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Numbers 26

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1 After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest:

2 Number the whole sum of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their houses and kindreds, all that are able to go forth to war.

3 Moses therefore and Eleazar the priest, being in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan over against Jericho, spoke to them that were

4 From twenty years old and upward, as the Lord had commanded: and this is the number of them:

5 Ruben the firstborn of Israel. His sons were Henoch, of whom is the family of the Henochites: and Phallu, of whom is the family of the Phalluites:

6 And Hesron, of whom is the family of the Hesronites: and Charmi, of whom is the family of the Charmites.

7 These are the families of the stock of Ruben: whose number was found to be forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.

8 The son of Phallu was Eliab.

9 His sons, were Namuel and Dathan and Abiron. These are Dathan and Abiron the princes of the people, that rose against Moses and Aaron in the sedition of Core, when they rebelled against the Lord:

10 And the earth opening her mouth swallowed up Core, many others dying, when the fire burned two hundred and fifty men. And there was a great miracle wrought,

11 That when Core perished, his sons did not perish.

12 The sons of Simeon by their kindreds: Namuel, of him is the family of the Namuelites: Jamin, of him is the family of the Jaminites: Jachin, of him is the family of the Jachinites:

13 Zare, of him is the family of the Zarites: Saul, of him is the family of the Saulites.

14 These are the families of the stock of Simeon, of which the whole number was twenty-two thousand two hundred.

15 The sons of Gad by their kindreds: Sephon, of hin; Is the family of the Sephonites: Aggi, of him is the family of the Aggites: Suni, of him is the family of the Sunites:

16 Ozni, of him is the family of the Oznites: Her, of him is the family of the Herites :

17 Arod, of him is the family of the Arodites: Ariel, of him is the family of the Arielites.

18 These are the families of Gad, of which the whole number was forty thousand five hundred.

19 The sons of Juda, Her and Onan, who both died in the land of Chanaan.

20 And the sons of Juda by their kindreds were: Sela, of whom is the family of the Selaites: Phares, of whom is the family of the Pharesites: Zare, of whom is the family of the Zarites.

21 Moreover the sons of Phares were: Hesron, of whom is the family of the Hesronites: and Hamul, of whom is the family of the Hamulites.

22 These are the families of Juda, of which the whole number was seventy-six thousand five hundred.

23 The sons of Issachar, by their kindreds: Thola, of whom is the family of the Tholaites: Phua, of whom is the family of the Phuaites:

24 Jasub, of whom is the family of the Jasubites: Semran, of whom is the family of the Semranites.

25 These are the kindreds of Issachar, whose number was sixty-four thousand three hundred.

26 The sons of Zabulon by their kindreds: Sared, of whom is the family of the Saredites: Elon, of whom is the family of the Elonites: Jalel, of whom is the family of the Jalelites.

27 These are the kindreds of Zabulon, whose number was sixty thousand five hundred.

28 The sons of Joseph by their kindred, Manasses and Ephraim.

29 Of Manasses was born Machir, of whom is the family of the Machirites. Machir beget Galaad, of whom is the family of the Galaadites.

30 Galaad had sons: Jezer, of whom is the family of the Jezerites: and Helec, of whom is the family of the Helecites:

31 And Asriel, of whom is the family of the Asrielites: and Sechem, of whom is the family of the Sechemites:

32 And Semida, of whom is the family of the Semidaites: and Hepher, of whom is the family of the Hepherites.

33 And Hepher was the father of Salphaad, who had no sons, but only daughters, whose names are these: Maala, and Noa, and Hegla, and Melcha, and Thersa.

34 These are the families of Manasses, and the number of them fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

35 And the sons of Ephraim by their kindreds were these: Suthala, of whom is the family of the Suthalaites: Becher, of whom is the family of the Becherites: Thehen, of whom is the family of the Thehenites.

36 Now the son of Suthala was Heran, of whom is the family of the Heranites.

37 These are the kindreds of the sons of Ephraim: whose number was thirty-two thousand five hundred.

38 These are the sons of Joseph by their families. The sons of Benjamin in their kindreds: Bela, of whom is the family of the Belaites: Asbel, of whom is the family of the Asbelites: Ahiram, of whom is the family of the Ahiramites:

39 Supham, of whom is the family of the Suphamites: Hupham, of whom is the family of the Huphamites.

40 The sons of Bela: Hered, and Noeman. Of Hered, is the family of the Heredites: of Noeman, the family of tile Noemanites.

41 These are the sons of Benjamin by their kindreds, whose number was forty- five thousand six hundred.

42 The sons of Dan by their kindreds: Suham, of whom is the family of the Suhamites: These are the kindreds of Dan by their families.

43 All were Suhamites, whose number was sixty-four thousand four hundred.

44 The sons of Aser by their kindreds: Jemna, of whom is the family of the Jemnaites: Jessui, of whom is the family of the Jessuites: Brie, of whom is the family of the Brieites.

45 The sons of Brie: Heber, of whom is the family of the Heberites: and Melchiel, of whom is the family of the Melchielites.

46 And the name of the daughter of Aser, was Sara.

47 These are the kindreds of the sons of Aser, and their number fifty-three thousand four hundred.

48 The sons of Nephtali by their kindreds: Jesiel, of whom is the family of the Jesielites: Guni, of whom is the family of the Gunites:

49 Jeser, of whom is the family of the Jeserites: Sellem, of whom is the family of the Sellemites.

50 These are the kindreds of the sons of Nephtali by their families: whose number was forty-five thousand four hundred.

51 This is the sum of the children of Israel, that were reckoned up, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

52 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

53 To these shall the land be divided for their possessions according to the number of names.

54 To the greater number thou shalt give a greater portion, and to the fewer a less: to every one, as they have now been reckoned up, shall a possession be delivered :

55 Yet so that by lot the land be divided to the tribe and families.

56 Whatsoever shall fall by lot, that shall be taken by the more, or the fewer.

57 This also is the number of the sons of Levi by their families: Gerson, of whom is the family of the Gersonites: Caath, of whom is the family of the Caathites: Merari, of whom is the family of the Merarites.

58 These are the families of Levi: The family of Lobni, the family of Hebroni, the family of Moholi, the family of Musi, the family of Core. Now Caath beget Amram :

59 Who had to wife Jochabed the daughter of Levi, who was horn to him in Egypt. She bore to her husband Amram sons, Aaron and Moses, and Mary their sister.

60 Of Aaron were born Nadab and Abiu, and Eleazar and Ithamar:

61 Of whom Nadab and Abiu died, when they had offered the strange fire before the Lord.

62 And all that were numbered, were twenty-three thousand males from one month old and upward: for they were not reckoned up among the children of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the rest.

63 This is the number of the children of Israel, that were enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan, over against Jericho.

64 Among whom there was not one of them that were numbered before by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai.

65 For the Lord had foretold that they should die in the wilderness. And none remained of them, but Caleb the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 9809

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9809. That he may minister in the priest’s office to Me. That this signifies a representative of the Lord, is evident from the representation of “the priest’s office,” as being in the supreme sense every office which the Lord discharges as the Savior; and whatever He does as the Savior is from Divine love, thus from Divine good, for all good is of love. For this reason also by “the priest’s office” in the supreme sense is signified the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love. There is Divine good, and there is Divine truth; Divine good is in the Lord, and therefore it is His being, which in the Word is called “Jehovah;” but Divine truth is from the Lord, and therefore it is the coming-forth from this being, which in the Word is meant by “God;” and as that which comes forth from Him is also Himself, therefore also the Lord is Divine truth, which is His Divine in the heavens. For the heavens come forth from Him, because the angels who are there are receptions of His Divine; the celestial angels being receptions of the Divine good which is from Him, and the spiritual angels being receptions of the Divine truth which is thence derived. From all this it can be seen what of the Lord was represented by the priestly office, and what of the Lord was represented by the kingly office; namely, by the priestly office the Divine good of His Divine love, and by the kingly office the Divine truth thence derived.

[2] That by the priestly office was represented the Divine good of the Lord’s Divine love, thus every office which the Lord discharges as the Savior is evident from the following passages in the Word, in David:

The saying of Jehovah unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. Jehovah shall send forth the scepter of strength out of Zion; rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people is one of readinesses in the day of Thy strength, in the honors of holiness from the womb of the dawn, Thou hast the dew of Thy birth. Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever, according to My word, Melchizedek. The Lord at Thy right hand hath smitten kings in the day of His anger; He hath judged among the nations; He hath filled with dead bodies; He hath smitten the head over much land. He shall drink of the stream in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head (Psalms 110:1-7).

From this it is plain what the Lord is as a priest, consequently what the priestly office represented in the Lord, namely, all the work of the salvation of the human race; for in this passage the subject treated of is the Lord’s combats with the hells, while He was in the world, through which He acquired for Himself Divine omnipotence over the hells, by virtue of which He saved the human race, and also saves at this day all those who receive Him. It is this salvation itself, because it is from the Divine good of the Divine love, by virtue of which it is said of the Lord, “Thou art a priest forever, according to My word, Melchizedek.” “Melchizedek” means “the king of righteousness”; and the Lord was so called from the fact that He became righteousness, and thereby salvation (according to what was shown above, n. 9715).

[3] But as each particular expression in the above Psalm contains arcana concerning the Lord’s combats while He was in the world, and these cannot be revealed without the internal sense, therefore they may here be briefly unfolded. “The saying of Jehovah unto My Lord” signifies that it is said of the Lord while He was in the world (that by “the Lord” here is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human is evident in Matthew 22:41-43, in Mark 12:35-36, and in Luke 20:41-44). “Sit thou at My right hand” signifies the omnipotence of Divine good through the Divine truth which the Lord then was, and from which He fought and conquered (that “sitting at the right hand” denotes a state of power, and that when said of the Divine it denotes omnipotence, see n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 7673, 8281, 9133; and that all the power of good is through truth, n. 6344, 6423, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643).

[4] “Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool” signifies until the evils which are in the hells shall be subjugated and made subject to his Divine power. “Jehovah shall send forth the scepter of strength out of Zion” signifies power then from celestial good (that “Zion” denotes this good, see n. 2362, 9055). “Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies” signifies that this good has dominion over evils; evils are meant by “enemies” because they are opposed to the Divine, and specifically to the Lord. “Thy people is one of readinesses in the day of Thy strength” signifies the Divine truths then fighting. “In the honors of holiness” signifies which are from the Divine good. “From the womb of the dawn, Thou hast the dew of Thy birth,” signifies conception from the Divine good itself from which He had Divine truth. “Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent” signifies what is stable and certain.

[5] “Thou art a priest forever” signifies the Divine good of the Divine love in Him. “According to My word, Melchizedek,” signifies that His Divine Human is the like; “Melchizedek” means “king of righteousness,” thus that Jehovah became righteous through combats and victories (n. 9715). “The Lord at Thy right hand” signifies the Divine truth which is then from Him, through which He has omnipotence, as above. “Hath smitten kings in the day of His anger” signifies the destruction then of falsities; “the day of anger” was when He fought against evils and destroyed them; “kings” denote truths, and in the opposite sense falsities (n. 2015, 2069, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148). “He hath judged among the nations” signifies the dispersion of evils; for “nations” denote goods, and in the opposite sense evils (n. 1259, 1260, 1849, 6005). “He hath filled with dead bodies” signifies thus spiritual death, which is the total deprivation of truth and good. “He hath smitten the head over much land” signifies the casting down of the infernal love of self into the hells, and its damnation. “He shall drink of the stream in the way, therefore shall He lift up the head,” signifies the endeavor to emerge by means of reasonings about truths. This is the sense of the above words which is perceived in heaven when this Psalm is read by man.

[6] As the priestly office was representative of the Lord in respect to all the work of salvation from Divine love, therefore also all Divine worship belonged to the office of the priest; which worship at that time consisted chiefly in offering burnt-offerings, sacrifices, and meat-offerings, and in arranging the breads of faces upon the table, in lighting the lamps every day, and in burning incense; consequently in making expiation for the people and in remitting sins. Moreover, when the priests were at the same time prophets, it also consisted in unfolding the Divine law, and in teaching. That Aaron with his sons performed all these things is evident from the institution of the priest’s office in Moses. That all these things were representative of the Lord’s works of salvation, is manifest; wherefore also that part of the sacrifices and meat-offerings which was for Jehovah, that is, for the Lord, was given to Aaron; in like manner the firstfruits of various kinds, and also the tithes (see Exodus 29:1-36; Leviticus 7:35-36; 23:15-21; 27:21; Numbers 5:6-10; 18:8-20, and 25 to the end; Deuteronomy 18:1-5), and the firstborn; but instead of all the firstborn of men were the Levites, who were given as a gift to Aaron (Numbers 1:47; 3:9), for the reason that they belonged to Jehovah (Numbers 3:12-13, 40-45).

[7] As the Lord in respect to the whole work of salvation was represented by the high-priest, and the work of salvation itself by his office, which is called the priesthood, therefore no inheritance and portion with the people was given to Aaron and his sons, for it is declared that Jehovah God is their inheritance and portion (Numbers 18:20); neither was any portion given to the Levites, because they belonged to Aaron (Numbers 26:58-63; Deuteronomy 10:9; 18:1-2). For the people represented heaven and the church, but Aaron with his sons and with the Levites represented the good of love and of faith which makes heaven and the church, thus they represented the Lord from whom is this good. For this reason the land was granted to the people for an inheritance, but not to the priests, for the Lord is in them, but not among them as one of them and distinct from them.

[8] The like is involved in these words from Isaiah:

Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah, the ministers of our God; ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory ye shall boast yourselves (Isaiah 61:6); where “eating the wealth of the nations” denotes to appropriate goods to themselves; “boasting themselves in their glory” denotes to enjoy truths, thus to have joy and happiness from both. (That “nations” denote goods, see n. 1259, 1260, 4574, 6005; and that “glory” denotes truth from the Divine, n. 9429.)

[9] In the Word throughout “kings” and “priests” are mentioned in a series, also “kings,” “princes,” “priests,” and “prophets;” and in the internal sense by “kings” are there signified truths in the complex; by “princes,” primary truths; by “priests,” goods in the complex; and by “prophets,” doctrines, as in the book of Revelation:

Jesus Christ hath made us kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10).

The house of Israel were ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets (Jeremiah 2:26).

In that day the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall marvel (Jeremiah 4:9).

At that time they shall draw out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets (Jeremiah 8:1).

(That by “kings” in the sense abstracted from persons are signified truths in the complex, see n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148; that by “princes” are signified primary truths, n. 1482, 2089, 5044; that “priests” denote goods, n. 1728, 2015, 3670, 6148; and that “prophets” denote doctrines derived from these things and concerning them, n. 2534, 7269) The kingly office of the Lord is also signified by His name “Christ,” “Anointed,” “Messiah”; and His priestly office by His name “Jesus,” for “Jesus” means “Savior” or “Salvation,” concerning which it is thus written in Matthew:

The angel appeared unto Joseph in a dream, and said, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

As this belonged to the priest’s office, therefore the like was represented by the office of the high priest who made expiation for the people for sins (Leviticus 4:26, 31, 35; 5:6, 10, 13, 16, 1 5:18; 9:7; 15:15, 30).

[10] Seeing that evil cannot possibly be joined to good, because they have aversion for each other, therefore purifications of various kinds were commanded for Aaron and his sons when they ministered in the priest’s office, whether at the altar, or in the Tent of meeting; and it was also commanded that the high priest was not to marry any but a virgin; not a widow, nor one divorced, nor a harlot (Leviticus 21:13-15); that those of the sons of Aaron who were unclean “if they should eat of the sanctified things, were to be cut off” (Leviticus 22:2-9); that “no one of the seed of Aaron in whom was a blemish should offer bread” (Leviticus 21:17-21); that “the high priest was not to shave his head, to rend his garments, to defile himself with any dead body, not even of his father and his mother, and that he was not to go out of the sanctuary” (Leviticus 21:10-12). As before said, these and many other laws were enacted for the reason that the high priest represented the Lord as to Divine good; and good is of such a nature that evil cannot be joined to it, for good shuns evil, and evil dreads good as hell dreads heaven; and therefore no conjunction of them is possible.

[11] But as for truth, it is of such a character that falsity can be joined to it; yet not the falsity in which there is evil; but that in which there is good, such as there is with little children, and with boys and girls while they are as yet in innocence, and with well-disposed Gentiles who are in ignorance; and such as there is with all who are in the literal sense of the Word, and who remain in the doctrine thence derived, and who nevertheless have the good of life as their end; for this good, as the end, drives away all the malevolence of falsity, and by applying itself forms the falsity into a certain likeness of truth.

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