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民數記 19

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1 耶和華曉諭摩西亞倫

2 耶和華命定律法中的一條律例乃是這樣:你要吩咐以色列人,把一隻沒有殘疾、未曾負軛、純紅的母牽到你這裡來,

3 祭司以利亞撒;他必牽到外,人就把牛宰在他面前。

4 祭司以利亞撒要用指頭蘸這牛的血,向會幕前面彈次。

5 人要在他眼前把這母焚燒;、血、糞都要焚燒。

6 祭司要把香柏膝草、朱紅色線都丟在燒的火中。

7 祭司必不潔淨到晚上,要衣服,用身,然可以進

8 燒牛的人必不潔淨到晚上,也要衣服,用身。

9 必有一個潔淨的收起母的灰,存在外潔淨的地方,為以色列會眾調做除污穢的。這本是除的。

10 收起母灰的人必不潔淨到晚上,要洗衣服。這要給以色列人和寄居在他們中間的外人作為永遠的定例。

11 摸了人屍的,就必不潔淨。

12 那人到第三要用這除污穢的水潔淨自己,第七就潔淨了。他若在第三不潔淨自己,第七就不潔淨了。

13 凡摸了人屍、不潔淨自己的,就玷污了耶和華的帳幕,這人必從以色列中剪除;因為那除污穢沒有灑在他身上,他就為不潔淨,污穢還在他身上。

14 在帳棚裡的條例乃是這樣:凡進那帳棚的,和一切在帳棚裡的,都必不潔淨。

15 凡敞口的器皿,就是沒有紮上蓋的,也是不潔淨。

16 無論何人在田野裡摸了被刀殺的,或是屍首,或是人的骨頭,或是墳墓,就要不潔淨。

17 要為這不潔淨的人拿些燒成的除灰放在器皿裡,倒上活

18 必當有一個潔淨的拿牛膝草蘸在這中,把在帳棚上,和一切器皿並帳棚內的眾身上,又在摸了骨頭,或摸了被殺的,或摸了自的,或摸了墳墓的那身上。

19 第三和第七,潔淨的人要灑在不潔淨的人身上,第七就使他成為潔淨。那人要衣服,用洗澡,到晚上就潔淨了。

20 但那污穢而不潔淨自己的,要將他從會中剪除,因為他玷污了耶和華的聖所。除污穢的沒有灑在他身上,他是不潔淨的。

21 這要給你們作為永遠的定例。並且那除污穢的人要洗衣服。凡摸除污穢的,必不潔淨到晚上

22 不潔淨人所摸的一切物就不潔淨;摸了這物的人必不潔淨到晚上

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 1042

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1042. Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals, as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of the "woman," as being the religious persuasion of the Papists; also from the signification of "arrayed," as being what it is in externals, for "garments" are external things that clothe; therefore "to be arrayed" means the appearance in externals. Also from the signification of "purple," as being good from a celestial origin, and also the evil opposite thereto, which is called devilish evil (of which presently). Also from the signification of "scarlet," as being truth from a celestial origin, and also the falsity opposite thereto, which is called devilish falsity. That these goods and truths differ from goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin, and that the like is true of the evils and falsities opposite to them, which are called infernal evils and falsities, will be shown in the following article.

[2] This woman, who is a harlot, and is Babylon, is thus described, because those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are described in the Word from their external appearance, thus such as they are in the eyes of the men who worship them. They are so described because the sense of the letter of the Word consists of appearances; while the spiritual sense puts off those appearances, and presents interior things naked, without clothing, and when these appear, they appear in a wholly different form; as here the woman seen in external appearance "arrayed in purple and scarlet," is called, as to her internal form, "the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth;" and the like is said of:

The rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, who, nevertheless, was cast into hell (Luke 16:19);

also of the Assyrians, with whom Ohola and Oholibah, that is, Samaria and Jerusalem, committed whoredom, who are called:

Officers and leaders, horsemen clothed in blue riding upon horses (Ezekiel 23:6, 12).

So in other passages. Babylon is here described as a harlot appears in the world, splendidly clothed and yet abominable, because full of uncleanness.

[3] Before proving from the Word that "purple and scarlet" signify goods and truths from a celestial origin, something shall be said about such goods and truths. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is united with His Divine truth, as heat from the sun is with light in the time of spring. But the angels, who are recipients of the Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, are distinguished into celestial and spiritual. Those who receive more of the Lord's Divine good than of His Divine truth are called celestial angels; because these constitute the kingdom of the Lord that is called the celestial kingdom. But the angels who receive more of the Lord's Divine truth than of His Divine good are called spiritual angels, because the Lord's spiritual kingdom consists of these. This makes clear that goods and truths have a twofold origin, namely, a celestial origin and a spiritual origin. Those goods and truths that are from a celestial origin are the goods and truths of love to the Lord; while those goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin are the goods and truths of love towards the neighbor. The difference is like that between higher and lower, or between interior and exterior; thus like that between things that are in a higher or interior degree, and those that are in a lower or exterior degree; and what this difference is can be seen from what has been said in the work on Heaven and Hell about the three degrees of the heavens, and thus of the angels, and of their wisdom and intelligence (n. 33, 34, 38-39, 208-209, 211, 435).

[4] That "purple" signifies in the Word that good, and "scarlet" that truth, can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. As in Ezekiel:

Fine linen of embroidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, "blue and purple" standing for such knowledges from a celestial origin, and "covering and spreading forth" signifying the externals of that church. In Luke:

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and indulged in delicacies every day (Luke 16:19).

The "rich man" means the Jewish nation and the church therein, which was called "rich" from the knowledges of good and truth from the Word that they had, "in purple" meaning the knowledges of good, and "in fine linen" the knowledges of truth, both from a celestial origin. In Lamentations:

They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet have embraced a dunghill (Lamentations 4:5).

"To be brought up in scarlet" means to be instructed from infancy in truths from celestial good.

[5] As the Tent of meeting represented heaven, and the garments of Aaron represented the holy things of heaven, and purple and scarlet signify the goods and truths of heaven, so the curtains and veils of the Tent, as well as the garments of Aaron, were wrought with blue, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine linen woven together; as:

The curtains of the habitation (Exodus 26:1);

The veil before the ark (Exodus 26:31);

The covering for the door of the Tent (Exodus 26:36);

The covering at the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16);

The ephod (Exodus 28:6);

The belt (Exodus 28:8);

The breastplate of judgment (Exodus 28:15);

The fringes of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33).

Because "scarlet double-dyed" signified the truth of celestial good, therefore:

A cloth of scarlet double-dyed was spread over the table upon which was the bread of faces, and afterwards it was covered with a covering of the skin of the badger (Numbers 4:8).

For the inmost things of the celestial kingdom were signified by the things that were upon the table, which were loaves; but the exterior things by the coverings, which have reference to truths from good.

[6] As truth from celestial good, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is signified by "scarlet," it was used for remembrances, as that:

The sons of Israel should make for themselves a train on the borders of their garment, and should put upon the train of the border a cord of scarlet, that by it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them (Numbers 15:38-39).

And for the same reason it was a custom in ancient times, when significatives were in use, to tie a scarlet cord as a reminder or remembrance of a thing, as is said of Perez the son of Tamar, that:

The midwife tied scarlet upon his hand (Genesis 38:28, 30);

and of the harlot Rahab, that:

She tied in the window a scarlet cord, that the spies might remember their promise (Joshua 2:17, 21).

[7] As all purifications from evils are effected by truths from the Word, therefore:

Cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop were used in cleansings (Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52).

And scarlet was used for the waters of separation and expiation from a red heifer (Numbers 19:6).

Purple and scarlet derive their signification from the nature of these colors. For there are colors in heaven far more brilliant than in the world, originating from the light there; and as red has its origin there from what is fiery or flame-like, and what is fiery and flame-like has its origin there from the good of love, so "purple" signifies good from a celestial origin. But scarlet derives its color from what is flame-like and at the same time glistening, and glistening from light signifies truth; consequently that color signifies the truth of celestial good.

[8] As most things in the Word have a contrary sense, so have purple and scarlet; and in that sense they signify the evils and falsities opposite to those goods and truths. As in Isaiah:

Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

Since "scarlet," the same as "snow," signifies truth, and "purple," the same as "wool," signifies good, and since "scarlet and purple," signify in the contrary sense falsity and evil (falsity and truth, and evil and good corresponding by opposition), so it is said "Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow, and although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.