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Joshua 18

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1 Ja kaikki israelilaisten seurakunta kokoontui Siiloon, ja he pystyttivät sinne ilmestysmajan, sittenkuin maa oli tullut heille alamaiseksi.

2 Mutta vielä oli israelilaisista jäljellä seitsemän sukukuntaa, joiden perintöosa oli jakamatta.

3 Niin Joosua sanoi israelilaisille: "Kuinka kauan hidastelette ettekä mene ottamaan omaksenne maata, jonka Herra, teidän isienne Jumala, on teille antanut?

4 Tuokaa tänne jokaisesta sukukunnasta kolme miestä, niin minä lähetän heidät menemään ja kiertelemään maata ja panemaan sen kirjaan heidän perintöosiaan silmällä pitäen; ja tulkoot he sitten takaisin minun luokseni.

5 He jakakoot maan seitsemään osaan. Juuda pysyköön alueellaan etelässä, ja Joosefin heimo pysyköön alueellaan pohjoisessa.

6 Pankaa maa, ne seitsemän osaa, kirjaan ja tuokaa kirja tänne minulle, niin minä heitän teidän puolestanne arpaa täällä Herran, meidän Jumalamme, edessä.

7 Sillä leeviläisillä ei ole osuutta teidän keskuudessanne, vaan Herran pappeus on heidän perintöosansa; ja Gaad ja Ruuben ja toinen puoli Manassen sukukuntaa saivat tuolta puolelta Jordanin, idän puolelta, perintöosansa, jonka Herran palvelija Mooses heille antoi."

8 Niin miehet nousivat ja lähtivät; ja Joosua käski lähtevien panna kirjaan maan, sanoen: "Menkää ja kierrelkää maa ja pankaa se kirjaan ja palatkaa sitten minun luokseni, niin minä heitän teidän puolestanne arpaa täällä Herran edessä Siilossa".

9 Ja miehet lähtivät, kulkivat kautta maan ja panivat sen kirjaan kaupunki kaupungilta, seitsemänä osana, ja tulivat takaisin Joosuan luo Siilon leiriin.

10 Ja Joosua heitti heidän puolestaan arpaa Siilossa Herran edessä, ja Joosua jakoi siellä maan israelilaisille, heidän osastojensa mukaan.

11 Ja arpa nousi benjaminilaisten sukukunnalle, heidän suvuilleen; ja heidän arvalla saamansa alue oli Juudan jälkeläisten ja joosefilaisten välillä.

12 Heidän pohjoinen rajansa lähtee Jordanista, ja raja nousee Jerikon pohjoispuolella olevalle kukkulalle ja nousee vuoristoon, länteen päin, ja päättyy Beet-Aavenin erämaahan.

13 Sieltä raja kulkee Luusiin, Luusin eteläpuolella olevaan kukkulaan, se on Beeteliin; sitten raja laskeutuu Aterot-Addariin vuoren yli, joka on alisen Beet-Hooronin eteläpuolella.

14 Sitten raja kaartuu ja kääntyy läntisenä rajana etelään päin siitä vuoresta, joka on vastapäätä Beet-Hooronia, sen eteläpuolella, ja päättyy Kirjat-Baaliin, se on Kirjat-Jearimiin, Juudan jälkeläisten kaupunkiin. Tämä on läntinen raja.

15 Mutta eteläinen raja lähtee Kirjat-Jearimin laidasta, lännen puolelta, ja jatkuu Neftoahin veden lähteelle.

16 Sitten raja laskeutuu sen vuoren päähän, joka on vastapäätä Ben-Hinnomin laaksoa, Refaimin tasangon pohjoisessa laidassa; sieltä se laskeutuu Hinnomin laaksoon Jebusilaiskukkulan eteläpuolitse ja edelleen Roogelin lähteelle.

17 Sitten se kaartuu pohjoiseen päin ja jatkuu Een-Semekseen ja edelleen kivitarhoille, jotka ovat vastapäätä Adummimin solaa, ja laskeutuu Boohanin, Ruubenin pojan, kiveen.

18 Edelleen se kulkee Aromaahan päin olevan kukkulan pohjoispuolitse ja laskeutuu Aromaalle.

19 Sitten raja kulkee Beet-Hoglan kukkulan pohjoispuolitse, ja raja päättyy Suolameren pohjoiseen pohjukkaan, Jordanin eteläpäähän. Tämä on eteläinen raja.

20 Mutta idän puolella on Jordan rajana. Tämä on benjaminilaisten, heidän sukujensa, perintöosa rajoineen yltympäri.

21 Ja benjaminilaisten sukukunnan, heidän sukujensa, kaupungit ovat: Jeriko, Beet-Hogla, Eemek-Kesis,

22 Beet-Araba, Semaraim, Beetel,

23 Avvim, Paara, Ofra,

24 Kefar-Ammoni, Ofni ja Geba-kaksitoista kaupunkia kylineen;

25 Gibeon, Raama, Beerot,

26 Mispe, Kefira, Moosa,

27 Rekem, Jirpeel, Tarala,

28 Seela, Elef, Jebus, se on Jerusalem, Gibeat ja Kirjat-neljätoista kaupunkia kylineen. Tämä on benjaminilaisten, heidän sukujensa, perintöosa.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 18

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

Joshua 18: The rest of the land is divided up among the 7 remaining tribes, and the tribe of Benjamin receives its lot.

After several chapters covering the allocation of the land for Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim and Manasseh, there were still seven tribes to be provided for. Before this was done, Joshua gathered these seven tribes together and told them to choose three men from each tribe. These men went and surveyed the region, divided up all the land and cities into seven parts, and recorded everything in a book. Then they came back to Joshua, who cast lots to decide where the seven remaining tribes would live.

The first of the seven allocations was for the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the youngest of the sons of Jacob, and he was a full brother to Joseph. Their mother, Rachel, whom Jacob had loved so much, died giving birth to Benjamin.

The city of Jerusalem was first allocated to Benjamin, but in time became more associated with Judah. In fact, these were the two tribes which later made up the kingdom of Judah, as opposed to the ten northern tribes forming the kingdom of Israel. Benjamin’s territory included the cities of Jericho, Ai and Gibeon, all of which had been significant soon after Israel crossed the River Jordan. Saul, the first king of Israel, was a Benjamite.

This story about surveying the land represents our need to know things as they truly are. This could mean many things: for example, exploring the idea of heaven, or hell, or life in this world, or a spiritual teaching such as providence. It might be to learn about justice and compassion, or true freedom. It may be our need to look honestly within ourselves and recognize some of our self-centred ways (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 1612).

The Israelite’s findings about the land were recorded in a book, which really would have been a scroll. This is like our ‘book of life’, in which everything about us down to the least detail is preserved so that in eternity, we shall know who we are (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Explained 199). Joshua drew lots so the Lord’s will would be clear to the people of Israel.

The spiritual meaning of Benjamin needs some careful explanation. Technically, it means ’the spiritual of the celestial’, and this is our ability to understand the reason for the most loving experiences we can have. It is heightened thinking joining with heightened feeling. Benjamin was the youngest son, the special brother of Joseph, who stands for the Lord (Arcana Caelestia 4585).

With this in mind, it is useful to know that Bethlehem, the town where Jesus was born, lay in the territory of Benjamin. Bethlehem’s name means ‘house of bread’ giving us the idea of nourishment for our physical and our spiritual lives. God came into the world to bring us the food of heaven and nourishment from the Word, so that we may fight our evils and choose what is good (Arcana Caelestia 6247, 4594).

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Arcana Coelestia # 3928

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3928. 'And she called his name Naphtali' means the essential nature of it, that is to say, of the temptation in which one overcomes and also of the resistance offered by the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'name' and of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 2724, 3421. The particular nature is that which is meant by 'Naphtali', for the name Naphtali is derived from the word 'wrestlings'. And for the same reason 'Naphtali' represents this second general truth of the Church. Temptation is the means by which the internal man is joined to the external, for they are at variance with each other but are made to agree and to correspond by means of temptations. The external man is indeed such that of itself it does not desire anything except bodily and worldly things; these are the delights of the natural man's life. But the internal man - when opened towards heaven and desiring the things of heaven, as is the case with those who are able to be regenerated - takes delight in heavenly things. And when a person undergoes temptations these two types of delight conflict with each other. The person is not directly aware of the conflict, because he is not aware of what heavenly delight is and of what hellish delight is, let alone that they are so utterly contrary to each other. But celestial angels cannot be present at all with a person in his bodily and worldly delight until this has been made subservient, that is to say, until bodily and worldly delight is no longer regarded as an end in itself but something which is meant to be subservient to heavenly delight, as shown above in 3913. Once this has been achieved the angels are able to reside with that person in both; but in this case his delight becomes blessedness, and at length happiness in the next life.

[2] Anyone who believes that the delight of the natural man prior to regeneration is not hell-like, and that devilish spirits are not in possession there, is much mistaken. He is unaware of what the situation is with man - that prior to regeneration genii and spirits from hell have possession of his natural man, no matter how much he seems to himself to be like any other person, and also that he is able to participate with everybody else in what is holy and to reason about the truths and goods of faith, indeed is able to believe that he has become strong in these. If this person does not feel within himself some measure of affection for what is right and fair in his daily work, and for what is good and true in society and in life, let him recognize that his kind of delight in things is the kind that exists with those in hell, for his delight entails no other love than self-love and love of the world. And when these constitute his delight no charity or any faith is present within it. The only means that will weaken and dispel this delight once it has become predominant is the affirmation and acknowledgement of the holiness of faith and of the good of life, which is the first means meant, as shown above, by Dan, and after this by temptation, which is the second means and is meant by Naphtali; for this second means follows the other. Indeed people who do not affirm and acknowledge the goodness and the truth which constitute faith and charity are unable to enter any conflict brought about by temptation as there is nothing within to oppose the evil and falsity towards which natural delight gravitates.

[3] In other places in the Word where Naphtali is mentioned he means a person's state following temptations, as in the prophecy of Jacob, who by then was Israel,

Naphtali is a hind let loose, giving beautiful words. Genesis 49:21.

'A hind let loose' stands for the affection for natural truth in a state that is free, which arises following temptation. This state is also what is at stake within temptations, which are meant by 'Naphtali', for the battle fought in temptations is a struggle for freedom. Likewise in Moses' prophecy,

To Naphtali he said, Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of Jehovah, will possess the west and the south. Deuteronomy 33:23.

For the representations of Jacob's sons, and of the tribes, depend on the order in which they are mentioned, 3862. And in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak,

Zebulun is a people that consigned its soul to die, as did Naphtali, on the heights of the field. Judges 5:18.

This too refers in the internal sense to the conflicts brought about by temptations, and to a person's presence among those who do not fear anything evil because they are rooted in forms of truth and good, meant by 'being on the heights of the field'.

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