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民数记 22

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1 以色列人起行,在摩押平原、约但河东,对着耶利哥安营。

2 以色列人向亚摩利人所行的一切事,西拨的儿子巴勒都见了。

3 摩押人以色列民甚多,就大大惧怕,心内忧急,

4 米甸长老:“现在这众人要把我们四围所有的,

5 他差遣使者往大边的毗夺去,到比珥的儿子巴兰本乡那里,召巴兰

6 这民比我强盛,现在求你来为我咒诅他们,或者我能得胜,攻打他们,赶出此。因为我知道,你为谁祝福,谁就得福;你咒诅谁,谁就受咒诅。

7 摩押长老米甸长老里拿着卦金,到了巴兰那里,将巴勒的都告诉了他。

8 巴兰:你们今夜在这里宿,我必照耶和华所晓谕我的回报你们。摩押的使臣就在巴兰那里下了。

9 临到巴兰那里,:在你这里的人都是谁?

10 巴兰回答:是摩押王西拨的儿子巴勒打发人到我这里来,

11 埃及出来的民遮满地面,你来为我咒诅他们,或者我能与他们争战,把他们赶出去。

12 巴兰:你不可同他们去,也不可咒诅那民,因为那民是蒙福的。

13 巴兰早晨起来,对巴勒的使臣:你们回本去罢,因为耶和华不容我和你们同去。

14 摩押的使臣就起来,回巴勒那里去,巴兰不肯和我们

15 巴勒又差遣使臣,比先前的又多又尊贵。

16 他们到了巴兰那里,对他:西拨的儿子巴勒这样:求你不容甚麽事拦阻你不到我这里

17 因为我必使你得极大的尊荣。你向我要甚麽,我就给你甚麽;只求你来为我咒诅这民。

18 巴兰回答巴勒的臣仆:巴勒就是将他满我,我行事小事也不得越过耶和华─我的命。

19 现在我请你们今夜在这里宿,等我得知耶和华还要对我甚麽。

20 当夜,临到巴兰那里,:这些人若召你,你就起来同他们去,你只要遵行我对你所

21 巴兰早晨起来,备上驴,和摩押的使臣一同去了。

22 因他去就发了怒;耶和华的使者站在上敌挡他。他着驴,有两个仆人跟随他。

23 耶和华的使者站在上,里有拔出来的刀,就从上跨进田间,巴兰便打驴,要叫他回

24 耶和华的使者就站在葡萄园的窄上;这边有,那边也有

25 耶和华的使者,就贴靠,将巴兰挤伤了;巴兰又打驴。

26 耶和华的使者又往前去,站在狭窄之处,左右都没有折的地方

27 耶和华的使者,就卧在巴兰巴兰发怒,用杖打驴。

28 耶和华叫驴开,对巴兰:我向你行了甚麽,你竟打我这三次呢?

29 巴兰对驴:因为你戏弄我,我恨不能中有刀,把你杀了。

30 驴对巴兰:我不是你从小时直到今日所的驴麽?我素常向你这样行过麽?巴兰:没有。

31 当时,耶和华使巴兰的眼目明亮,他就耶和华的使者站在上,里有拔出来的刀,巴兰便低头俯伏在地。

32 耶和华的使者对他:你为何这三次打你的驴呢?我出来敌挡你,因你所行的,在我面前偏僻。

33 见我就三次从我面前偏过去;驴若没有偏过去,我早把你杀了,留他存活。

34 巴兰耶和华的使者:我有罪了。我不知道你站在上阻挡我;你若不喜欢我去,我就转回。

35 耶和华的使者对巴兰:你同这些人去罢!你只要我对你。於是巴兰同着巴勒的使臣去了。

36 巴勒巴兰来了,就往摩押京城去迎接他;这城是在边界上,在亚嫩河旁。

37 巴勒对巴兰:我不是急急的打发人到你那里去召你麽?你为何不到我这里来呢?我岂不能使你得尊荣麽?

38 巴兰:我已经到你这里来了!现在我岂能擅自甚麽呢?将甚麽传给我,我就甚麽。

39 巴兰和巴勒同行,到基列胡琐。

40 巴勒宰了(原文作献)牛,送给巴兰和陪伴的使臣。

41 到了早晨,巴勒领巴兰到巴力的处;巴兰从那里观以色列营的边界。

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 1343

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1343. That 'Eber' was a nation, the Hebrew nation, which took its name from 'Eber' as its forefather, and which means the worship in general of the second Ancient Church, is clear from the references to him in the historical sections of the Word. Because a new form of worship began with that nation, all those were called Hebrews whose worship was similar to it. Their worship was like that re-established at a later time among the descendants of Jacob, its chief features being that they called their God Jehovah and held sacrifices. The Most Ancient Church was of one mind in acknowledging the Lord and calling Him Jehovah, as is clear also from the early chapters of Genesis and elsewhere in the Word. The Ancient Church, that is, the Church after the Flood also acknowledged the Lord and called Him Jehovah, especially those who possessed internal worship and were called 'the sons of Shem'. The remainder whose worship was external also acknowledged Jehovah and worshipped Him. But when internal worship became external, and still more when it became idolatrous, and when each nation started to have its own god to worship, the Hebrew nation retained the name of Jehovah and called their own God Jehovah. In this they were different from all other nations.

[2] Along with external worship, Jacob's descendants in Egypt, including Moses himself, lost knowledge even of this fact, that their God was called Jehovah. Consequently they had first of all to be taught that Jehovah was the God of the Hebrews, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as becomes clear from the following in Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, You and the elders of Israel shall go in to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now let us go, pray, a three days' journey into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God. Exodus 3:18.

In the same author,

Pharaoh said, Who is Jehovah that I should hearken to His voice to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah, and moreover I will not send Israel away. And they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us; let us go, pray, a three days' journey into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to Jehovah our God. Exodus 5:2-3.

[3] The fact that Jacob's descendants lost in Egypt, along with the worship, even the name of Jehovah becomes clear from the following in Moses,

Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? What shall I tell them? And God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am. And He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I Am has sent me to you. And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, Jehovah the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you; this is My name for ever. Exodus 3:13-15.

[4] From this it is evident that even Moses did not know it and that they were distinguished from everyone else by the name of Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews. Hence also Jehovah is elsewhere called the God of the Hebrews,

You shall say to Pharaoh, Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has sent me to you. Exodus 7:16.

Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews. Exodus 9:1, 13.

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, Thus said Jehovah the God of the Hebrews Exodus 10:3.

In Jonah,

I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven. Jonah 1:9.

And also in Samuel,

The Philistines heard the noise of the shouting and said, What does the noise of this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean? And they learned that the Ark of Jehovah had come to the camp. The Philistines said, Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Acquit yourselves like men, O Philistines, lest you be slaves to the Hebrews. 1 Samuel 4:6, 8-9.

Here also it is evident that nations were distinguished from one another by the gods whose names they called on, and that the Hebrew nation was distinguished by that of Jehovah.

[5] The fact that sacrifices were the second essential feature of the worship of the Hebrew nation is also evident from the words from Exodus 3:18; 5:2-3, quoted above, as well as from the fact that the Egyptians abhorred the Hebrew nation on account of this form of worship, as is clear from the following in Moses,

Moses said, It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing to Jehovah our God what is abhorrent to the Egyptians; behold, we would be sacrificing what is abhorrent to the Egyptians in their eyes; will they not stone us? Exodus 8:26.

Consequently the Egyptians also abhorred the Hebrew nation so much that they refused even 'to eat bread' with them, Genesis 43:32. From this it is also evident that not merely the descendants of Jacob constituted the Hebrew nation but everybody who possessed that kind of worship. This also was why in Joseph's day the land of Canaan was called the land of the Hebrews,

Joseph said. By theft I have been taken away out of the land of the Hebrews. Genesis 40:15.

[6] The fact that sacrifices took place among the idolaters in the land of Canaan becomes clear from many references, for they used to sacrifice to their gods - to the baals and to others What is more, Balaam, who came from Syria where Eber had lived, that is, where the Hebrew nation had originated, before Jacob's descendants entered the land of Canaan, not only offered sacrifices but also called his God Jehovah. As to the fact that Balaam came from Syria where the Hebrew nation had originated, see Numbers 23:7; that he offered sacrifices, Numbers 22:39-40; 23:1-3, 14, 29; that he called his God Jehovah, Numbers 22:18, and elsewhere in those chapters. And Genesis 8:20 speaks of Noah offering burnt offerings to Jehovah - though this is not true history but made-up history - for 'burnt offerings' means the holiness of worship, as may be seen in that story. These considerations now show what 'Eber' or 'the Hebrew nation' means.

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