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Ezekiel 31

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1 Now in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his people; Whom are you like in your great power?

3 See, a pine-tree with beautiful branches and thick growth, giving shade and very tall; and its top was among the clouds.

4 It got strength from the waters and the deep made it tall: its streams went round about its planted land and it sent out its waterways to all the trees of the field.

5 In this way it became taller than all the trees of the field; and its branches were increased and its arms became long because of the great waters.

6 In its branches all the birds of heaven came to rest, and under its arms all the beasts of the field gave birth to their young, and great nations were living in its shade.

7 So it was beautiful, being so tall and its branches so long, for its root was by great waters.

8 No cedars were equal to it in the garden of God; the fir-trees were not like its branches, and plane-trees were as nothing in comparison with its arms; no tree in the garden of God was so beautiful.

9 I made it beautiful with its mass of branches: so that all the trees in the garden of God were full of envy of it.

10 For this cause the Lord has said: Because he is tall, and has put his top among the clouds, and his heart is full of pride because he is so high,

11 I have given him up into the hands of a strong one of the nations; he will certainly give him the reward of his sin, driving him out.

12 And men from strange lands, who are to be feared among the nations, after cutting him off, have let him be: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches have come down; his arms are broken by all the waterways of the land; all the peoples of the earth have gone from his shade, and have let him be.

13 All the birds of heaven have come to rest on his broken stem where it is stretched on the earth, and all the beasts of the field will be on his branches:

14 In order that no trees by the waters may be lifted up in their growth, putting their tops among the clouds; and that no trees which are watered may take their place on high: for they are all given up to death, to the lowest parts of the earth among the children of men, with those who go down to the underworld.

15 This is what the Lord has said: The day when he goes down to the underworld, I will make the deep full of grief for him; I will keep back her streams and the great waters will be stopped: I will make Lebanon dark for him, and all the trees of the field will be feeble because of him.

16 I will send shaking on the nations at the sound of his fall, when I send him down to the underworld with those who go down into the deep: and on earth they will be comforting themselves, all the trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, even all the watered ones.

17 And they will go down with him to the underworld, to those who have been put to the sword; even those who were his helpers, living under his shade among the nations

18 Whom then are you like? for you will be sent down with the trees of Eden into the lowest parts of the earth: there you will be stretched out among those without circumcision, with those who were put to the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his people, says the Lord.

   

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Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) # 27

  
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27. II. THE SECOND STATE OF THIS MOST ANCIENT CHURCH, OR ITS PROGRESSION INTO LIGHT, AND DAY, is described in the second chapter of Genesis, by these words:

God planted a garden in Eden at the East, and there He put the man whom He had formed, to dress it and to keep it. And Jehovah made to spring forth every tree pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And a river went forth out of Eden to water the garden, which was made into four heads, in the first of which was gold and the schoham stone. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden, eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, eat not (Gen. 2:8-17).

The progression of this Church into light, or day, is described by Adam's being placed in the garden of Eden, because by a garden is signified the Church as to its truths and goods. That there "went forth out of Eden a river which became into four heads, in the first of which was gold and the schoham stone," signifies that in that Church there was the doctrine of good and truth; for a "river" signifies doctrine, "gold" the good thereof, and "schoham stone" its truth. That two trees were placed in that garden, the one of life, and the other of the knowledge of good and evil, was because the "tree of life" signifies the Lord, in whom and from whom is the life of heavenly love and wisdom, which in itself is eternal life; and the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" signifies man, in whom is the life of infernal love, and thence insanity in the things of the Church, which life considered in itself is eternal death. That it was allowable to eat of every tree of the garden except of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" signifies free-determination in spiritual things; for all things in the garden signified spiritual things, and without free-determination in those, a man can in no wise advance into light, that is, into the truths and goods of the Church, and procure for himself life; for, if he does not aim at and strive after this, he procures to himself death.

[2] That a "garden" signifies the Church as to its truths and goods, is owing to the correspondence of a tree with man; for a tree, in like manner as man, is conceived from seed; is put forth from the womb of the earth as a man from the womb of his mother; it grows in height in like manner, and extends itself into branches as he into members; clothes itself with leaves, and adorns itself with flowers as man does with natural and spiritual truths; and also produces fruits as man does goods of use. Hence it is that in the Word a man is so often likened to a "tree," and hence the Church to a "garden"; as in the following passages:

Jehovah will set out her desert like Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah (Isa. 51:3);

speaking of Zion, by which is signified the Church in which God is worshipped according to the Word.

Thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of waters, whose waters shall not lie (Isa. 58:11; Jer. 31:12);

where also the Church is treated of.

Thou art full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty; thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering (Ezek. 28:12-13);

respecting Tyre, by which is signified the Church as to the knowledges of truth and good.

How good are thy dwellings, O Israel! as valleys they are planted, and as gardens beside the river (Num. 24:5-6);

by Israel is signified the spiritual Church; but by Jacob, the natural Church in which there is something spiritual.

Nor was any tree in the garden of God equal to him in beauty; so that all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied him (Ezek. 31:8-9);

speaking of Egypt and Assyria, by which, where mentioned in a good sense, the Church is signified as to knowledges and as to perceptions.

To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7).

[3] Owing to the correspondence of a garden with the Church, it comes to pass that everywhere in the heavens gardens appear, producing leaves, flowers and fruits according to the states of the Church with the angels; and it has been told me, that in some of the gardens there, trees of life are observed in the middle parts, and trees of the knowledge of good and evil in the boundaries, as a sign that they are in free-determination in spiritual things. The Church is over and over again described in the Word by a "garden," a "field," and a "sheepfold"; by a "garden" from the trees, as has been mentioned above; by a "field" from its crops, wherewith man is nourished; by a "sheepfold" from the sheep, by which are meant the faithful and useful.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.