31
Det är ock sagt: 'Den som vill skilja sig från sin hustru han skall giva henne skiljebrev.'
Matteus 5:31
Arcana Coelestia #1010
1010. That 'shedding man's blood in man' means destroying charity, and 'in man' means residing with man, is clear from the meaning of 'blood', dealt with already, as the holiness of charity, and from the fact that the expression 'man's blood in man' is used, that is, his internal life, which does not reside in him but with him. For the Lord's life is charity, which does not reside within man, since man is filthy and unholy, but with him. That 'shedding blood' is doing violence to charity is clear from places in the Word, including those quoted already in 374, 376, where it has been shown that violence done to charity is called 'blood'.
[2] In the sense of the letter 'shedding blood' is killing, but in the internal sense it is hating the neighbour, as the Lord teaches in Matthew,
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, You shall not kill, and whoever skills will be liable to judgement. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without cause will be liable to judgement. Matthew 5:21-22.
Here 'being angry' means departing from charity - about which see what has been said already in 357 - and consequently hatred. Someone who hates not only has no charity but also does violence to it, that is, he 'sheds blood'. It is in hatred that murder lies, as is quite clear from the fact that the one desire of him who hates another is to have him killed. And but for the external restraints holding him back he would kill him. This is why killing 'a brother' and 'shedding his blood' is hatred. And being hatred, it is present in every idea he has against him. It is similar with profanation. As has been stated, a person who profanes the Word not only hates the truth but also annihilates it or slays it. This is quite clear in the next life from people who have been guilty of profanation. Although in outward appearance they have been honest, wise, and devout during their lifetime, in the next life they hold in deadly hatred the Lord, and also all goods that stem from love, and all truths of faith, the reason being that these are contrary to all their inner hatred, robbery, and adultery which they have covered over with a display of holiness while adulterating those goods and truths to their own advantage.
[3] That profanation is meant by 'blood' is clear from the following in Moses, in addition to the places quoted already in 374,
Anyone from the house of Israel who slays an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slays it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to offer it as a gift to Jehovah before the dwelling-place of Jehovah, blood will be imputed to that man; he has shed blood, and that man will be cut off from among his people. Leviticus 17:3-4.
Sacrificing anywhere else than on the altar at the Tent of Meeting represented profanation, for 'offering sacrifice' was holy, but offering it 'in the camp' or 'outside the camp' was unholy.
Leviticus 18
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"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God.
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You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; neither shall you walk in their statutes.
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You shall do my ordinances, and you shall keep my statutes, and walk in them: I am Yahweh your God.
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You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them: I am Yahweh.
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"'None of you shall approach anyone who are his close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am Yahweh.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife: it is your father's nakedness.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home, or born abroad.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter, or of your daughter's daughter, even their nakedness: for theirs is your own nakedness.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, conceived by your father, since she is your sister.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister: she is your father's near kinswoman.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister: for she is your mother's near kinswoman.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, you shall not approach his wife: she is your aunt.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.
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"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter. You shall not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
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"'You shall not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is yet alive.
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"'You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
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"'You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, and defile yourself with her.
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"'You shall not give any of your children to sacrifice to Molech; neither shall you profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh.
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"'You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestable.
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"'You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it; neither shall any woman give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion.
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"'Don't defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.
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The land was defiled: therefore I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out her inhabitants.
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You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you;
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(for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land became defiled);
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that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
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"'For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.
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Therefore you shall keep my requirements, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs, which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them: I am Yahweh your God.'"
