Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they follow their statutes, or their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
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George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
His ceremonies. Hebrew, "they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes. "(Protestants) (Haydock)
This involves a sort of contradiction, unless we explain it of the Israelites; though they had not been mentioned before. There is a confusion in the original text; and ver. 41 seems to require that we should understand it iin this manner, as the Cutheans could hardly be blamed for neglecting a thing of which they had before no knowledge. The Israelites are justly blamed for obstinately continuing in their prevarication, even in the midst of their captivity. The Syriac and Arabic translate, "The Israelites have been forced to leave their country, because they have abandoned the Lord; and they have not obeyed his laws, his precepts, and his ordinances, which he gave to "Many adopt this explanation. (Junius; Vatable) (Calmet)
Septuagint make these people unite the true and the false worship, as ver. 41. "They did according to their judgment. These fear, and do according to th...
How, then, did the Samaritans not know what they worshiped? Because they thought that God was confined to a place and divisible; at least it was in that way that they worshiped him. And it was in this spirit that they sent to the Persians and announced that the God of this place was displeased with them. According to this, their idea of him was no greater than their conception of their idols. Therefore, they continued to worship both evil spirit and him, combining things that were altogether incompatible. But the Jews for the most part were free of this taint and knew that he is God of the universe, even though not all of them [were faithful]. - "Homilies on the Gospel of John 33.1"
