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Numbrid 21

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1 Kui Aradi kuningas, kaananlane, kes elas Lõunamaal, kuulis, et Iisrael tuli Atarimi teed mööda, siis ta sõdis Iisraeli vastu ja võttis neilt vange.

2 Siis Iisrael andis Issandale tõotuse, öeldes: 'Kui sa tõesti annad selle rahva minu kätte, siis ma hävitan nende linnad sootuks.'

3 Ja Issand kuulis Iisraeli häält ja loovutas kaananlased ning nad hävitasid need ja nende linnad sootuks. Ja sellele paigale pandi nimeks Horma.

4 Hoori mäe juurest läksid nad ära Kõrkjamere teed mööda, et minna ümber Edomimaa; aga rahvas tüdines teekonnal.

5 Ja rahvas rääkis vastu Jumalale ja Moosesele: 'Miks olete meid toonud Egiptusest kõrbe surema? Sest ei ole leiba ega vett ja meie hing tülkab seda viletsat toitu.'

6 Siis Issand läkitas rahva sekka mürgiseid madusid ja need salvasid rahvast ning Iisraelis suri palju rahvast.

7 Siis rahvas tuli Moosese juurde ja nad ütlesid: 'Me tegime pattu, et rääkisime vastu Jumalale ja sinule. Palu Issandat, et ta võtaks meilt ära need maod!' Ja Mooses palvetas rahva eest.

8 Ja Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Tee enesele madu ja pane see ridva otsa, siis jääb elama iga salvatu, kes seda vaatab!'

9 Ja Mooses tegi vaskmao ning pani selle ridva otsa. Kui siis madu oli salvanud kedagi, aga too vaatas vaskmadu, siis ta jäi elama.

10 Ja Iisraeli lapsed läksid teele ja lõid leeri üles Obotisse.

11 Ja nad läksid teele Obotist ja lõid leeri üles Ijje-Abarimi, Moabi ees olevasse kõrbe päikesetõusu pool.

12 Sealt nad läksid teele ja lõid leeri üles Seredi nõkku.

13 Sealt nad läksid teele ja lõid leeri üles teisele poole Arnoni jõge, mis on kõrbes ja mis lähtub emorlaste maa-alalt, sest Arnon on piiriks Moabi ja emorlaste vahel.

14 Seepärast öeldakse 'Issanda sõdade raamatus': 'Vaaheb Suufas ja Arnoni orud

15 ja orgude nõlvakud, mis laskuvad Aari maa-alale ja naalduvad Moabi piirile.'

16 Ja sealt nad läksid kaevu juurde. See oli see kaev, mille puhul Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Kogu rahvas kokku, siis ma annan neile vett!'

17 Tol korral laulis Iisrael seda laulu: 'Kee üles, kaev! Laulgem temast!

18 Kaev, mille vürstid kaevasid, mida rahva parimad süvendasid valitsuskepiga, oma karjasekeppidega.' Ja kõrbest läksid nad Mattanasse

19 ja Mattanast Nahalieli ja Nahalielist Baamotti

20 ja Baamotist sinna orgu, mis on Moabimaal Pisgaa mäetipu juures, mis vaatab alla kõrbepinnale.

21 Ja Iisrael läkitas käskjalad Siihoni, emorlaste kuninga juurde ütlema:

22 'Luba mind oma maast läbi minna! Me ei põika põldudele ega viinamägedele, me ei joo kaevuvett. Me läheme kuningateed mööda, kuni oleme läbinud su maa-ala.'

23 Aga Siihon ei lubanud Iisraeli oma maa-alast läbi minna, vaid Siihon kogus kokku kogu oma rahva ja läks välja kõrbe Iisraeli vastu; ta tuli Jaasasse ja sõdis Iisraeli vastu.

24 Aga Iisrael lõi teda mõõgateraga ja vallutas tema maa Arnonist kuni Jabbokini, kuni ammonlasteni, sest ammonlaste piir oli kindlustatud.

25 Ja Iisrael võttis kõik need linnad ja elas kõigis emorlaste linnades, Hesbonis ja kõigis selle tütarlinnades.

26 Sest Hesbon oli Siihoni, emorlaste kuninga linn ja tema oli sõdinud endise Moabi kuninga vastu ning oli tolle käest ära võtnud kogu tema maa kuni Arnonini.

27 Seepärast ütlevad pilkelaulikud: 'Tulge Hesboni! Ehitatagu üles ja rajatagu Siihoni linn!

28 Sest tuli läks välja Hesbonist, leek Siihoni linnast. See põletas Moabi Aari, Arnoni küngaste isandad.

29 Häda sulle, Moab! Kadunud oled, Kemosi rahvas! Ta tegi oma pojad põgenikeks ja oma tütred vangideks emorlaste kuningale Siihonile.

30 Aga meie ambusime neid, Hesbon on hävinud kuni Diibonini; me laastasime, kuni sai süüdatud tuli, mis ulatus Meedebani.'

31 Ja Iisrael jäi elama emorlaste maale.

32 Siis Mooses läkitas uurima Jaaserit ja nad vallutasid selle tütarlinnad; emorlased, kes seal olid, aeti ära.

33 Siis nad pöördusid ja läksid üles mööda Baasani teed. Aga Baasani kuningas Oog läks välja nende vastu, tema ja kogu ta rahvas, taplusesse Edreis.

34 Aga Issand ütles Moosesele: 'Ära karda teda, sest ma annan su kätte tema ja kogu ta rahva ja maa! Ja talita temaga, nagu sa talitasid Siihoniga, emorlaste kuningaga, kes elas Hesbonis!'

35 Ja nad lõid maha tema ja ta pojad ja kogu ta rahva, laskmata põgeneda ainsatki. Ja nad vallutasid ta maa.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 70

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70. The reason why the feet are said to be like unto fine brass is, that by fine brass is meant brass polished and shining, like something fiery; and brass in the Word signifies natural good. Metals, like all other things in the Word, are significative. Gold in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; silver signifies its truth, which is spiritual good; brass natural good, which is ultimate good, and iron its truth, which is natural truth. That such things are signified by metals, is from correspondence; for many things are seen in heaven shining like gold and silver, and also many things shining like brass and iron. And it is there known, that by those things are signified the above-mentioned kinds of good and truth; this is why the ancients, who were in the knowledge of correspondences, named the ages after those metals. The first age they called the golden age, because innocence, love and wisdom therefrom, then reigned; but the second age they called the silver age, because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom, then reigned; the third age they called the brazen, or copper, age, because only natural good, which is what is just and sincere pertaining to moral life, then reigned; but the last age they called the iron age, because only truth without good then reigned, and when that reigns, then also falsity reigns. The reason why the ages were thus distinguished, was from the spiritual signification of those metals.

[2] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, seen in his dream,

"whose head was of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (Dan. 2:32, 33).

The state of the church from its first time to its last as to good and truth, is here signified; its last time was when the Lord came into the world.

When it is known that gold signifies celestial good, silver spiritual good, brass natural good, and iron natural truth, many arcana in the Word where those metals are mentioned can be known. For example, what is signified by these words in Isaiah:

"For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice" (60:17).

[3] But as the signification of brass is what is here treated of, as being natural good, it is necessary only to adduce a few passages where brass is mentioned and signifies that good. Thus in Moses:

"Asher acceptable to his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil; iron and brass thy shoe, and as thy day, thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

Asher, as one of the tribes, signifies the happiness of life, and the delight of the affections (see Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408); to dip the foot in oil signifies natural delight (that oil denotes delight, see n. 9954, and that the foot denotes the Natural, see above, n. 69); the shoe being iron and brass signifies the lowest Natural derived from truth and good, shoe denoting the lowest Natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844); iron is its truth, and brass its good, as above. Again,

"Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a rich land; a land out of whose stones thou shalt cut iron, and out of whose mountains brass" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9).

And in Jeremiah:

"I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee, and not prevail over thee" (15:20).

And in Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, they were thy merchants; with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave thy merchandise" (27:13).

In this chapter the merchandises of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth. By the names Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, are signified those things that pertain to good and truth, to which the knowledges relate; the soul of man denotes the truth of life; vessels of brass denote scientifics of natural good.

[4] (What is signified by Tyre, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1201; what by merchandises, n. 2967, 4453; what by Tubal and Mesech, n. 1151; what by Javan, n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the soul of man, n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by vessels, n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.)

Again, in the same prophet:

The feet of the cherubs "shone like the appearance of polished brass" (1:7).

(What the cherubs and the feet signify, may be seen above, n. 69.) And in the same prophet:

"I saw, and, lo, a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a thread of flax in his hands; he stood in the gate" (40:3).

Because the angel here mentioned measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, his appearance was seen to be the appearance of brass.

He who knows that brass signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, may in some measure understand why the altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the gate round it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exodus 27:1-4), also why the great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47). He who knows what brass signifies, can also enter into the arcanum why a serpent of brass was commanded to be set up for the people to look at, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

"Jehovah sent serpents among the people, which bit the people. And he said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he hath looked upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that when a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers 21:6, 8, 9).

That the Lord was signified by that serpent, He himself teaches in John:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3:14, 15).

By the serpent is signified the ultimate of life in man, which is called the external Sensual, which is natural. To represent this ultimate, which in the Lord was Divine, among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative, a serpent of brass was made; and the signification was, that, if they looked to the Divine Human of the Lord, they would revive, that is, if they believed in Him, they should have eternal life, as the Lord himself also teaches. (That to see in the spiritual sense is to believe, may be seen above, n. 37, 68; and that a serpent denotes the external Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man, see Arcana Coelestia 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That brass and iron in the Word also signify what is hard, as in Isaiah 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and other places, will be seen in the following pages.

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