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Josua 21

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1 Und die Häupter der Väter der Leviten traten zu Eleasar, dem Priester, und zu Josua, dem Sohne Nuns, und zu den Häuptern der Väter der Stämme der Kinder Israel,

2 und redeten zu ihnen zu Silo, im Lande Kanaan, und sprachen: Jehova hat durch Mose geboten, uns Städte zum Wohnen zu geben, und deren Bezirke für unser Vieh.

3 Und die Kinder Israel gaben den Leviten von ihrem Erbteil diese Städte und ihre Bezirke, nach dem Befehle Jehovas:

4 Und das Los kam heraus für die Familien der Kehathiter. Und die Söhne Aarons, des Priesters, aus den Leviten, erhielten vom Stamme Juda und vom Stamme der Simeoniter und vom Stamme Benjamin, durchs Los, dreizehn Städte;

5 und die übrigen Söhne Kehaths, von den Geschlechtern des Stammes Ephraim und vom Stamme Dan und vom halben Stamme Manasse, durchs Los, zehn Städte.

6 Und die Söhne Gersons erhielten von den Geschlechtern des Stammes Issaschar und vom Stamme Aser und vom Stamme Naphtali und vom halben Stamme Manasse in Basan, durchs Los, dreizehn Städte;

7 die Söhne Meraris, nach ihren Familien, vom Stamme Ruben und vom Stamme Gad und vom Stamme Sebulon zwölf Städte.

8 Und so gaben die Kinder Israel den Leviten diese Städte und ihre Bezirke durchs Los, so wie Jehova durch Mose geboten hatte.

9 Und sie gaben vom Stamme der Kinder Juda und vom Stamme der Kinder Simeon folgende Städte, die man mit Namen nannte;

10 und sie wurden den Söhnen Aarons, von den Familien der Kehathiter, aus den Kindern Levi, zuteil (denn für sie war das erste Los).

11 Und sie gaben ihnen die Stadt Arbas, des Vaters Enaks, das ist Hebron, im Gebirge Juda, und ihre Bezirke rings um sie her.

12 Aber das Feld der Stadt und ihre Dörfer gaben sie Kaleb, dem Sohne Jephunnes, als sein Eigentum.

13 Und sie gaben den Söhnen Aarons, des Priesters, die Zufluchtstadt für den Totschläger, Hebron und seine Bezirke; und Libna und seine Bezirke,

14 und Jattir und seine Bezirke, und Eschtemoa und seine Bezirke,

15 und Holon und seine Bezirke, und Debir und seine Bezirke,

16 und Ain und seine Bezirke, und Jutta und seine Bezirke, und Beth-Semes und seine Bezirke: neun Städte von diesen beiden Stämmen.

17 Und vom Stamme Benjamin: Gibeon und seine Bezirke, Geba und seine Bezirke,

18 Anathoth und seine Bezirke, und Almon und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

19 Alle Städte der Söhne Aarons, der Priester: dreizehn Städte und ihre Bezirke.

20 Und was die Familien der Söhne Kehaths, der Leviten, die übrigen von den Söhnen Kehaths, betrifft, so waren die Städte ihres Loses vom Stamme Ephraim.

21 Und sie gaben ihnen die Zufluchtstadt für den Totschläger, Sichem und seine Bezirke im Gebirge Ephraim; und Geser und seine Bezirke,

22 und Kibzaim und seine Bezirke, und Beth-Horon und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

23 Und vom Stamme Dan: Elteke und seine Bezirke, Gibbethon und seine Bezirke,

24 Ajjalon und seine Bezirke, Gath-Rimmon und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

25 Und von der Hälfte des Stammes Manasse: Taanak und seine Bezirke, und Gath-Rimmon und seine Bezirke: zwei Städte.

26 Aller Städte waren zehn und ihre Bezirke, für die Familien der übrigen Söhne Kehaths.

27 Und den Söhnen Gersons, aus den Geschlechtern der Leviten, gaben sie vom halben Stamme Manasse: Die Zufluchtstadt für den Totschläger, Golan in Basan und seine Bezirke; und Beeschtera und seine Bezirke: zwei Städte.

28 Und vom Stamme Issaschar: Kischjon und seine Bezirke, Daberath und seine Bezirke,

29 Jarmuth und seine Bezirke, En-Gannim und seine Bezirke: Vier Städte.

30 Und vom Stamme Aser: Mischeal und seine Bezirke, Abdon und seine Bezirke,

31 Helkath und seine Bezirke, und Rechob und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

32 Und vom Stamme Naphtali: Die Zufluchtstadt für den Totschläger, Kedes in Galiläa und seine Bezirke; und Hammoth-Dor und seine Bezirke, und Kartan und seine Bezirke: drei Städte.

33 Alle Städte der Gersoniter, nach ihren Familien: dreizehn Städte und ihre Bezirke.

34 Und den Familien der Söhne Meraris, den übrigen Leviten, gaben sie vom Stamme Sebulon: Jokneam und seine Bezirke, Karta und seine Bezirke,

35 Dimna und seine Bezirke, Nahalal und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

36 Und vom Stamme Ruben: Bezer und seine Bezirke, und Jahza und seine Bezirke,

37 Kedemoth und seine Bezirke, und Mephaath und seine Bezirke: vier Städte.

38 Und vom Stamme Gad: Die Zufluchtstadt für den Totschläger, Ramoth in Gilead und seine Bezirke; und Machanaim und seine Bezirke,

39 Hesbon und seine Bezirke, Jaser und seine Bezirke; aller Städte waren vier.

40 Alle Städte der Söhne Meraris, nach ihren Familien, der übrigen von den Geschlechtern der Leviten: ihr Los war zwölf Städte.

41 Alle Städte der Leviten inmitten des Eigentums der Kinder Israel: achtundvierzig Städte und ihre Bezirke.

42 Diese Städte hatten, Stadt für Stadt, ihre Bezirke rings um sich her: also war es bei allen diesen Städten.

43 Und so gab Jehova Israel das ganze Land, welches er ihren Vätern zu geben geschworen hatte; und sie nahmen es in Besitz und wohnten darin.

44 Und Jehova schaffte ihnen Ruhe ringsumher nach allem, was er ihren Vätern geschworen hatte; und keiner von allen ihren Feinden hielt vor ihnen stand: alle ihre Feinde gab Jehova in ihre Hand.

45 Es fiel kein Wort dahin von all den guten Worten, welche Jehova zu dem Hause Israel geredet hatte; alles traf ein.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 21

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

Joshua 21: The cities of the Levite priests and the end of the settlement.

In this chapter, the last remaining part of the settlement was completed: the provision for the Levites, the priests of Israel. This tribe had been appointed priests because only they had answered the call, “Who is on the side of the Lord?” when the Israelites had been worshipping the golden calf in the wilderness (see Exodus 32:26).

Much of the chapter is spent listing the cities given to the three sons of Aaron, who was appointed high priest. Each extended family of Aaron’s sons was given about sixteen cities. It seems very significant that a lot of these cities were the same ones given to the other tribes, and were also the cities of refuge.

Levi’s name means ‘joined’, which is very suitable for the Levite priests, who received cities in every tribal territory. This meant that the presence of priests was everywhere (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 342).

Spiritually speaking, this distribution is a wonderful illustration that our spirit lives throughout our whole body. Every part of us is alive! Every single thing in our body, from one blood cell to our heart and lungs, is maintained by our spirit, which itself is maintained by the influx of the Lord’s life. The function of everything in our body is in a perfect correspondence with the kingdom of heaven.

So, spiritually, the Levites stand for the presence of the Lord everywhere, in everything. This underlines the point that everything in the natural world - even the cities and territories described in this chapter of Joshua - reflect something about God and heaven (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Revealed 194). But there is another important meaning for the distribution of the priestly Levites in cities all through the tribal territories: we must keep on acknowledging that everything is a blessing from the Lord, that everything we do is for God, and that the Lord alone does what is truly good (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 91).

After the distribution of cities to the Levites, Israel was fully established in the land of Canaan. The rest of this chapter is a consolidating statement which is worth including in full:

v43. “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

v44. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

v45. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

These are words of fulfillment, culmination, assurance and blessing. Everything here traces back to the Lord. The Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, granted them victory over their enemies, and gave them the Land of Canaan; the Lord had spoken in complete truth. “All came to pass.”

This final statement is a promise of our own capacity for regeneration and spiritual progress. We are able to overcome our natural desires and selfish states; we have been established in our life with the ability to understand and do what is good. In devoting ourselves to the Lord, we find strength to see that He will never fail us, and will change us for the better. ‘All came to pass’ is our affirmation that our life is always under God’s care and providence (Arcana Caelestia 977).

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Revealed # 194

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194. "'And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem.'" This symbolically means that they will have the doctrine of the New Church engraved on their hearts.

The New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church, and when it is called a city, it symbolizes the New Church in respect to its doctrine. Therefore to "write on him the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem," means, symbolically, that they will have the doctrine of the New Church engraved on their hearts.

To be shown that Jerusalem symbolizes the church, and that as a city it means the church in respect to its doctrine, see nos. 880, 881, below.

A city symbolizes doctrine because a land, and particularly the land of Canaan, symbolizes a church in its entirety; and the inheritances into which the land of Canaan was divided consequently symbolized various components of the church, and the cities in it doctrines. Because of this, when cities are mentioned in the Word, the angels understand them to mean nothing else. I have also had this attested for me through a good deal of experience.

The case with this is the same as with the symbolic meanings of mountains, hills, valleys, springs, and rivers, all of which symbolize such things as have to do with the church.

[2] That cities symbolize doctrines can be seen to some extent from the following passages:

The land shall be... emptied..., the land shall be turned upside down..., the land shall be profaned... The empty city shall be broken down... What is left in the city shall be waste, and the gate shall be stricken even to its destruction. (Isaiah 3; 4; 5; 10; 11; 12)

The lion has come up from his thicket..., to make your land a wasteland. Your cities will be destroyed... I beheld... Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities desolate... ...the land shall mourn... The whole city shall flee..., forsaken... (Jeremiah 4:7, 26-29)

The land there is the church, and the city is its doctrine. The devastation of the church by doctrinal falsities is described in this way.

The despoiler shall come upon every city, so that no city escapes. The valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed... (Jeremiah 48:8)

Likewise:

Behold, I have made you this day as a fortified city... against the whole land... (Jeremiah 1:18)

This was addressed to the prophet because a prophet symbolizes the doctrine of the church (no. 8).

On that day they will sing... in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." (Isaiah 26:1-2)

...the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. (Revelation 16:18-19)

(The prophet saw) on a very high mountain... the structure of a city to the south... (And an angel measured the wall, the gates, their chambers, and the vestibule of the gate,) and the name of the city... shall be JEHOVAH IS THERE. (Ezekiel 40:1ff., 48:35)

There is a river whose streams have made glad the city of God? (Psalms 46:4-5)

I will embroil Egypt with Egypt, so that... city (fights) against city, and kingdom against kingdom. (Isaiah 19:2)

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city... divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

Cities in these passages mean, in the spiritual sense, doctrines, as is the case also in Isaiah 6:11; 14:4, 17, 21; 19:18-19; 25:1-3; 33:8-9; 54:3; 64:10, and elsewhere.

[3] From the symbolic meaning of a city it can be seen what cities mean in this parable of the Lord:

A... nobleman (going) into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom..., delivered to (his servants) minas (with which to) do business... ...when he returned..., he (called the) servants... The first came, saying, ."..your mina has earned ten minas," and he said to him, ."..good servant..., you shall have authority over ten cities." And the second came, saying, ."..your mina has earned five minas." And he said... to him, "You also be over five cities." (Luke 19:12-19)

Cities here likewise symbolize doctrines or doctrinal truths, and to be over them is to be intelligent and wise. Thus to give power over them is to impart intelligence and wisdom. Ten symbolizes much, and five some. It is apparent that to do business and earn a profit means to acquire intelligence for oneself by making use of one's abilities.

[4] That the holy city Jerusalem symbolizes the doctrine of the New Church is clearly apparent from its description in chapter 21 of the book of Revelation, for it is described in respect to its dimensions, its gates, and its wall and foundations, and inasmuch as Jerusalem symbolizes the church, these can symbolize nothing other than matters having to do with its doctrine. Neither is the church a church on any other basis.

Because the city Jerusalem means the church in respect to doctrine, it is therefore called the City of Truth (Zechariah 8:3-4), and in many places a holy city, and this because holiness is predicated of truths derived from the Lord (no. 173).

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.