as a shoe: and no man did accuse him. 20 And after his death he prophesied, and shewed the king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people.
Previous
Next
[AD 856] Rabanus Maurus on Sirach 46:1
Joshua son of Nun showed himself by his name and his actions to be a figure of the Savior, to whom God the Father “has given the name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee would bend in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth.” And since this name is above every other name, for generations it was not borne by anyone. Moses wrote the book of Genesis, in which we read of Abraham and of those born to him, of whom many are righteous but none of whom merited to be called Jesus. Not even Abel was called Jesus, nor he who began to invoke the name of the Lord God nor he who pleased God and was taken away and did not know death. Nor Noah, who was the only just person of his generation before God. And not Abraham, who received the promises of the covenant, nor Isaac, born of him, nor Jacob the deceiver nor any of his sons. Moses was faithful in all his house, but not even he was called Jesus. Rather, I find the name of Jesus for the first time in the book of Exodus. I want to reiterate when the name of Joshua-Jesus is first mentioned, “Amalek came to fight against Israel, and Moses said to Joshua at Rephidim.” This is the first mention of the name Joshua-Jesus: “Choose some brave men from among the sons of Israel to fight against Amalek tomorrow.” He is the one who was given command after the death of Moses, who led the army and fought against Amalek and, as is symbolized by the hands stretched out on the mountain, nailed the principalities and powers to his victorious cross.

Source: ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
[AD 856] Rabanus Maurus on Sirach 46:9
What Caleb says, “As my vigor was then, so it is now,” indicates that all the saints and the wise of heart have the same vigor in things present as in those past, in things recent as in those ancient, in the Gospels and in the Law. This is therefore what he says, the one who is vigorous now under Jesus as he was vigorous then under Moses, since a vigilant heart remains vigorous in the mysteries of both Testaments. But we also see the request made by the same Caleb, son of Jephunneh, to Joshua: “Give me this mountain, of which the Lord spoke in that day.” The saint asks for nothing earthly or lowly, nothing that lies in the deep valleys, but asks for a very high mountain, a mountain on which there is a great, fortified city. He asks for it because he knew how to fight, as it is written, “The wise man storms a city of warriors and breaks down the stronghold in which it trusted.” Hearing these words of Solomon, do you think his intent was to teach us that the wise man had taken a city and destroyed fortresses made of stone? Or rather, does he indicate that the cities and walls are the dogmas of the godless and the syllogisms of the philosophers by which they compose impiety and what is opposed to the divine law, as practiced by the pagans and barbarians? But it must be assumed that the fortified cities set on the mountains are those things that heretics base on the statements of the Scriptures, as on high mountains. The wise man will therefore destroy the cities, preaching the word of truth and overthrowing the lying fortresses with the battering ram of truth, as Paul also said: “Destroying arguments and every bulwark that raises itself against the knowledge of God.”

Source: ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11
[AD 856] Rabanus Maurus on Sirach 46:11
After Joshua son of Nun, the people of God were ruled by judges, who governed them and defended them from enemies. In the same way, after the passion, resurrection and ascension into heaven of our Savior, the church of God had the apostles and the apostolic leaders who instructed it with holy admonitions, fortifying it, with good merits and with holy prayers, against spiritual iniquity and against all enemies. For this reason it is right to say that “their hearts were not corrupted, and they did not turn away from the Lord,” since they persevered to the end of their lives in right faith and in the true religion, to such an extent that their memory has been honored by a perennial blessing2 and the power of their good works was rewarded with an eternal prize. Thus the memory of their name will be handed down to their posterity with glory. Indeed, all peoples will recount their wisdom, and the entire assembly of the saints sings their praises.

Source: ON ECCLESIASTICUS 10:11