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Klaagliederen 4

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1 Aleph. Hoe is het goud zo verdonkerd, het goede fijne goud zo veranderd! Hoe zijn de stenen des heiligdoms vooraan op alle straten verworpen!

2 Beth. De kostelijke kinderen Sions, tegen fijn goud geschat, hoe zijn zij nu gelijk gerekend aan de aarden flessen, het werk van de handen eens pottenbakkers!

3 Gimel. Zelfs laten de zeekalveren de borsten neder, zij zogen hun welpen; maar de dochter mijns volks is als een wrede geworden, gelijk de struisen in de woestijn.

4 Daleth. De tong van het zoogkind kleeft aan zijn gehemelte van dorst; de kinderkens eisen brood, er is niemand, die het hun mededeelt.

5 He. Die lekkernijen aten, versmachten nu op de straten; die in karmozijn opgetrokken zijn, omhelzen den drek.

6 Vau. En de ongerechtigheid der dochter mijns volks is groter dan de zonden van Sodom, dat als in een ogenblik omgekeerd werd, en geen handen hadden arbeid over haar.

7 Zain. Haar bijzondersten waren reiner dan de sneeuw, zij waren witter dan melk; zij waren roder van lichaam dan robijnen, gladder dan een saffier.

8 Cheth. Maar nu is hun gedaante verduisterd van zwartigheid, men kent hen niet op de straten; hun huid kleeft aan hun beenderen, zij is verdord, zij is geworden als een hout.

9 Teth. De verslagenen van het zwaard zijn gelukkiger dan de verslagenen van den honger; want die vlieten daarhenen, als doorstoken zijnde, omdat er geen vruchten der velden zijn.

10 Jod. De handen der barmhartige vrouwen hebben haar kinderen gekookt; zij zijn haar tot spijze geworden in de verbreking der dochter mijns volks.

11 Caph. De HEERE heeft Zijn grimmigheid volbracht, Hij heeft de hittigheid Zijns toorns uitgestort; en Hij heeft te Sion een vuur aangestoken, hetwelk haar fondamenten verteerd heeft.

12 Lamed. De koningen der aarde zouden het niet geloofd hebben, noch al de inwoners der wereld, dat de tegenpartijder en vijand tot de poorten van Jeruzalem zou ingaan.

13 Mem. Het is vanwege de zonden harer profeten, en de misdaden harer priesteren, die in het midden van haar het bloed der rechtvaardigen vergoten hebben.

14 Nun. Zij zwierven als blinden op de straten, zij waren met bloed besmet, zodat men niet kon zien, of men raakte hun klederen aan.

15 Samech. Zij riepen tot hen: Wijkt, hier is een onreine wijkt, wijkt, roert niet aan! Zekerlijk, zij zijn weggevlogen, ja, weggezworven; zij zeiden onder de heidenen: Zij zullen er niet langer wonen.

16 Pe. Des HEEREN aangezicht heeft ze verdeeld. Hij zal ze voortaan niet meer aanzien; zij hebben het aangezicht der priesteren niet geeerd, zij hebben den ouden geen genade bewezen.

17 Ain. Nog bezweken ons onze ogen, ziende naar onze ijdele hulp; wij gaapten met ons gapen op een volk, dat niet kon verlossen.

18 Tsade. Zij hebben onze gangen nagespeurd, dat wij op onze straten niet gaan konden; ons einde is genaderd, onze dagen zijn vervuld, ja, ons einde is gekomen.

19 Koph. Onze vervolgers zijn sneller geweest dan de arenden des hemels; zij hebben ons op de bergen hittiglijk vervolgd, in de woestijn hebben zij ons lagen gelegd.

20 Resch. De adem onzer neuzen, de gezalfde des HEEREN, is gevangen in hun groeven; van welken wij zeiden: Wij zullen onder zijn schaduw leven onder de heidenen!

21 Schin. Wees vrolijk, en verblijd u, gij dochter Edoms, die in het land Uz woont! doch de beker zal ook tot u komen, gij zult dronken worden, en ontbloot worden.

22 Thau. Uw ongerechtigheid heeft een einde, o gij dochter Sions! Hij zal u niet meer gevankelijk doen wegvoeren; maar uw ongerechtigheid, o gij dochter Edoms! zal Hij bezoeken; Hij zal uw zonden ontdekken.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 1042

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1042. Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals, as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of the "woman," as being the religious persuasion of the Papists; also from the signification of "arrayed," as being what it is in externals, for "garments" are external things that clothe; therefore "to be arrayed" means the appearance in externals. Also from the signification of "purple," as being good from a celestial origin, and also the evil opposite thereto, which is called devilish evil (of which presently). Also from the signification of "scarlet," as being truth from a celestial origin, and also the falsity opposite thereto, which is called devilish falsity. That these goods and truths differ from goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin, and that the like is true of the evils and falsities opposite to them, which are called infernal evils and falsities, will be shown in the following article.

[2] This woman, who is a harlot, and is Babylon, is thus described, because those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are described in the Word from their external appearance, thus such as they are in the eyes of the men who worship them. They are so described because the sense of the letter of the Word consists of appearances; while the spiritual sense puts off those appearances, and presents interior things naked, without clothing, and when these appear, they appear in a wholly different form; as here the woman seen in external appearance "arrayed in purple and scarlet," is called, as to her internal form, "the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth;" and the like is said of:

The rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, who, nevertheless, was cast into hell (Luke 16:19);

also of the Assyrians, with whom Ohola and Oholibah, that is, Samaria and Jerusalem, committed whoredom, who are called:

Officers and leaders, horsemen clothed in blue riding upon horses (Ezekiel 23:6, 12).

So in other passages. Babylon is here described as a harlot appears in the world, splendidly clothed and yet abominable, because full of uncleanness.

[3] Before proving from the Word that "purple and scarlet" signify goods and truths from a celestial origin, something shall be said about such goods and truths. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is united with His Divine truth, as heat from the sun is with light in the time of spring. But the angels, who are recipients of the Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, are distinguished into celestial and spiritual. Those who receive more of the Lord's Divine good than of His Divine truth are called celestial angels; because these constitute the kingdom of the Lord that is called the celestial kingdom. But the angels who receive more of the Lord's Divine truth than of His Divine good are called spiritual angels, because the Lord's spiritual kingdom consists of these. This makes clear that goods and truths have a twofold origin, namely, a celestial origin and a spiritual origin. Those goods and truths that are from a celestial origin are the goods and truths of love to the Lord; while those goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin are the goods and truths of love towards the neighbor. The difference is like that between higher and lower, or between interior and exterior; thus like that between things that are in a higher or interior degree, and those that are in a lower or exterior degree; and what this difference is can be seen from what has been said in the work on Heaven and Hell about the three degrees of the heavens, and thus of the angels, and of their wisdom and intelligence (n. 33, 34, 38-39, 208-209, 211, 435).

[4] That "purple" signifies in the Word that good, and "scarlet" that truth, can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. As in Ezekiel:

Fine linen of embroidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, "blue and purple" standing for such knowledges from a celestial origin, and "covering and spreading forth" signifying the externals of that church. In Luke:

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and indulged in delicacies every day (Luke 16:19).

The "rich man" means the Jewish nation and the church therein, which was called "rich" from the knowledges of good and truth from the Word that they had, "in purple" meaning the knowledges of good, and "in fine linen" the knowledges of truth, both from a celestial origin. In Lamentations:

They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet have embraced a dunghill (Lamentations 4:5).

"To be brought up in scarlet" means to be instructed from infancy in truths from celestial good.

[5] As the Tent of meeting represented heaven, and the garments of Aaron represented the holy things of heaven, and purple and scarlet signify the goods and truths of heaven, so the curtains and veils of the Tent, as well as the garments of Aaron, were wrought with blue, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine linen woven together; as:

The curtains of the habitation (Exodus 26:1);

The veil before the ark (Exodus 26:31);

The covering for the door of the Tent (Exodus 26:36);

The covering at the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16);

The ephod (Exodus 28:6);

The belt (Exodus 28:8);

The breastplate of judgment (Exodus 28:15);

The fringes of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33).

Because "scarlet double-dyed" signified the truth of celestial good, therefore:

A cloth of scarlet double-dyed was spread over the table upon which was the bread of faces, and afterwards it was covered with a covering of the skin of the badger (Numbers 4:8).

For the inmost things of the celestial kingdom were signified by the things that were upon the table, which were loaves; but the exterior things by the coverings, which have reference to truths from good.

[6] As truth from celestial good, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is signified by "scarlet," it was used for remembrances, as that:

The sons of Israel should make for themselves a train on the borders of their garment, and should put upon the train of the border a cord of scarlet, that by it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them (Numbers 15:38-39).

And for the same reason it was a custom in ancient times, when significatives were in use, to tie a scarlet cord as a reminder or remembrance of a thing, as is said of Perez the son of Tamar, that:

The midwife tied scarlet upon his hand (Genesis 38:28, 30);

and of the harlot Rahab, that:

She tied in the window a scarlet cord, that the spies might remember their promise (Joshua 2:17, 21).

[7] As all purifications from evils are effected by truths from the Word, therefore:

Cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop were used in cleansings (Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52).

And scarlet was used for the waters of separation and expiation from a red heifer (Numbers 19:6).

Purple and scarlet derive their signification from the nature of these colors. For there are colors in heaven far more brilliant than in the world, originating from the light there; and as red has its origin there from what is fiery or flame-like, and what is fiery and flame-like has its origin there from the good of love, so "purple" signifies good from a celestial origin. But scarlet derives its color from what is flame-like and at the same time glistening, and glistening from light signifies truth; consequently that color signifies the truth of celestial good.

[8] As most things in the Word have a contrary sense, so have purple and scarlet; and in that sense they signify the evils and falsities opposite to those goods and truths. As in Isaiah:

Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

Since "scarlet," the same as "snow," signifies truth, and "purple," the same as "wool," signifies good, and since "scarlet and purple," signify in the contrary sense falsity and evil (falsity and truth, and evil and good corresponding by opposition), so it is said "Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow, and although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool."

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

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