耶利米書 23
2
耶和華─以色列的神斥責那些牧養他百姓的牧人,如此說:你們趕散我的羊群,並沒有看顧他們;我必討你們這行惡的罪。這是耶和華說的。
3
我要將我羊群中所餘剩的,從我趕他們到的各國內招聚出來,領他們歸回本圈;他們也必生養眾多。
4
我必設立照管他們的牧人,牧養他們。他們不再懼怕,不再驚惶,也不缺少一個;這是耶和華說的。
5
耶和華說:日子將到,我要給大衛興起一個公義的苗裔;他必掌王權,行事有智慧,在地上施行公平和公義。
6
在他的日子,猶大必得救,以色列也安然居住。他的名必稱為耶和華─我們的義。
7
耶和華說:日子將到,人必不再指著那領以色列人從埃及地上來永生的耶和華起誓,
8
卻要指著那領以色列家的後裔從北方和趕他們到的各國中上來、永生的耶和華起誓。他們必住在本地。
9
論到那些先知,我心在我裡面憂傷,我骨頭都發顫;因耶和華和他的聖言,我像醉酒的人,像被酒所勝的人。
10
地滿了行淫的人!因妄自賭咒,地就悲哀;曠野的草場都枯乾了。他們所行的道乃是惡的;他們的勇力使得不正。
11
連先知帶祭司都是褻瀆的,就是在我殿中我也看見他們的惡。這是耶和華說的。
12
因此,他們的道路必像黑暗中的滑地,他們必被追趕,在這路中仆倒;因為當追討之年,我必使災禍臨到他們。這是耶和華說的。
13
我在撒瑪利亞的先知中曾見愚妄;他們藉巴力說預言,使我的百姓以色列走錯了路。
14
我在耶路撒冷的先知中曾見可憎惡的事;他們行姦淫,做事虛妄,又堅固惡人的手,甚至無人回頭離開他的惡。他們在我面前都像所多瑪;耶路撒冷的居民都像蛾摩拉。
15
所以萬軍之耶和華論到先知如此說:我必將茵蔯給他們吃,又將苦膽水給他們喝;因為褻瀆的事出於耶路撒冷的先知,流行遍地。
16
萬軍之耶和華如此說:這些先知向你們說預言,你們不要聽他們的話。他們以虛空教訓你們,所說的異象是出於自己的心,不是出於耶和華的口。
17
他們常對藐視我的人說:『耶和華說:你們必享平安』;又對一切按自己頑梗之心而行的人說:『必沒有災禍臨到你們。』」
18
有誰站在耶和華的會中得以聽見並會悟他的話呢?有誰留心聽他的話呢?
19
看哪!耶和華的忿怒好像暴風,已經發出;是暴烈的旋風,必轉到惡人的頭上。
20
耶和華的怒氣必不轉消,直到他心中所擬定的成就了。末後的日子你們要全然明白。
21
我沒有打發那些先知,他們竟自奔跑;我沒有對他們說話,他們竟自預言。
22
他們若是站在我的會中,就必使我的百姓聽我的話,又使他們回頭離開惡道和他們所行的惡。
24
耶和華說:人豈能在隱密處藏身,使我看不見他呢?耶和華說:我豈不充滿天地麼?
25
我已聽見那些先知所說的,就是託我名說的假預言,他們說:我做了夢!我做了夢!
26
說假預言的先知,就是預言本心詭詐的先知,他們這樣存心要到幾時呢?
27
他們各人將所做的夢對鄰舍述說,想要使我的百姓忘記我的名,正如他們列祖因巴力忘記我的名一樣。
28
得夢的先知可以述說那夢;得我話的人可以誠實講說我的話。糠秕怎能與麥子比較呢?這是耶和華說的。
30
耶和華說:那些先知各從鄰舍偷竊我的言語,因此我必與他們反對。
31
耶和華說:那些先知用舌頭,說是耶和華說的;我必與他們反對。
32
耶和華說:那些以幻夢為預言,又述說這夢,以謊言和矜誇使我百姓走錯了路的,我必與他們反對。我沒有打發他們,也沒有吩咐他們。他們與這百姓毫無益處。這是耶和華說的。
33
無論是百姓,是先知,是祭司,問你說:耶和華有甚麼默示呢?你就對他們說:甚麼默示啊?耶和華說:我要撇棄你們。
34
無論是先知,是祭司,是百姓,說耶和華的默示,我必刑罰那人和他的家。
35
你們各人要對鄰舍,各人要對弟兄如此說:耶和華回答甚麼?耶和華說了甚麼呢?
36
耶和華的默示你們不可再提,各人所說的話必作自己的重擔(重擔和默示原文同),因為你們謬用永生神、萬軍之耶和華─我們神的言語。
37
你們要對先知如此說:耶和華回答你甚麼?耶和華說了甚麼呢?
38
你們若說耶和華的默示,耶和華就如此說:因你們說耶和華的默示這句話,我也打發人到你們那裡去,告訴你們不可說耶和華的默示。
39
所以我必全然忘記你們,將你們和我所賜給你們並你們列祖的城撇棄了;
Arcana Coelestia # 10540
10540. 'And now, take off your finery' means the nature of their external which is such that it is without anything Divine. This is clear from the meaning of 'finery', when the Church is the subject, as holy truth or that which is Divine in external things, dealt with above in 10536; and from the meaning of 'taking it off' as shedding it, thus being without it. The fact that that which is Divine in external things or holy truth is meant by 'finery' is clear from the following places: In Ezekiel,
I clothed you with embroidered cloth, and shod you with badger; and I swathed you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with finery, and put bracelets onto your hands and a chain onto your neck. And I put a jewel onto your nose, and earrings on your ears, and a crown of glory onto your head. Thus were you adorned with gold and silver; and your garments were fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, [honey,] and oil; therefore you became extremely beautiful, and attained to a kingdom. For this reason your fame 1 went out among the nations, regarding your beauty; for this was made perfect by My finery which I had put on you. Ezekiel 16:10-14.
[2] This refers to Jerusalem and means the Church which had been established by the Lord after the Flood and was succeeded by the Israelite and Jewish Church. The character of the latter is also described in the same chapter; but the character of that previous Ancient Church is described in the verses just quoted, its holy truths being described by the adornments spoken of there. Anyone may see that things such as have to do with the Church are meant by those specifically mentioned, and that each one means something particular. What other purpose does such a description of Jerusalem serve?
[3] Yet which aspect of the Church is meant by each one becomes clear solely from the internal sense. For this sense shows what exactly in the spiritual world corresponds to each item in the description. The following is made clear by that sense,
'Embroidered cloth' means true factual knowledge, 9688.
'Fine linen' means intellectual truth from the Divine, 5319, 9469, 9596, 9744.
'Bracelets' means the power of truths, 3103, 3105.
'A neck-chain' means the flowing in of truth derived from good, and the consequent joining together of interior things and exterior ones, 5320.
'A nose-jewel' means the perception of truth, and 'earrings' obedience to truths, 4551, 10402.
'A crown of glory' means spiritual good, or the good of truth, good being meant by 'a crown', 9930, and that which is spiritual by 'glory', 9815.
'Gold and silver' means goodness and truth in general, 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9874.
'Fine flour, honey, and oil' means truths and forms of good, external and internal ones, truth from good being meant by 'fine flour', 9995, external good by 'honey', 10530, and internal good by 'oil', 886, 4582, 4638, 9474, 9780, 10254, 10261.
'Beauty' means the outward form taken by truth derived from good, 3080, 3821, 4985, 5199.
And 'Jerusalem', about which those things are said, means the Church, see 402, 2117, 3654. From all this it is evident what 'finery' means, namely holy truth in its entirety.
[4] All the finery of the daughters of Zion which is itemized in Isaiah has a like meaning,
On that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, and of the networks, and of the crescents, and of the perfume containers 2 , and of the chainlets, and of the bracts 3 , and the tiaras, and the garters, and the sashes, and the perfume boxes 4 , and the charms; the rings, and the nose-jewels, the changes of clothes, and the robes, and the veils, and the pin-cases, the mirrors, and the muslin, and the turbans, and the linen garments. And it will happen, that instead of fragrance there will be rottenness, and instead of a girdle, a falling apart, and instead of well-set hair 5 , baldness, and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth, burning instead of beauty. Your people will fall by the sword, and [so will] your strength in war. Isaiah 3:18-25.
Those who confine themselves to the literal sense inevitably think that all these items with which the daughters of Zion are said to be adorned must be understood literally, and that it was because of that finery and the pride and arrogance it would create that the people of that kingdom would perish, since it says, your people will fall by the sword, and your strength in war. But those who raise their minds to some extent above the literal statement can see that such things should not be understood literally.
[5] From various places in the Word they can see that 'the daughters of Zion' should not be taken to mean the daughters of Zion but such things as are aspects of the Church, which are also meant by the daughters of Jerusalem, the daughters of Israel, the daughters of Judah, and many other daughters. Regarding 'daughters', that they mean the Church and aspects of the Church, see 6729, 9055(end). Since therefore the Church and aspects of the Church are meant by 'the daughters of Zion' it follows that all their finery itemized in this chapter of Isaiah mean the Church's truths and forms of good, and that each item means some specific truth or form of good. For nothing that appears in the Word, not even one small expression, is devoid of meaning.
[6] And because that Church will be bereaved of its truths and forms of good, meant by all that finery, the prophecy goes on to say that instead of fragrance there will be rottenness, instead of a girdle a falling apart, instead of well-set hair baldness, instead of a robe a girding of sackcloth, burning instead of beauty, and also that the people will fall by the sword, as will [their] strength in war. For 'fragrance' or 'spice' means the perception of Divine Truth, 10199, 10291, and 'rottenness' the deprivation of it; 'a girdle' means a bond holding truths and forms of good in connection with one another, 9341(end), 9828, 9837, 'a falling apart instead of it' the disintegration and diffusion of them; 'well-set hair' means true factual knowledge, 2831 6 , 'baldness' being deprived of an intelligent understanding of truth and of a wise discernment of good, 9960; 'burning' means the destruction of these by the evils of self-love, 1297, 2446, 7852, 9055, 9141, 'beauty' the outward form that truth springing from good takes within the Church, thus the perfection of it, 3080, 3821, 4985, 5199; and 'the sword' by which the people will fall means falsity destroying truth and good, 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102, 8294. Having no 'strength in war' means having no resistance to evil and falsity, for 'war' is spiritual conflict, and temptation, 1659, 1664, 2686, 8273, 8295, 10455.
From all this it is now evident that 'finery' in general means the Divine Truth which the Church possesses.
[7] The like is meant by 'finery' in the second Book of Samuel,
O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in twice-dyed pleasantly 7 , who put gold finery on your clothing. 2 Samuel 1:24.
These words appear in David's lamentation over Saul, which he entitled in verse 18 of that chapter, To teach the children of Judah the bow. 'The bow' in this verse means doctrine consisting of truth engaged in conflict against falsities of evil, 2686, 2709, 6422. This being so, 'daughters of Israel' means the Church's affections for truth, 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6788, 8994; 'being clothed in twice-dyed pleasantly' means being endued with the Church's interior truths, which spring from good, 4922, 9468; 'putting gold finery on clothing' means giving truths that spring from good a beautiful appearance, good being meant by 'gold', see in the places referred to in 9874, and truth in general by 'clothing' or 'garment', in the places referred to above in 10536(end). The reason why David's lamentation over Saul has to do with doctrine consisting of truth, meant by 'the bow', engaged in conflict against falsity of evil is that 'the king' or the royal office held by Saul means Divine Truth in respect of protection and of judgement, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148.
[8] The like is meant by 'finery' in other places: In David,
Give to Jehovah the glory of His name; bow down to Jehovah in the finery of holiness. Psalms 29:2.
'In the finery of holiness' means with the authentic truths of the Church. Similarly in Isaiah,
Your sons will make haste. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together. I am the Living One, said Jehovah; you will put them all on as finery, and gird them round yourself like a bride. Isaiah 49:17-18.
These words too refer to Zion, by which the celestial Church is meant, 'sons' who 'will make haste' meaning this Church's truths. (For the meaning of 'sons' as truths, see 489, 491, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 4257, 9807.) This explains why it says that Zion will put them all on as finery and gird them round herself like a bride; such can be said of the Church's truths, but not of the sons of Zion.
[9] Since almost everything in the Word also has a contrary meaning, so do those objects constituting finery. In the contrary sense they mean truths that have been falsified, as in Jeremiah,
You who have been laid waste, what will you do? If you clothe yourself in twice-dyed, if you adorn yourself with gold finery, if you widen your eyes with stibium 8 , in vain will you make yourself beautiful. Jeremiah 4:29, 30.
And in Hosea,
I will visit on her 9 the days of the baals to whom she burned incense, and put on her nose-jewel and her finery, and went after her lovers and forgot Me. Hosea 2:13.
And in other places.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. literally, name
2. Probably worn around the neck
3. i.e. thin metal plates worn as jewelry
4. literally, houses of the soul
5. literally, instead of the work of plaited [hair]
6. The Latin here rendered literally the work of plaited [hair] and idiomatically well-set hair is opus implexum. In 2831 the second of these words applies to the branches of trees and is consequently rendered entangled.
7. literally, with pleasant things
8. literally, break open the eyes with stibium. Stibium was a cosmetic used for blackening the eyelids and eyebrows, thereby making the eyes look brighter or more open.
9. i.e. I will punish her for