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Ezekiel 17

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1 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

2 Menneskesøn, fremsæt en Gåde og tal i Lignelse til Israels Slægt;

3 sig: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Den store Ørn med vældigt Vingefang, lange Vinger, tæt Fjederham og brogede Farver kom til Libanon og tog Cederens Top;

4 Spidsen af dens Skud brød den af, bragte den til et Kræmmerland og satte den i en Handelsby.

5 Så tog den en Plante der i Landet og plantede den i en Sædemark ved rigeligt Vand...",

6 for at den skulde vokse og blive en yppig, lavstammet Vinstok, hvis anker skulde vende sig til den, og hvis ødder skulde blive under den. Og den blev en Vinstok, som skød Grene og bredte sine Kviste.

7 Men der var en anden stor Ørn med vældigt Vingefang og rig Fjederham; og se, Vinstokken bøjede sine ødder imod den og strakte sine anker hen til den, for at den skulde give den mere Vand end Bedet, den stod i.

8 På en frugtbar Mark ved rigeligt Vand var den plantet for at skyde Grene, bære Frugt og blive en herlig Vinstok.

9 Sig derfor: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Mon det lykkes den? Mon den første Ørn ikke rykker dens ødder op og afriver dens Frugt, så alle de friske Skud tørres hen? Der skal jo ingen kraftig Arm eller mange Folk til at rive den løs fra oden.

10 Se, den er plantet, men mon det lykkes den? Mon den ikke, så snart Østenvinden når den, hentørres i Bedet, den voksede i?

11 Og HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

12 Sig til den genstridige Slægt: Ved I ikke, hvad dette betyder? Sig: Babels Konge kom til Jerusalem, tog Kongen og Fyrsterne og førte dem med hjem til Babel.

13 Derpå tog han entling af kongehuset og sluttede Pagt med ham og lod ham aflægge Ed. Landets Stormænd tog han dog med,

14 for at iget skulde holdes nede og ikke hovmode sig, men holde hans Pagt, at den måtte stå fast.

15 Men han faldt fra og sendte sine Bud til Ægypten, for at de skulde give ham Heste og Folk i Mængde. Mon det lykkes ham? Mon den, der bærer sig således ad, slipper godt derfra? Skal den, der bryder en Pagt, slippe fra det?

16 Så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN: Hvor den Konge bor, som gjorde ham til Konge, hvis Ed han lod hånt om, og hvis Pagt han brød, der hos ham i Babel skal han .

17 Og Farao skal ikke hjælpe ham i Krigen med en stor Hær eller en talrig Skare, når der opkastes Stormvold og bygges Belejringstårne til Undergang for mange Mennesker.

18 Thi han lod hånt om Eden og brød Pagten trods givet Håndslag; alt dette gjorde han; han skal ikke undslippe!

19 Sig derfor: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Så sandt jeg lever: Min Ed, som han lod hånt om, og min Pagt, som han brød, vil jeg visselig lade komme over hans Hoved!

20 Jeg breder mit Net over ham, så han fanges i mit Garn, og jeg bringer ham til Babel for der at gå i ette med ham for den Troløshed, han viste mig.

21 Alle hans udvalgte Folk i alle hans Hære skal falde for Sværd, og de, der er til est, spredes for alle Vinde; og I skal kende, at jeg, HE EN, har talet.

22 siger den Herre HE EN: Så tager jeg selv en Gren af Cederens Top, af dens Skuds Spidser bryder jeg en tynd Kvist og planter den på et højt, knejsende Bjerg.

23 Israels høje Bjerg vil jeg plante den, og den skal skyde Grene og bære Løv og blive en herlig Ceder. Under den skal alle vingede Fugle bygge, i dens Grenes Skygge skal de bo.

24 Og alle Markens Træer skal kende, at jeg, HE EN, nedbøjer det høje Træ og ophøjer det lave, udtørrer det friske Træ og lader det tørre blomstre. Jeg, HE EN, har talt og grebet ind.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

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Arcana Coelestia # 9688

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9688. 'The work of an embroiderer' means things that belong to factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'the work of an embroiderer', or embroidery, as factual knowledge. A large number of places in the Word speak of that which has been embroidered and of embroidery, and in every case factual knowledge is meant by it. The reason for this goes back to representatives in the next life; there garments embroidered in various ways are seen, and by these garments truths on the level of factual knowledge are meant.

[2] Truths on the level of factual knowledge differ from those on the level of the understanding in the same way as outward things differ from inward ones, or as the natural level with a person differs from the spiritual. Facts serve the understanding as objects from which it may deduce truths; for the power of understanding is the internal or spiritual man's power of sight, and known facts are its objects in the external or natural man. These facts are meant by 'the work of an embroiderer' whereas that power of understanding is meant by 'the work of a designer', 9598, for designing is a function of the understanding, and embroidering a function of the knowledge and skill employed by the understanding. This explains why the objects within the dwelling-place, which were signs meaning inner realities, were the work of a designer, such as the curtains that formed it, verse 1, and the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies, verse 31. But the objects which were signs meaning outer realities were the work of an embroiderer, such as the screen in place of a tent door, and the screen in place of a gate of the court, Exodus 38:18, and also the girdle, Exodus 39:29, 'the girdle' being what is external linking everything internal, 'the court' being the lowest part of heaven, and 'the tent door' the place where there is an exit from the middle heaven into the lowest.

[3] The fact that 'embroidery' and that which has been 'embroidered' mean factual knowledge belonging to the external or natural man is clear from the following places in the Word: In Ezekiel,

Fine linen with embroidery from Egypt was your sail; violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. Syria was your merchant by reason of the multitude of your handiworks; [they exchanged for your wares] chrysoprase and purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen. The merchants of Sheba [came] with balls of violet and with embroidered work. Ezekiel 27:7, 16, 24.

This refers to Tyre, by which those in possession of cognitions or knowledge of truth and good are meant, and in the abstract sense those cognitions themselves, 1201. 'Fine linen with embroidery' means truth on the level of factual knowledge, for 'fine linen' means truth from a celestial origin, 5319, 9469, and 'embroidery' is factual knowledge. This also is the reason why it says that it came from Egypt - for 'Egypt' means factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 2588, 4749, 4964, 4966, 5700, 5702, 6004, 6015, 6125, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 6750, 7779 (end), 9391 - and also from Syria and from Sheba, since cognitions of truth and good are meant by 'Syria', 1232, 1234, 3051, 3249, 3664, 3680, 4112, and in like manner by 'Sheba', 1171, 3240. Cognitions of truth and good constitute the Church's factual knowledge. Anybody endowed with the ability to think intelligently and weigh things up can see that in these verses from Ezekiel one should not understand embroidery, fine linen, violet, or purple, but that these commodities mean things such as are worthy of mention in the Word, namely spiritual realities that belong to heaven and the Church.

[4] In the same prophet,

All the princes of the sea will step down from upon their thrones, and will cast away their robes and will strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with tremblings. Ezekiel 26:16.

This too refers to Tyre. 'The princes of the sea' are the first and foremost known facts, which are called dogmas, 'princes' meaning things which are first and foremost, see 1482, 2089, 5044, and 'the sea' factual knowledge in general 28, 2850. 'Robes' are external truths, 'embroidered' are truths on the level of factual knowledge, which too are external ones. For the meaning of 'garments' as truths, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 6914, 6917, 6918, 9093, 9158, 9212, 9216.

[5] In the same prophet,

I clothed you with embroidered cloth, and shod you with badger; I swathed you in fine linen and covered you with silk. Thus were you adorned with gold and silver; and your garments were fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. But you took your embroidered garments and covered the images, with which you committed whoredom. 1 Ezekiel 16:10, 13, 18.

This refers to Jerusalem, by which the Church is meant. 'Embroidered garments' stands for truths on the level of factual knowledge. 'Covering the images, with which she committed whoredom' stands for giving strength to falsities, for 'committing whoredom' means perverting truths by bringing them into contact with falsities or with evils. Is there anyone who cannot see that since these verses describe Jerusalem 'fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth' are not used to mean fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth? Yet what they really mean the Christian world does not seek to know, because it supposes that heavenly and spiritual matters in the Word reside in its literal sense; the more internal contents of the Word it calls mystical, but has no interest in them.

[6] In the same prophet,

A great eagle with great wings, with long pinions, full of feathers, 2 which had embroidery ... Ezekiel 17:3.

This refers to the house of Israel, which means the spiritual Church; and this Church is called 'an eagle' by virtue of its perception of truth, 3901, 8764, 'which had embroidery' standing for its possession of factual knowledge. In David,

All glorious is the king's daughter within, in her clothing with gold interweavings; in an embroidered [robe] she will be led to the king. Psalms 45:13-14.

'The king's daughter' stands for an affection for truth, 'an embroidered [robe]' for factual knowledge of truth. In the Book of Judges,

Will they not divide the spoil, ... the spoil of colours for Sisera, the spoil of colours of embroidered work, embroiderers' colour - on the necks of the spoil? 3 Judges 5:30.

In this verse, which is part of the Song of Deborah and Barak, 'embroidered [work]' stands for factual knowledge belonging to the natural man.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Here verse 18 of Ezekiel 16 has become confused with the preceding verse 17.

2. literally, A great eagle, great with wings, long with pinions, and full with feathers,

3. The meaning in the Hebrew of this verse is very obscure. The Latin rendering by Sebastian Schmidt, which Swedenborg relies on here, is literal and equally difficult to make sense of.

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

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Arcana Coelestia # 1232

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1232. That 'Aram' or Syria means cognitions of good follows from what has been said above as well as from the Word: in Ezekiel,

Aram was your merchant in the multitude of your handiworks; they exchanged for your wares chrysoprase, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and ramoth, 1 and rubies. Ezekiel 27:16.

This refers to 'Tyre' or the possession of cognitions. Here 'handiworks, chrysoprase, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, ramoth, and rubies' means nothing else than cognitions of good. In Hosea,

Jacob fled into the field of Aram and served for a wife, and for a wife kept guard. And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved. Ephraim has provoked to anger most bitterly. Hosea 12:12-14.

Here 'Jacob' stands for the external Church, and 'Israel' for the internal spiritual Church. 'Aram' stands for cognitions of good, 'Egypt' for knowledge that debases, 'Ephraim' for debased intelligence. What these mean in this context cannot possibly be deduced from the literal sense, only from the internal sense where, as has been stated, names mean things of the Church. In Isaiah,

Behold, Damascus has been rejected so that it is not a city; it has become a heap of ruins. The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the children of Israel. Isaiah 17:1, 3.

Here 'the remnant of Aram' stands for cognitions of good which are called 'the glory of Israel'. 'Aram' or Syria also stands in the contrary sense for cognitions of good that have been debased, for it is usual in the Word for an expression to be used in both senses, see Isaiah 7:4-6; 9:12; Deuteronomy 26:5.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. A Hebrew word, the meaning of which is uncertain

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