Bible

 

Joshua 12

Studie

   

1 Nämä olivat ne maan kuninkaat, jotka israelilaiset voittivat ja joiden maan he ottivat omakseen tuolla puolella Jordanin, auringonnousun puolella, maan Arnon-joesta aina Hermonin vuoreen saakka ja koko itäpuolisen Aromaan:

2 Siihon, amorilaisten kuningas, joka asui Hesbonissa ja hallitsi maata Arnon-joen rannalla olevasta Aroerista ja jokilaakson keskikohdalta, ja puolta Gileadia, Jabbok-jokeen saakka, joka on ammonilaisten rajana,

3 ja Aromaata aina Kinerotin järveen, sen itärantaan, saakka ja Aromaan mereen, Suolamereen, sen itärantaan, saakka, Beet-Jesimotin tienoille, ja etelään päin Pisgan rinteiden juurelle saakka.

4 Ja he ottivat omakseen Oogin, Baasanin kuninkaan, alueen, hänen, joka oli viimeisiä refalaisia ja asui Astarotissa ja Edreissä

5 ja hallitsi Hermonin vuorta, Salkaa ja koko Baasania gesurilaisten ja maakatilaisten alueeseen saakka ja toista puolta Gileadia, Hesbonin kuninkaan Siihonin alueeseen saakka.

6 Herran palvelija Mooses ja israelilaiset olivat voittaneet heidät; ja Herran palvelija Mooses oli antanut maan omaksi ruubenilaisille ja gaadilaisille ja toiselle puolelle Manassen sukukuntaa.

7 Ja nämä olivat ne maan kuninkaat, jotka Joosua ja israelilaiset voittivat tällä puolella Jordanin, länsipuolella, Libanonin laaksossa olevasta Baal-Gaadista aina Seiriin päin kohoavaan Sileään vuoreen saakka, ja joiden maan Joosua antoi Israelin sukukuntien omaksi, heidän osastojensa mukaan,

8 Vuoristossa, Alankomaassa, Aromaassa, Rinnemaissa, Erämaassa ja Etelämaassa, heettiläisten, amorilaisten, kanaanilaisten, perissiläisten, hivviläisten ja jebusilaisten maan:

9 Jerikon kuningas yksi, lähellä Beeteliä olevan Ain kuningas yksi,

10 Jerusalemin kuningas yksi, Hebronin kuningas yksi,

11 Jarmutin kuningas yksi, Laakiin kuningas yksi,

12 Eglonin kuningas yksi, Geserin kuningas yksi,

13 Debirin kuningas yksi, Gederin kuningas yksi,

14 Horman kuningas yksi, Aradin kuningas yksi,

15 Libnan kuningas yksi, Adullamin kuningas yksi,

16 Makkedan kuningas yksi, Beetelin kuningas yksi,

17 Tappuahin kuningas yksi, Heeferin kuningas yksi,

18 Afekin kuningas yksi, Lassaronin kuningas yksi,

19 Maadonin kuningas yksi, Haasorin kuningas yksi,

20 Simron-Meronin kuningas yksi, Aksafin kuningas yksi,

21 Taanakin kuningas yksi, Megiddon kuningas yksi,

22 Kedeksen kuningas yksi, Karmelin juurella olevan Jokneamin kuningas yksi,

23 Doorin kukkuloilla olevan Doorin kuningas yksi, Gilgalin seudun pakanain kuningas yksi,

24 Tirsan kuningas yksi. Kaikkiaan kolmekymmentä yksi kuningasta.

   

Komentář

 

Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 12

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 12: The kings who were defeated by Joshua.

This chapter lists the kings who were defeated by Moses on the other side of the river Jordan, and those defeated by Joshua in the land of Canaan. Moses defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Joshua defeated 31 kings, and this chapter names their cities one by one.

We might well wonder: what is the use of such a chapter for us? But here it is, included in the Word of God. We will suggest two ways in which this chapter gives us a spiritual message to work with:

First, the sheer number of kings who opposed Israel represent, in a general way, the many things that prevent us from dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s teachings.

Secondly, the many names of the towns that the Israelites defeated are all significant in identifying the various situations we encounter in our spiritual lives (See Swedenborg’s Arcana Caelestia 2009[9]). For example “Joshua” means ‘God is victory’, something we can come to understand as we choose to turn against evil. We can do that because the Lord fights for and with us; we cannot do that alone.

For every heaven there is a corresponding hell (See Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell 588). If mercy is something of heaven, hell is to do with cruelty and all that goes with it. If innocence is of heaven, hell is to do with intended harm and all that goes with that. Evil is unspeakably precise.

Joshua defeated thirty-one kings. The number thirty stands for combat and also for ‘remnants’, which are deep-seated feelings of good and truth given the Lord gives us during our childhood, to help us combat evil in adult regeneration. Thirty-one would seem to suggest combat going on even past thirty (Arcana Caelestia 5335).

The names of the cities of these kings are given, and each name represents a quality. ‘Israel’ was the name given to Jacob by the Lord, after he had wrestled all night with the angel of God and had prevailed (see Genesis 32:24-28). “Israel” means ‘striving with God’ and also ‘a prince with God’, and it became the name of the people of Israel.

As examples, we will look at three Canaanite cities which fought Israel, and explore the spiritual meaning of their names.

1. The king of Jarmuth, means ‘being downcast by death’. Viewing life only in terms of its inevitable end does terrible things to our sense of purpose, hope and trust. Defeating Jarmuth helps us see that death is a transition into eternal life, and our means of passing from this life into our fullest life.

2. The king of Aphek, means ‘tenacious fortress’. We can quite readily see that evil can be exactly like a tenacious fortress. Evil will hang on like grim death and refuse to let us go. Evil will attempt any number of devious tactics to break us down or undermine our faith. The last thing it will do is to see that we’re resolved, and then finally give up.

3. The king of Taanach, which means ‘sandy, hard to cross’. This might remind us of dangerous quicksands, or the way in which we stumble trying to walk through sand. Again, sometimes evil can appear to give us safer passage on solid ground, before we realize that it is the hells ensnaring us.

Bible

 

Ezekiel 48

Studie

   

1 Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath, (and they shall have their sides east [and] west), Dan, one [portion].

2 By the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one [portion].

3 By the border of Asher, from the east side even to the west side, Naphtali, one [portion].

4 By the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one [portion].

5 By the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one [portion].

6 By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one [portion].

7 By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one [portion].

8 By the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand [reeds] in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in its midst.

9 The offering that you shall offer to Yahweh shall be twenty-five thousand [reeds] in length, and ten thousand in breadth.

10 For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand [in length], and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in its midst.

11 [It shall be] for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my instruction, who didn't go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

12 It shall be to them an offering from the offering of the land, a thing most holy, by the border of the Levites.

13 Answerable to the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.

14 They shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy to Yahweh.

15 The five thousand that are left in the breadth, in front of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs; and the city shall be in its midst.

16 These shall be its measures: the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.

17 The city shall have suburbs: toward the north two hundred fifty, and toward the south two hundred fifty, and toward the east two hundred fifty, and toward the west two hundred fifty.

18 The remainder in the length, answerable to the holy offering, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be answerable to the holy offering; and its increase shall be for food to those who labor in the city.

19 Those who labor in the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.

20 All the offering shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand: you shall offer the holy offering foursquare, with the possession of the city.

21 The residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the possession of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand of the offering toward the east border, and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, answerable to the portions, it shall be for the prince: and the holy offering and the sanctuary of the house shall be in its midst.

22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, it shall be for the prince.

23 As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one [portion].

24 By the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one [portion].

25 By the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one [portion].

26 By the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one [portion].

27 By the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one [portion].

28 By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the brook [of Egypt], to the great sea.

29 This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.

30 These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure;

31 and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

32 At the east side four thousand and five hundred [reeds], and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one.

33 At the south side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one.

34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred [reeds], with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.

35 It shall be eighteen thousand [reeds] around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there.