25
וַיֹּאמֶר אָרוּר כְּנָעַן עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה לְאֶחָיו׃
1000. 'Soul' means life. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'soul' in many places in the Word. In general 'soul' in the Word means life in its entirety, the internal life, or that of the internal man, as well as the external, or that of the external man. And because it means life in its entirety it means the nature of the life present in the one to whom 'soul' has reference. In this case it has reference to the life of someone who is regenerate, which is separate from the merely human will. For as stated already, the new life which a regenerate spiritual person receives from the Lord is completely separate from the person s own will or proprium, that is, from the life that is his own, which though called such is not really life but death because it is the life belonging to hell. This is why 'flesh with its soul which they were not to eat' means flesh together with its soul, that is, they were not to mix together this new life which is the Lord's with the evil or putrid life that is man's, that is, with his own will or proprium.
1
The king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2
The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Yahweh.
3
The king stood by the pillar, and made a covenant before Yahweh, to walk after Yahweh, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all [his] heart, and all [his] soul, to confirm the words of this covenant that were written in this book: and all the people stood to the covenant.