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Deuteronomium 33

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1 Dit nu is de zegen, met welken Mozes, de man Gods, de kinderen Israels gezegend heeft, voor zijn dood.

2 Hij zeide dan: De HEERE is van Sinai gekomen, en is hunlieden opgegaan van Seir; Hij is blinkende verschenen van het gebergte Paran, en is aangekomen met tien duizenden der heiligen; tot Zijn rechterhand was een vurige wet aan hen.

3 Immers bemint Hij de volken! Al zijn heiligen zijn in Uw hand; zij zullen in het midden tussen Uw voeten gezet worden; een ieder zal ontvangen van Uw woorden.

4 Mozes heeft ons de wet geboden, een erfenis van Jakobs gemeente;

5 En Hij was Koning in Jeschurun, als de hoofden des volks zich vergaderden, samen met de stammen Israels.

6 Dat Ruben leve, en niet sterve, en dat zijn lieden van getal zijn!

7 En dit is van Juda, dat hij zeide: Hoor, HEERE! de stem van Juda! en breng hem weder tot zijn volk; zijn handen moeten hem genoegzaam zijn, en zijt Gij hem een Hulp tegen zijn vijanden!

8 En van Levi zeide hij: Uw Thummim en Uw Urim zijn aan den man, Uw gunstgenoot; dien Gij verzocht hebt in Massa, met welken Gij getwist hebt aan de wateren van Meriba.

9 Die tot zijn vader en tot zijn moeder zeide: Ik zie hem niet; en die zijn broederen niet kende, en zijn zonen niet achtte; want zij onderhielden Uw woord, en bewaarden Uw verbond.

10 Zij zullen Jakob Uw rechten leren, en Israel Uw wet; zij zullen reukwerk voor Uw neus leggen, en dat gans verteerd zal worden, op Uw altaar.

11 Zegen, HEERE! zijn vermogen, en laat U het werk zijner handen wel bevallen; versla de lenden dergenen, die tegen hem opstaan en hem haten, dat zij niet weder opstaan!

12 En van Benjamin zeide hij: De beminde des HEEREN, hij zal zeker bij Hem wonen. Hij zal hem den gansen dag overdekken, en tussen Zijn schouders zal hij wonen!

13 En van Jozef zeide hij: Zijn land zij gezegend van den HEERE, van het uitnemendste des hemels, van den dauw, en van de diepte, die beneden is liggende;

14 En van de uitnemendste inkomsten der zon, en van de uitnemendste voortzetting der maan;

15 En van het voornaamste der oude bergen, en van het uitnemendste der eeuwige heuvelen;

16 En van het uitnemendste der aarde en haar volheid, en van de goedgunstigheid Desgenen, Die in het braambos woonde, kome de zegening op het hoofd van Jozef, en op den schedel des afgezonderden van zijn broederen!

17 Hij heeft de heerlijkheid des eerstgeborenen zijns osses, en zijn hoornen zijn hoornen des eenhoorns; met dezelve zal hij de volken te zamen stoten tot aan de einden des lands. Dezen nu zijn de tien duizenden van Efraim, en dezen zijn de duizenden van Manasse!

18 En van Zebulon zeide hij: Verheug u, Zebulon! over uw uittocht, en Issaschar! over uw hutten.

19 Zij zullen de volken tot den berg roepen; daar zullen zij offeranden der gerechtigheid offeren; want zij zullen den overvloed der zeeen zuigen, en de bedekte verborgen dingen des zands.

20 En van Gad zeide hij: Gezegend zij, die aan Gad ruimte maakt! hij woont als een oude leeuw, en verscheurt den arm, ja ook den schedel.

21 En hij heeft zich van het eerste voorzien, omdat hij aldaar in het deel des wetgevers bedekt was; daarom kwam hij met de hoofden des volks; hij verrichtte de gerechtigheid des HEEREN, en zijn gerichten met Israel.

22 En van Dan zeide hij: Dan is een jonge leeuw; hij zal als uit Bazan voortspringen.

23 En van Nafthali zeide hij: O Nafthali! wees verzadigd van de goedgunstigheid, en vol van den zegen des HEEREN; bezit erfelijk het westen en het zuiden.

24 En van Aser zeide hij: Aser zij gezegend met zonen; hij zij zijn broederen aangenaam, en dope zijn voet in olie.

25 Ijzer en koper zal onder uw schoen zijn; en uw sterkte gelijk uw dagen!

26 Niemand is er gelijk God, o Jeschurun! Die op den hemel vaart tot uw hulp, en met Zijn hoogheid op de bovenste wolken.

27 De eeuwige God zij u een woning, en van onder eeuwige armen; en Hij verdrijve den vijand voor uw aangezicht, en zegge: Verdelg!

28 Israel dan zal zeker alleen wonen, en Jakobs oog zal zijn op een land van koren en most; ja, zijn hemel zal van dauw druipen.

29 Welgelukzalig zijt gij, o Israel! wie is u gelijk? gij zijt een volk, verlost door den HEERE, het Schild uwer hulp, en Die een Zwaard is uwer hoogheid; daarom zullen zich uw vijanden geveinsdelijk aan u onderwerpen, en gij zult op hun hoogten treden!

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 438

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438. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand.- That this signifies charity towards the neighbour, and that all who are in it are in heaven, and come into heaven, is evident from the signification of the tribe of Asher, which denotes that spiritual affection, which is charity, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of twelve thousand sealed, as denoting those who are in heaven, and who come into heaven, as above (n. 433). That the tribe of Asher signifies love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, will be evident from what follows, and is also clear from this fact, that the twelve tribes taken together represented heaven and the church, and therefore signify these in the Word, and that each tribe represented, and therefore signifies, some universal essential which makes heaven and the church. There are in general three universal essentials which make these, that is, love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbour, and the obedience of faith. Love to the Lord is signified by the first three tribes, Judah, Reuben, and Gad, as shown above; charity towards the neighbour is signified by the following three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh; but the obedience of faith is signified by the three following, Simeon, Levi, and Issachar; the conjunction of all these with the Lord is signified by the last three tribes, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. This is the signification in brief of all the tribes named in the above order; for their significations are governed by the order in which they are named, as shown above (n. 431:12, 435, 436).

[2] Moreover the sealed mean those who are separated from the evil and are received into heaven. The first three tribes mean those who are received into the highest or third heaven, where all are in love to the Lord. The next three tribes, which are now the subject, mean those who are received into the middle or second heaven, where all are in charity towards the neighbour; but the three tribes which follow these mean those who are received into the ultimate or first heaven, where those are who are in obedience, which is called the obedience of faith. The last three tribes mean the reception of all these into the three heavens by the Lord. For there are three heavens which are distinguished one from another according to the degrees of the good of love. From these considerations, it is evident in the first place, that this second class of the tribes, that is, the three tribes, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh, mean those who are in charity towards the neighbour. The tribe of Asher denotes charity towards the neighbour; Naphtali, the regeneration of these; and Manasseh, their good of life.

[3] But it shall first be explained, what Asher signifies in the kingdom of the Lord, or in the church. Asher signifies the blessedness of spiritual affections, and thence spiritual affection itself. And because spiritual affection is that which is called love towards the neighbour or charity, therefore Asher here signifies charity, consequently, the twelve thousand of that tribe here signify all who are in charity, and therefore in the second or middle heaven.

[4] That Asher was named from what is blessed, or blessedness, is evident not only from the signification of that expression in the Hebrew, but also from these words spoken respecting him by Leah, the wife of Jacob, when he was born.

"Zilpah Leah's handmaid 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).

Here, the daughters who should call her blessed, signify those spiritual affections of truth which make the church from which all that internal blessedness, which is celestial, arises. In this blessedness are those who are in charity towards the neighbour, for charity towards the neighbour is the spiritual affection of truth, as said just above. To love truth in its essence, that is, to love truth because it is truth, is the spiritual affection of truth. The neighbour also, in the spiritual sense, is nothing else but good and truth, and charity is the love thereof. This may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, where the nature of love towards the neighbour, which is called charity, is shown (n. 84-107). The rest of the above passage may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3936-3940). That Asher signifies the blessedness of love and charity, is further evident from the blessing of Asher by Israel his father:

"From Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall give the delights of a king" (Genesis 49:20).

"From Asher" signifies from celestial and spiritual affections, which are those of love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. His bread shall be fat, signifies delight from good. And he shall give the delights of a king, signifies pleasantness from truth. For a further explanation of these things see Arcana Coelestia 6408-6410).

[5] The signification of Asher is similar in the blessing pronounced upon him by Moses, namely, the delight of the affection of truth from the Word. The blessing is as follows:

"And of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be acceptable to his brethren, dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe shall be iron and brass; and as the days thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

In the blessing of the sons of Israel by Moses there are contained interior facts concerning the Word. Asher, who is there named last, signifies the spiritual affection of truth from the Word, wherefore it is said, "Blessed above sons be Asher, let him be acceptable to his brethren," sons signifying, truths, and brethren, the church thence, while blessed and acceptable are used in reference to the affection of these. 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; the foot denotes truth in the 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 shall be iron and brass; natural truth is signified by iron and natural good, by brass, and the ultimate, by the shoe. And as thy days thy fame, signifies that the Word shall endure to eternity. That iron signifies natural truth, may be seen above (n. 176) that brass signifies natural good, also above (n. 70); and that shoe signifies the ultimate of the natural, which is the sensual, may be seen in the 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 of the Word, therefore that tribe, together with the tribe of Dan, and the tribe of Naphtali, encamped to the north (Num. 2:25-31). The encampments of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, represented the arrangement of the angelic societies in the heavens (see above, n. 431:12-13), and those dwell in the heavens to the north 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, is also evident in Ezekiel, where a new earth and a new city are treated of, and the land said to be distributed as an inheritance among all the tribes of Israel. The city is also stated to have twelve gates, one for each tribe. The inheritance of Asher is there treated of, chapter 48:1-3; and concerning the gates in these words:

"The corner towards the sea four thousand and five hundred; the gates of the city three; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. The circuit eighteen thousand; and the name of the city from that day, Jehovah Shammah" (chap. 48:34, 35).

The land distributed among the tribes for an inheritance, signifies the church; the sons of Israel, amongst whom it was to be distributed, signify all the truths of the church which are from good collectively. The city signifies the doctrine of truth from the good of love, therefore it was called, Jehovah Shammah, Jehovah is there; the gates signify introductory truths, which are doctrinals; the number four thousand and five hundred also signify all truths from good, and eighteen thousand, all the truths of doctrine encompassing and defending. From these things it is evident, that not only all the particulars there mentioned, even to the numbers, signify things of the church, but also that not any tribe of Israel is there meant, but instead of the tribe named, some universal essential of the church. It is also evident there that Asher signifies the spiritual affection of truth, which makes one with charity towards the neighbour. That Asher, in the highest sense, signifies eternity, in the internal sense, felicity of life from the blessedness of the affections of love and charity, and in the external sense, natural delight therefrom, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408).

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

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