4599. “在以得塔那边支搭帐棚” 表其内层事物. 这从 “支搭帐棚”, “塔那边” 和 “以得” 的含义清楚可知: “支搭帐棚” 是指在神圣之物上的发展, 在此是指朝向内层事物的发展, “帐棚” 表示神圣之物 (参看414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391节); “塔那边” 是指进入内层事物, 如下文所述; “以得” 是指状态的性质, 也就是说, 在神圣之物上朝向内层事物发展的性质. 自古时起, 这塔就具有这种含义, 但由于除了约书亚记 (15:21) 外, 在圣言中, 它没有在别的地方被提及, 所以这一点无法像其它名字那样从相关经文得以证实. “塔那边” 之所以表示朝向内层事物, 是因为更内层的事物由巍峨和高耸的物体来表示, 如大山, 小山, 塔, 屋顶等等. 原因在于, 从通过外在感官所感知到的尘世属世物体形成其观念的心智将内层事物看为比其它东西更高的物体 (2148节).

“塔” 表示内层事物, 这一点也可从圣言的其它经文看出来, 如以赛亚书:

我所亲爱的有葡萄园, 在肥美的山冈上. 他把它围起来, 清除石头, 栽种上等的葡萄树, 在园子当中建了一座塔. (以赛亚书 5:1-2)

“葡萄园” 表示属灵教会; “上等的葡萄树” 表示属灵良善; “在园子当中所建的塔” 表示真理的内层事物. 主在马太福音中的比喻也一样:

有一个做家主的人栽了一个葡萄园, 周围圈上篱笆, 里面挖了一个压酒池, 建了一座塔, 把它租给佃户, 就出外去了. (马太福音 21:33; 马可福音 12:1)

以西结书:

亚发人和你的军队都在你四围的墙上, 歌玛底人 (或译勇士) 在你的塔楼中, 他们把自己的盾, 挂在四周的城墙上, 成全你的美丽. (以西结书 27:11)

这论及推罗, 推罗表示对良善与真理的认知, 或那些拥有这些认知的人. “在其塔楼中的歌玛底人 (或译勇士)” 表示对内层真理的认知.

弥迦书:

耶和华要在锡安山作王治理他们, 从今直到永远; 你这羊群的塔楼, 锡安女子的山冈啊, 都必归于你了, 从前的王国, 就是耶路撒冷女子的王国必将归回. (弥迦书 4:7-8)

这描述了主的属天国度. “锡安山” 描述了它的至内在部分, 也就是对主之爱; “锡安女子的山冈” 表示它的直接衍生物, 也就是相爱, 这爱在灵义上被称为对邻之仁; “羊群的塔楼” 描述了其良善的内层真理; “耶路撒冷女子的王国” 表示一个属灵-属天国度由此而存在. 诗篇:

因你的判断, 锡安山应当欢喜, 犹大的女子应当快乐. 你们要绕着锡安山走, 数点她的塔楼. (诗篇 48:11, 12)

此处 “塔楼” 表示保卫构成爱与仁之物的内层真理.

路加福音:

凡不背着自己十字架跟从我的, 也不能作我的门徒. 你们哪一个想盖一座塔, 不先坐下算计花费, 能盖成不能呢? 或哪一个王去和别的王打仗, 岂不先坐下酌量, 能用一万兵去会那领二万兵来攻打他的吗? 这样, 你们无论什么人, 若不撇下一切所有的, 就不能作我的门徒. (路加福音 14:27-28, 31, 33)

凡不知道圣言内义的人必以为主在此通过打比方说话, “盖一座塔” 和 “打仗” 并没有别的意思. 殊不知, 在圣言中, 一切比方都具有属灵含义, 都是代表; “盖一座塔” 表示获得为人的自我获取内层真理; “打仗” 表示凭这些真理争战. 因为此处论述的主题是那些属于教会的人所经历的试探, 他们在此被称为主的 “门徒”. 他们必须背的 “十字架” 表示这些试探; “若不撇下一切所有的, 就不能作我的门徒” 表示若不靠着主, 他们凭自己, 或自己的东西绝不会得胜. 所有这些事就是这样连贯起来的; 但是, 若没有内层意义, 仅仅将涉及塔和打仗的事理解为简单的比方, 那它们就连贯不起来了. 由此可见, 是什么样的光从内义流出.

那些陷入爱自己, 爱世界之人的内层, 因而他们用来争战并巩固他们那种宗教信仰的虚假, 也以反面意义上的 “塔” 来表达, 如以赛亚书:

到那日, 人的高傲必降为卑, 惟独耶和华被尊崇; 因为万军之耶和华必有一日, 要攻击一切骄矜高傲的, 和一切自高的, 他必降为卑; 要攻击黎巴嫩所有高而昂的香柏树, 和巴珊所有的橡树, 又攻击所有的高山, 和所有耸峙的山冈, 攻击每一个高塔, 和每一道坚固的城墙. (以赛亚书 2:11-15)

此处以 “香柏树”, “橡树”, “高山”, “山冈”, “塔” 和 “城墙” 来描述这些爱的内层和外层: “塔” 描述了内层虚假; 因而又以高耸的事物来描述内层事物. 然而, 区别在于: 那些陷入邪恶与虚假的人自以为高, 在他人之上; 而那些处于良善与真理的人则自以为小, 在他人之下 (马太福音 20:26, 27; 马可福音 10:44). 尽管如此, 良善与真理仍被描述为高耸之物, 因为在天上, 它们更接近至高者, 也就是主. 在圣言中, “塔” 论及真理, 而 “山” 论及良善.

1992. 'I am God Shaddai' means, in the sense of the letter, the name of Abram's God, by means of which the Lord was represented before them at first. This is clear from references in the Word to Abram and his father's house worshipping other gods. Surviving in Syria, where Abram came from, there were remnants of the Ancient Church, and many families there retained its worship, as is clear in the case of Eber who came from those parts and from whom the Hebrew nation descended. They likewise retained the name Jehovah, as is evident from what has been shown in Volume One, in 1343, and from Balaam, who also came from Syria, and who offered sacrifices and called his God Jehovah. That he came from Syria is indicated in Numbers 23:7; that he offered sacrifices, in Numbers 22:39-40; 23:1-3, 14, 29; and that he called his God Jehovah, in Numbers 2:8, 13, 18, 31; 23:8, 12, 16.

[2] But in the case of the house of Terah, Abram and Nahor's father, this was not so. That house was one of the gentile families there which had not only lost the name of Jehovah but also served other gods; and instead of Jehovah they worshipped Shaddai, whom they called their own god. The fact that they had lost the name of Jehovah is clear from the places quoted in Volume One, in 1343; and the fact that they served other gods is explicitly stated in Joshua,

Joshua said to all the people, Thus said Jehovah, the God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt of old beyond the River, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. Now fear Jehovah, and serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve Jehovah. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve Jehovah, choose this day whom you are to serve, whether the gods which your fathers served who were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites. Joshua 24:2, 14-15.

The fact that Nahor as well, Abram's brother, and the nation that descended from him, served other gods is also clear from Laban the Syrian, who lived in the city of Nahor and worshipped the images or teraphim which Rachel stole, Genesis 24:10; 31:19, 30, 32, 34 - see what has been stated in Volume One, in 1356. That instead of Jehovah they worshipped Shaddai, whom they called their god, is plainly stated in Moses,

I, Jehovah, appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Shaddai, and by My name Jehovah I was not known to them. Exodus 6:2-3.

[3] These references show what Abram was by disposition in his younger days, namely an idolater like other gentiles, and that even up to and during the time he was in the land of Canaan he had not cast the god Shaddai away from his mind; and this accounts for the declaration here, 'I am God Shaddai', which in the sense of the letter means the name of Abram's god. And from Exodus 6:2-3, that has just been quoted, it is evident that it was by this name that the Lord was first represented before them - before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

[4] The reason the Lord was willing to be represented before them first of all through the name Shaddai is that the Lord is never willing to destroy quickly, still less immediately, the worship implanted in someone since earliest childhood. He is unwilling to destroy it because it would be an uprooting and so a destroying of the deeply implanted feeling for what is holy which is expressed in adoration and worship, a feeling which the Lord never crushes but bends. The holiness which is expressed in worship and has been inrooted since earliest childhood is such that it does not respond to violence but to gentle and kindly bending. The same applies to gentiles who during their lifetime have worshipped idols and yet have led charitable lives one with another. Because the holiness expressed in their worship has been inrooted since earliest childhood it is not removed all of a sudden in the next life but gradually. For people who have led charitable lives one with another are able to have implanted in them without difficulty the goods and truths of faith; these they subsequently receive with joy, charity being the soil itself. This is what happened in the case of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that is to say, the Lord allowed them to retain the name God Shaddai; indeed He went so far as to speak of Himself as God Shaddai, which He did because of what that name meant.

[5] Some translators render Shaddai as the Almighty, others as the Thunderbolt-hurler. But strictly speaking it means the Tempter, and the One who does good following temptations, as is clear in Job who, because he suffered many temptations, mentions Shaddai so many times, such as the following places in his book make clear,

Behold, blessed is the man whom God reproves; and despise not the chastening of Shaddai. Job 5:17.

The arrows of Shaddai are with me, the terrors of God are arrayed against me. Job 6:4.

He will forsake the fear of Shaddai. Job 6:14.

I will speak to Shaddai, and I desire to dispute with God. Job 13:3.

He has stretched forth his hand against God, and emboldens himself against Shaddai. Job 15:25.

His eyes will see his destruction and he will drink of the wrath of Shaddai. Job 21:20.

As for Shaddai, you will not find him. He is great in power and judgement, and in the abundance of righteousness. He will not afflict. Job 37:23.

Also in Joel,

Alas for the day! For the day of Jehovah is near, and as destruction from Shaddai will it come. Joel 1:15.

This becomes clear also from the actual word Shaddai, which means vastation, thus temptation, for temptation is a variety of vastation. But because the name had its origins among the nations in Syria, he is not called Elohim Shaddai but El Shaddai; and in Job he is called simply Shaddai, with El, or God, mentioned separately.

[6] Because comfort follows temptations people also attributed the good that comes out of temptations to the same Shaddai, as in Job 22:17, 23, 25-26; and they also attributed to him the understanding of truth which resulted from those temptations, 32:8; 33:4. And because in this way he was regarded as a god of truth, for vastation, temptation, chastisement, and reproving belong in no way to good but to truth, and because the Lord was represented by means of it before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the name was retained even among the Prophets. But with the latter Shaddai was used to mean truth, as in Ezekiel,

I heard the sound of the cherubs' wings, like the sound of many waters, like the sound of Shaddai as they were coming, a sound of tumult, like the sound of a camp. Ezekiel 1:24.

In the same prophet,

The court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah, and the sound of the wings of the cherubs was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of the god Shaddai when he speaks. Ezekiel 10:4-5.

Here Jehovah stands for good, Shaddai for truth. 'Wings' likewise in the Word means in the internal sense things that are matters of truth.

[7] Isaac and Jacob too used the name God Shaddai in a similar way, namely as one who tempts, rescues from temptation, and after that does good to them. Isaac addressed his son Jacob when he was about to flee on account of Esau,

God Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you. Genesis 28:3.

Jacob addressed his sons when they were about to journey into Egypt to buy grain and were so greatly afraid of Joseph,

May God Shaddai grant you mercy before the man, and may He send back with you your other brother and Benjamin. Genesis 43:14.

Jacob, by now Israel, when blessing Joseph, who had experienced the evils of temptation more than his brothers and had been released from them, declared,

By the God of your father, and He will help you; and with Shaddai, and He will bless you. Genesis 49:25.

This then explains why the Lord was willing to be represented at first as God Shaddai whom Abram worshipped when He declared,

I am God Shaddai.

And later on He referred to Himself in a similar way before Jacob, I am God Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 35:11.

And a further reason is that the subject of the internal sense in what has gone before has been temptations.

[8] The worship of Shaddai with them had its origin, as it did with a certain nation which in the Lord's Divine mercy will be described later on, and also with those who belonged to the Ancient Church, in the fact that quite often they heard spirits who reproached them and who also afterwards consoled them. The spirits who reproached them were perceived as being on the left side below the arm; at the same time angels were present from the head who overruled the spirits and toned down the reproaching. And because they imagined that everything declared to them through the spirits was Divine, they called the reproaching spirit Shaddai. And because he also afterwards gave consolation they called him God Shaddai. Since they had no understanding of the internal sense of the Word, people in those days, including the Jews, possessed that kind of religion in which they imagined that all evil and so all temptation came from God just as all good and thus all comfort did. But that in actual fact this is not at all the case, see Volume One, in 245, 592, 696, 1093, 1874, 1875.