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Numre 8

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1 Og HE EN talede til Moses og sagde:

2 Tal til Aron og sig til ham: Når du sætter Lamperne på, skal du sætte dem således, at de syv Lamper kaster Lyset ud over Pladsen foran Lysestagen!

3 Det gjorde Aron så; han satte Lamperne på således, at de vendte ud mod Pladsen foran Lysestagen, som HE EN havde pålagt Moses.

4 Men Lysestagen var lavet af Guld i drevet Arbejde, fra Foden til Kronerne var den drevet Arbejde; efter det Forbillede, HE EN havde vist ham, havde Moses lavet Lysestagen.

5 HE EN talede fremdeles til Moses og sagde:

6 Udtag Leviterne af Israelitternes Midte og rens dem!

7 Således skal du gå frem, når du renser dem: Stænk enselsesvand på dem og lad dem gå hele deres Legeme over med agekniv, tvætte deres klæder og rense sig.

8 Derpå skal de tage en ung Tyr til Brændoffer med tilhørende Afgrødeoffer af fint Hvedemel, rørt i Olie, og du skal tage en anden ung Tyr til Syndoffer.

9 Lad så Leviterne træde hen foran Åbenbaringsteltet og kald hele Israelitternes Menighed sammen.

10 Når du så har ladet Leviterne træde frem for HE ENs Åsyn, skal Israeliterne lægge deres Hænder på Leviterne.

11 Derpå skal Aron udføre Svingningen med Leviterne for HE ENs Åsyn som et Offer fra Israeliterne, for at de kan udføre HE ENs Arbejde.

12 Så skal Leviterne lægge deres Hænder på Tyrenes Hoved, og derefter skal du ofre den ene som Syndoffer og den anden som Brændoffer til HE EN for at skaffe Leviterne Soning.

13 Derpå skal du stille Leviterne frem for Aron og hans Sønner og udføre Svingningen med dem for HE EN.

14 Således skal du udskille Leviterne fra Israeliterne, så at Leviterne kommer til at tilhøre mig.

15 Derefter skal Leviterne komme og gøre Arbejde ved Åbenbaringsteltet; du skal foretage enselsen og udføre Svingningen med dem,

16 thi de er skænket mig som Gave af Israelitternes Midte; i Stedet for alt hvad der åbner Moders Liv, alle førstefødte hos Israeliterne, har jeg taget mig dem til Ejendom.

17 Thi mig tilhører alt det førstefødte hos Israeliterne, både af Mennesker og Kvæg. Dengang jeg slog alle de førstefødte i Ægypten, helligede jeg dem til at være min Ejendom.

18 Jeg tog Leviterne i Stedet for alt det førstefødte hos Israeliterne

19 og skænkede Leviterne som Gave til Aron og hans Sønner af Israelitternes Midte til at udføre Israelitternes Arbejde ved Åbenbaringsteltet og skaffe Israeliterne Soning, for at ingen Plage skal ramme Israeliterne, om de selv nærmer sig Helligdommen.

20 Og Moses, Aron og hele Israelitternes Menighed gjorde således med Leviterne; ganske som HE EN havde pålagt Moses med Hensyn til Leviterne, gjorde Israeliterne med dem.

21 Leviterne lod sig rense for Synd og tvættede deres Klæder, og Aron udførte Svingningen med dem for HE ENs Åsyn, og Aron skaffede dem Soning, så de blev rene.

22 Derpå kom Leviterne for at udføre deres Arbejde ved Åbenbaringsteltet under Arons og hans Sønners Tilsyn; som HE EN havde pålagt Moses med Hensyn til Leviterne, således gjorde de med dem.

23 HE EN talede fremdeles til Moses og sagde:

24 Dette er, hvad der gælder Leviterne: Fra Femogtyveårsalderen og opefter skal de komme og gøre Tjeneste med Arbejdet ved Åbenbaringsteltet.

25 Men fra Halvtredsårsalderen skal de holde op med at gøre Tjeneste og ikke arbejde mere;

26 de kan gå deres Brødre til Hånde i Åbenbaringsteltet med at tage Vare på, hvad der skal varetages; men Arbejde skal de ikke mere gøre. Således skal du gøre med Leviterne i alt, hvad de har at varetage.

   


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Apocalypse Explained # 64

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64. Clothed with a garment down to the foot. That this signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him, is evident from the signification of garments, as being truths which invest good (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536). Mention is here made only of a garment reaching to the foot, which is a general covering; by which, as the Lord is treated of, is therefore signified in general all Divine truth. But as the Lord is here described as to the Divine Human, which in this case is the Son of man appearing in the midst of the lampstands, and it is said that He was "clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle," and afterwards that "His face shone as the sun in his power," I desire to give the explanation of what is related in the Evangelists concerning the Lord when He was transfigured, where some similar expressions occur; and then of what is said concerning the soldiers dividing His garments, and casting lots upon His vesture.

[2] Concerning the Lord's transfiguration it is thus written: Jesus took Peter, James, and John into an exceedingly high mountain, and was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment became white as the light. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and, behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:1-5; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). The reason why the Lord took Peter, James, and John, was, that they represented the church as to faith, charity, and the works of charity. He took them into a high mountain, because by mountain is signified heaven. His face shone as the sun, because the face signifies the interiors, which, being Divine, shone as the sun; for the sun is the Divine love. His garments became white as the light, because garments signify Divine truth proceeding from Him; the same is also signified by light. Moses and Elias appeared, because they both signify the Word, Moses the historical Word, and Elias the prophetical Word. A bright cloud overshadowed them, because a bright cloud signifies the Word in the letter, in which is the internal sense. The voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him, because a voice out of a cloud signifies Divine truth from the Word, and beloved Son, the Lord's Divine Human; and because Divine truth, and therefore all the truth of the church, is from Him, it was said out of the cloud, "In whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."

[3] That the Divine Human of the Lord was thus seen, is clear, because the Divine itself cannot appear to any except by means of the Divine Human; this the Lord teaches also in John:

"No one hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath brought him forth to view" (1:18).

And in another place:

"Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape" (John 5:37).

(That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists, is evident from Arcana Coelestia, where it is shown that, in the Word by Peter, James, and John are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n. 3750, and above, n. 9; that by a high mountain is signified heaven, n. 8327, 8805, 9420, 9422, 9434, 10608; that by face are signified the interiors of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546, and by the face of the Lord, mercy, peace, and every good, n. 222, 223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888. That by the sun is signified Divine love, see n. 2495, 4060, 7083, and in the work, Heaven and Hell 116-125. That by garments, when the Lord is treated of, is signified Divine truth, see n. 9212, 9216; that the same is signified by light, see n. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684, and in the work, Heaven and Hell 126-140. That Moses and Elias signify the Word; that Moses does so, see Arcana Coelestia 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234; and that Elias does, see n. 2762, 5247. That clouds signify the Word [in the letter], see above, n. 36; that beloved Son is the Divine Human of the Lord is evident.) From the signification of the Lord's garments, as being Divine truth, it may be known what is signified by the soldiers dividing the Lord's garments among them, and casting lots upon His vesture, concerning which it is thus written in John,

"The soldiers took his garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also his coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not divide it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my garments among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did" (19:23, 24).

[4] He who does not know that in every particular of the Word there is an internal sense, which is spiritual, cannot see any arcanum in these things; he only knows that the soldiers divided the garments and not the coat, and he perceives nothing more than this, when, nevertheless, there is not only a Divine arcanum contained in this circumstance, but also in every particular of the things recorded concerning the Lord's passion. The arcanum which is contained in this circumstance is, that the Lord's garments signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is Divine truth; the garments which they divided, the Word in the letter, and the coat, the Word in the internal sense. To divide them, signifies to disperse and falsify; and soldiers signify those who belong to the church, who fight for Divine truth; wherefore it is said, "These things therefore the soldiers did." It is therefore clear, that by these words in the spiritual sense, is meant, that the Jewish Church dispersed the Divine truth which is in the sense of the letter; but that they could not disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. (That the Lord's garments signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above; that His coat signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 9826, 9942; that to divide is to disperse and separate from good and truth, thus to falsify, may be seen, n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094. That soldiers signify those who belong to the church, in this place to the Jewish church, who fought for Divine truth, is evident from the spiritual sense of warfare and of war; that war signifies spiritual combats, which are those of truth against falsity, may be seen, n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; it is therefore said concerning the Levites, whose function was to deal with the things of the church, that they should go out to the warfare, and should serve in the warfare, by exercising the ministry in the tent of the assembly (Numbers 4:23, 35, 39, 43, 47; 8:23, 24).

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.