Bible

 

民數記 2

Studie

   

1 耶和華曉諭摩西亞倫

2 以色列人要各歸自己的纛下,在本族的號那裡,對著會幕的四圍安營。

3 在東邊,向日出之地,照著軍隊的是猶大的纛。有亞米拿達的兒子拿順作猶大人的首領。

4 軍隊被數的,共有七萬名。

5 挨著他安營的是以薩迦支派。有蘇押的兒子拿坦業作以薩迦人的首領。

6 軍隊被數的,共有五萬名。

7 又有西布倫支派。希倫的兒子以利押作西布倫人的首領。

8 軍隊被數的,共有五萬名。

9 凡屬猶大、按著軍隊被數的,共有十八萬六名,要作第一隊往前行。

10 在南邊,按著軍隊是流便的纛。有示丟珥的兒子以利蓿作流便人的首領。

11 軍隊被數的,共有四萬六名。

12 挨著他安營的是西緬支派。蘇利沙代的兒子示路蔑作西緬人的首領。

13 軍隊被數的,共有五萬名。

14 又有迦得支派。丟珥的兒子以利雅薩作迦得人的首領。

15 軍隊被數的,共有四萬五五十名,

16 凡屬流便、按著軍隊被數的,共有十五萬五十名,要作第二隊往前行。

17 隨後,會幕要往前行,有利未在諸中間。他們怎樣安就怎樣往前行,各按本位,各歸本纛。

18 在西邊,按著軍隊以法蓮的纛。亞米忽的兒子以利沙瑪作以法蓮人的首領。

19 軍隊被數的,共有四萬零五名。

20 挨著他的是瑪拿西支派。比大蓿的兒子迦瑪列作瑪拿西人的首領。

21 軍隊被數的,共有三萬名。

22 又有便雅憫支派。基多尼的兒子亞比但作便雅憫人的首領。

23 軍隊被數的,共有三萬五名。

24 凡屬以法蓮、按著軍隊被數的,共有十萬零名,要作第三隊往前行。

25 邊,按著軍隊是但的纛。亞米沙代的兒子亞希以謝作但人的首領。

26 軍隊被數的,共有六萬名。

27 挨著他安營的是亞設支派。俄蘭的兒子帕結作亞設人的首領。

28 軍隊被數的,共有四萬名。

29 又有拿弗他利支派。以南的兒子亞希拉作拿弗他利人的首領。

30 軍隊被數的,共有五萬三名。

31 凡但被數的,共有十五萬名,要歸本纛作末隊往前行。

32 這些以色列人,照他們的宗族,按他們的軍隊,在諸中被數的,共有十萬零五十名。

33 惟獨利未人沒有數在以色列人中,是照耶和華所吩咐摩西的

34 以色列人就這樣行,各人照他們的家室、宗族歸於本纛,安營起行,都是照耶和華所吩咐摩西的

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Explained # 438

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 1232  
  

438. Verse 6. Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand sealed, signifies charity towards the neighbor, and that all who are in it are in heaven and come into heaven. This is evident from the signification of "the tribe of Asher," as being the spiritual affection which is charity (of which presently); and from the signification of "twelve thousand sealed," as being those who are in heaven and who come into heaven (as above, n. 433). That "the tribe of Asher" signifies love towards the neighbor, which is called charity, will be made clear from what follows, and is also clear from this, that the twelve tribes taken together represented heaven and the church, and therefore signify these in the Word, and that each tribe represented, and thence signifies, some universal essential that is a constituent of heaven and the church. Heaven and the church are constituted, in general, of three universal essentials, namely, love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbor, and the obedience of faith; love to the Lord is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad (as was shown above); charity towards the neighbor is signified by these three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; while the obedience of faith is signified by the three tribes next named, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; the conjunction of all of these with the Lord is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. This, in brief, is the signification of all these tribes named in this order, for their signification is determined by the order in which they are named (as has been said and shown above, n. 431, 435, 436).

[2] Furthermore, the "sealed" mean those who have been separated from the evil and received into heaven; and the first three tribes mean those who have been received into the highest or third heaven, in which all are in love to the Lord; the three tribes next named, which are now under consideration, mean those who have been received into the middle or second heaven, in which all are in charity towards the neighbor; while the three tribes that next follow mean those who have been received into the lowest or first heaven, where those are who are in the obedience that is called the obedience of faith; and the last three tribes mean the reception of all these into the three heavens by the Lord; for there are three heavens, distinguished from one another according to the degrees of the good of love. From all this it can first be seen that this second class of tribes, that is, the three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, mean those who are in charity towards the neighbor; "the tribe of Asher" meaning charity towards the neighbor; "Naphtali" the regeneration of those who are in that charity, and "Manasseh" their good of life.

[3] But what "Asher" signifies in the Lord's kingdom, that is, in the church, shall first be told. "Asher" signifies the blessedness of spiritual affections, and thence spiritual affection itself; and as spiritual affection is what is called love towards the neighbor or charity, so "Asher" here signifies charity; consequently the "twelve thousand" of that tribe here signify all who are in charity, and are thus in the second or middle heaven. That Asher was so called from what is blessed or from blessedness is evident both from the meaning of the word in Hebrew and also from what was said of him by Leah the wife of Jacob, when he was born, which is the following:

Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, bare Jacob a second son. And Leah said, In my blessedness, for the daughters will call me blessed; and she called his name Asher (Genesis 30:12, 13).

"The daughters who should call her blessed" signify the spiritual affections of truth, which constitute the church, from which is every internal blessedness that is heavenly, in which blessedness those are who are in charity towards the neighbor, for charity towards the neighbor is the spiritual affection of truth (as was just said above); and the spiritual affection of truth is to love truth in its essence, that is, to love truth because it is truth; moreover, the neighbor, in the spiritual sense, is nothing else than good and truth, and charity is love for this (as can be seen from what is said and shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, on Love towards the Neighbor, which is called Charity, n84-107. The rest of the passage may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia 3936-3939).

[4] That "Asher" signified blessedness which is of love and charity is further evident from the blessing of Asher by Israel his father:

From Asher his bread is fat, and he shall yield the delicacies of a king (Genesis 49:20).

"From Asher" signifies from celestial and spiritual affections, which are those of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor; "his bread is fat," signifies delight from good; "and he shall yield the delicacies of a king" signifies pleasure from truth. (This is further explained in Arcana Coelestia 6408-6410.)

[5] "Asher" has a similar significance in Moses' blessing, namely, the delight of the affection of truth from the Word; the blessing is this:

Of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable unto his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil; thy shoe is iron and brass; and as the days so thy fame (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

Moses' blessing of the sons of Israel contains arcana respecting the Word; and "Asher," who is the one last mentioned there signifies the spiritual affection of truth from the Word; therefore it is said, "Blessed above sons be Asher, let him be acceptable to his brethren," "sons" signifying truths, and "brethren" the church from truths; and "blessed" and "acceptable" are predicated of the affection of truths. The good of love, from which are the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, is signified by "dipping his foot in oil;" "foot" signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, and "oil" signifies the good of love. That the ultimate of the Word is natural truth and good is signified by "thy shoe is iron and brass;" natural truth is signified by "iron," and natural good by "brass," and the ultimate by "shoe." That the Word is to endure to eternity is signified by "as the days so thy fame." (That "iron" signifies natural truth, see above, n. 176; that "brass" signifies natural good, n. 70; and that "shoe" signifies the ultimate of the natural, which is the sensual, see Arcana Coelestia 1748, 2162, 6844)

[6] Because "Asher" signifies the delight of affections, such as those have who are in truths from the sense of the letter:

That tribe encamped, together with the tribe of Dan and the tribe of Naphtali, to the north (Numbers 2:25-31).

The encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness represented the arrangements of the angelic societies in the heavens (See above, n. 431), and there to the north are the dwelling places of those who, from the good of charity, are in the affection of spiritual knowledges.

[7] That "Asher" signifies spiritual blessedness, which is blessedness from love and charity, can be seen in Ezekiel, where the new land and the new city are treated of, and that land is distributed as an inheritance among all the tribes of Israel; and to the city twelve gates are assigned, one for each tribe. The inheritance of Asher is there described in chapter Ezekiel 48:1-3, and the gates in these words:

The corner towards the sea four thousand and five hundred; 1 the gates of the city three; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. Round about eighteen thousand; and the name of the city from that day, Jehovah-is-there (verses 34, 35).

The "land" that was to be distributed for an inheritance signifies the church; the "sons of Israel" among whom it was to be distributed, signify all truths from good in the complex that belong to the church; the "city" signifies the doctrine of truth from good of love, therefore it is called Jehovah shammah, or "Jehovah-is-there;" the "gates" signify introductory truths, which are doctrinals; the number "four thousand and five hundred" signifies all truths from good, and "eighteen thousand" all the truths of doctrine encompassing and defending. This makes clear not only that each and all things there mentioned, even to the numbers, signify the things of the church, but also that no tribe of Israel is there meant, each tribe named standing for some universal essential of the church. It is evident, moreover, that "Asher" here signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which makes one with charity towards the neighbor. (That "Asher" signifies eternity in the highest sense, in the internal sense the felicity of life from blessedness of affections that are of love and charity, and in the external sense natural delight therefrom, see in Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408.)

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The photolithograph has "five hundred and four thousand" for "four thousand and five hundred."

  
/ 1232  
  

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