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Exode 25

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1 Et l'Eternel parla à Moïse, en disant :

2 Parle aux enfants d'Israël, et qu'on prenne une offrande pour moi. Vous prendrez mon offrande de tout homme, dont le cœur [me] l'offrira volontairement.

3 Et c'est ici l'offrande que vous prendrez d'eux, de l'or, de l'argent, de l'airain,

4 De la pourpre, de l'écarlate, du cramoisi, du fin lin, des poils de chèvres,

5 Des peaux de moutons teintes en rouge, des peaux de taissons, du bois de Sittim,

6 De l'huile pour le luminaire, des odeurs aromatiques pour l'huile de l'onction, des drogues pour le parfum,

7 Des pierres d'Onyx, et Des pierres de remplages pour l'Ephod et pour le Pectoral,

8 Et ils me feront un Sanctuaire, et j'habiterai au milieu d'eux.

9 [Ils le feront] conformément à tout ce que je te vais montrer, selon le patron du pavillon, et [selon] le patron de tous ses ustensiles; vous le ferez donc ainsi.

10 Et ils feront une Arche de bois de Sittim; et sa longueur sera de deux coudées et demie, et sa largeur d'une coudée et demie, et sa hauteur d'une coudée et demie.

11 Et tu la couvriras de pur or, tu l'[en] couvriras par dehors et par-dedans; et tu feras sur elle un couronnement d'or tout autour.

12 Et tu fondras pour elle quatre anneaux d'or, que tu mettras à ses quatre coins, deux anneaux à l'un de ses côtés, et deux autres à l'autre côté.

13 Tu feras aussi des barres de bois de Sittim, et tu les couvriras d'or.

14 Puis tu feras entrer les barres dans les anneaux aux côtés de l'Arche, pour porter l'Arche avec elles.

15 Les barres seront dans les anneaux de l'Arche, et on ne les en tirera point.

16 Et tu mettras dans l'Arche le Témoignage que je te donnerai.

17 Tu feras aussi un Propitiatoire de pur or, dont la longueur sera de deux coudées et demie, et la largeur d'une coudée et demie.

18 Et tu feras deux Chérubins d'or; tu les feras d'ouvrage étendu au marteau, [tiré] des deux bouts du Propitiatoire.

19 Fais donc un Chérubin tiré du bout de deçà, et l'autre Chérubin du bout de delà : vous ferez les Chérubins tirés du Propitiatoire sur ses deux bouts.

20 Et les Chérubins étendront les ailes en haut, couvrant de leurs ailes le Propitiatoire, et leurs faces seront vis-à-vis l'une de l'autre; et le regard des Chérubins sera vers le Propitiatoire.

21 Et tu poseras le Propitiatoire au-dessus de l'Arche, et tu mettras dans l'Arche le Témoignage que je te donnerai.

22 Et je me trouverai là avec toi, et je te dirai de dessus le Propitiatoire, d'entre les deux Chérubins qui seront sur l'Arche du Témoignage, toutes les choses que je te commanderai pour les enfants d'Israël.

23 Tu feras aussi une table de bois de Sittim : sa longueur sera de deux coudées, et sa largeur d'une coudée, et sa hauteur d'une coudée et demie.

24 Tu la couvriras de pur or, et tu lui feras un couronnement d'or à l’entour.

25 Tu lui feras aussi à l’entour une clôture d'une paume, et tout autour de sa clôture tu feras un couronnement d'or.

26 Tu lui feras aussi quatre anneaux d'or, que tu mettras aux quatre coins, qui seront à ses quatre pieds.

27 Les anneaux seront à l'endroit de la clôture, afin d'y mettre les barres pour porter la table.

28 Tu feras les barres de bois de Sittim, et tu les couvriras d'or, et on portera la table avec elles.

29 Tu feras aussi ses plats, ses tasses, ses gobelets, et ses bassins, avec lesquels on fera les aspersions; tu les feras de pur or.

30 Et tu mettras sur cette table le pain de proposition, continuellement devant moi.

31 Tu feras aussi un chandelier de pur or; le chandelier sera étendu au marteau; sa tige et ses branches, ses plats, ses pommeaux, et ses fleurs, seront [tirés] de lui.

32 Six branches sortiront de ses côtés; trois branches d'un côté du chandelier, et trois autres de l'autre côté du chandelier.

33 Il y aura en une des branches trois petits plats en forme d'amande, un pommeau et une fleur; en l'autre branche trois petits plats en forme d'amande, un pommeau et une fleur; [il en sera] de même des six branches procédant du chandelier.

34 Il y aura aussi au chandelier quatre petits plats en forme d'amande, ses pommeaux et ses fleurs.

35 Un pommeau sous deux branches [tirées] du chandelier, un pommeau sous deux [autres] branches [tirées] de lui, et un pommeau sous deux [autres] branches tirées de lui; il [en sera] de même des six branches procédant du chandelier.

36 Leurs pommeaux et leurs branches seront [tirés] de lui, [et] tout le chandelier sera un seul ouvrage étendu au marteau, [et] de pur or.

37 Tu feras aussi ses sept lampes, et on les allumera, afin qu'elles éclairent vis-à-vis du chandelier.

38 Et ses mouchettes, et ses creuseaux seront de pur or.

39 On le fera avec tous ses ustensiles d'un talent de pur or.

40 Regarde donc, et fais selon le patron qui t'est montré en la montagne.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 9468

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9468. 'And twice-dyed scarlet' means mutual love. This is clear from the meaning of 'scarlet' and 'twice-dyed' as celestial truth, which is the same thing as the good of mutual love. There are two kingdoms into which the angelic heaven is divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. In both there is an internal and an external, the internal in the celestial kingdom being the good of love to the Lord and the external the good of mutual love. This external good is what 'twice-dyed scarlet' serves to mean, 'scarlet' the actual good and 'twice-dyed' its truth. But in the spiritual kingdom the internal is the good of charity towards the neighbour and the external the good of obedience that is the product of faith. 'Twice-dyed scarlet' means the good of mutual love and its truth on account of its appearance in the next life; for when the sphere of that good and truth is revealed visually in the lowest heaven it appears there as the colour scarlet. For what comes down from the celestial heaven and appears on a lower level begins as flaming red but is turned into scarlet on the lower level by the whiteness of light in the middle heaven through which it passes. This explains why twice-dyed scarlet was to be used among the other colours on the curtains of the dwelling-place, Exodus 26:1, on the veil before the ark, Exodus 26:31, on the screen to the door of the tent, Exodus 26:36, on the screen to the gate of the court, Exodus 27:16, on the ephod, Exodus 28:6, on the belt, Exodus 28:8, on the breastplate of judgement, Exodus 28:15, and on the hem of the robe of the ephod, Exodus 28:33.

[2] The fact that 'twice-dyed scarlet' means the good of mutual love, which is the external good of the celestial kingdom or Church, is evident from the consideration that over the table where the loaves of the Presence were laid a twice-dyed scarlet cloth was to be spread, which was then to be covered with a covering of badger skin, Numbers 4:8. The inmost things of the celestial kingdom or Church were meant by what lay on the table, chiefly the loaves, but more external things by its coverings. This also accounts for the order in which the materials that were to be gathered together are listed, that is to say, the inmost things, which were the violet and the purple, are mentioned first; the more external things, which were the twice-dyed scarlet, the fine linen, and the wool of she-goats, are mentioned secondly; and the completely external things, which were the skins of red rams and the skins of badgers, are mentioned last. The like applies everywhere else in what follows.

[3] Since external celestial good and its truth is meant by 'twice-dyed scarlet', this colour is used to portray the outward sense of the Word and teachings derived from it. The reason for this is that the Word is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good, appearing as flaming light in the inmost heaven and as brilliantly white light in the middle heaven.

[4] The Word and teachings derived from the Word are portrayed in this way in the second Book of Samuel,

David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan, and entitled it, To teach the children of Judah the bow. Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in twice-dyed delicately, 1 who placed an ornament of gold on your apparel. 2 Samuel 1:17-18, 24.

'Clothing in twice-dyed' stands for providing with truths that go with the good of mutual love, thus with truths from a celestial origin. This prophetic utterance refers to teachings about faith separated from teachings about love and charity; that is to say, it refers to truths which are snuffed out by such a separation but are then restored by those teachings about love and charity. For by 'the Philistines', who killed Saul and Jonathan, are meant those who champion teachings about faith separated from teachings about love and charity, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8096, 8099, 8313; and 'teaching the children of Judah the bow' means providing those who are governed by the good of love and charity with the truths that compose religious teachings.

'The children of Judah' are those governed by the good of love, see 3654, 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 5794, 5833, 6363.

'The bow' is teachings that send out the truth, 2686, 2709.

[5] In Jeremiah,

You who have therefore been laid waste, what will you do? If you clothe yourself in twice-dyed, if you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, in vain will you make yourself beautiful. Jeremiah 4:30.

This refers to the Church when it has been laid waste. 'Clothing oneself in twice-dyed and decking oneself with ornaments of gold' means pointing out the truths of doctrine from a celestial origin and the good ways to live, consequently pointing out truths and aspects of good derived from the Word. Something similar occurs in the same prophet,

Those who ate delicacies are desolate 2 in the streets; those brought up in scarlet have embraced the dunghill. Lamentations 4:5.

'Being brought up in scarlet' stands for receiving instruction since early childhood in the good of mutual love derived from the Word.

[6] Because those things contained in the outward sense of the Word appear in heaven as the colour scarlet, for the reason stated above, people who use the outward sense of the Word to substantiate falsities arising from the evils of selfish and worldly love, thus ideas contrary to truths and forms of the good of love to the Lord and of mutual love, are said to be clothed in purple and scarlet. For their externals, being from the Word, display such an appearance; but their internals are profane. Such things are meant by 'scarlet' in John,

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names. She was clothed in purple and scarlet. Revelation 17:3-4.

This refers to Babylon, which means a religion in which the holy things of the Word are made profane by the use of them to support false ideas that favour the devilish kinds of love, which are self-love and love of the world, and so to exercise control in heaven and on earth. Like things are also meant in another part of the same book, [where it is called,]

The great city, which was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and covered 3 with gold and precious stones and pearls. Revelation 18:16.

Therefore also fine linen, purple, and scarlet are listed among Babylon's wares in Revelation 18:12.

[7] Since the outward aspect of the Word appears in heaven as the colour scarlet, and since there is an influx from heaven into the human memory, in which the things derived from the Word appear in that shade of colour, scarlet was used with objects that served as a reminder of something, as in Moses,

The children of Israel shall make for themselves a fringe on the hems of garments, and they shall put on the fringe of the hem a violet 4 thread, that by means of it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them. 5 Numbers 15:38-39.

[8] For the same reason also it was customary in ancient times, when meaningful signs were in common use, to tie on a scarlet thread as the memorial or reminder of something, as one reads about Tamar's son Zerah, 6 on whose hand the midwife tied a twice-dyed thread, Genesis 38:28, 30, and about the prostitute Rahab, who tied a scarlet thread on the window, so that the spies would remember the promise, Joshua 2:18, 21.

[9] Since a person cannot be released from evils and falsities except by means of the truths and forms of good that reside with the person from the Word, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop were used in cleansings from leprosy, Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52. For 'leprosy' means truth when it has been rendered profane, and so has been falsified, 6963, and 'being cleansed' means being released from those ills by means of truths and forms of good which are derived from the Word. Scarlet was in like manner used in the preparation of the water of separation and expiation involving the red cow, Numbers 19:6; the water of separation and expiation served as well to mean purification and release from evils and falsities by means of truths and forms of good that are derived from the Word.

[10] As the majority of things in the Word can have a contrary meaning, so too can 'twice-dyed' and 'scarlet'. Then they mean falsities and evils, which are the opposites of those truths and forms of good, as in Isaiah,

Though your sins are like twice-dyed, they will be as white as snow. Though they are as red as scarlet, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18.

The same applies to 'red', 'blood', 'flame', and 'fire'. In the true sense they mean forms of the good of love and faith, but in the contrary sense the evils which are their opposites.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, with delight

2. literally, have been laid waste

3. literally, gilded

4. In the first Latin edition and in his rough draft Swedenborg uses the word which has been rendered scarlet in the present paragraph. But the Hebrew word is that which has been rendered violet above in 9466.

5. Most of this quotation is really a paraphrase of the Hebrew.

6. The Latin says Perez.

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