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Ezékiel 43

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1 És vitt engem a kapuhoz, ahhoz a kapuhoz, a mely napkelet felé néz vala.

2 És ímé, Izráel Istenének dicsõsége jõ vala napkelet felõl, és zúgása, mint nagy víz zúgása, és a föld világos vala az õ dicsõségétõl.

3 És a jelenség, melyet láttam, olyan vala, mint az a jelenség, melyet akkor láttam, mikor menék a várost elveszteni; és olyan látások valának, mint az a jelenség, melyet a Kébár folyó mellett láttam. És orczámra esém.

4 És az Úr dicsõsége beméne a házba a kapunak útján, mely néz napkeletre.

5 És fölemele engem a lélek, és bevitt engem a belsõ pitvarba, és ímé, az Úr dicsõsége betölté a házat.

6 És hallám, hogy valaki beszélget hozzám a házból, holott ama férfiú mellettem áll vala.

7 És mondá nékem: Embernek fia! ezt az én királyi székemnek helyét és lábaim talpainak helyét, a hol lakom Izráel fiai között örökké, és itt az én szent nevemet többé meg ne fertéztesse Izráel háza, õk és királyaik paráznaságukkal és királyaik holttesteivel, magaslataikkal,

8 Mikor küszöbüket az én küszöböm mellé és ajtófélfáikat az én ajtófélfáim mellé tették, és csak a fal vala köztem és közöttök; és megfertéztették az én szent nevemet útálatosságaikkal, melyeket cselekedtek, ezokáért elvesztém õket haragomban.

9 Most már eltávoztatják paráznaságukat és királyaik holttesteit tõlem, és õ köztök lakozom mindörökké.

10 Te, embernek fia, hirdessed Izráel házának ezt a házat, hogy piruljanak vétkeik miatt. És mérjék utána arányosságát;

11 És ha pirulni fognak mind a miatt, a mit cselekedtek: e ház formáját és berendezését, kijáratait és bejáratait és minden formáit és minden rendeléseit és minden formáit és minden törvényeit jelentsd meg nékik és írd meg szemeik elõtt, hogy megtartsák minden formáját és minden rendeléseit, s azokat cselekedjék.

12 Ez a ház törvénye: A hegy tetején egész határa köröskörül igen szentséges. Ímé, ez a ház törvénye.

13 És ezek az oltár mértékei singek szerint (egy sing [tesz] egy [köz]singet és egy tenyért): talpa vala egy sing [magas] és egy sing széles, korlátja pedig a szélén köröskörül egy arasznyi. És ez az oltár magassága:

14 A földön való talptól az alsó bekerítésig két sing s szélessége egy sing, és a kisebb bekerítéstõl a nagyobb bekerítésig négy sing és szélessége egy sing;

15 És az Istenhegye négy sing, és az Isten-tûzhelyétõl fölfelé a szarvak egy sing.

16 És az Isten-tûzhelyének hosszúsága tizenkét [sing] vala tizenkét sing szélesség mellett, négyszögben négy oldala szerint.

17 És a bekerítés vala tizennégy [sing] hosszú, tizennégy [sing] szélesség mellett, négy oldala szerint; és a korlát köröskörül rajta fél sing. És talpa vala egy sing köröskörül. És grádicsai napkeletre néztek.

18 És mondá nékem: Embernek fia, ezt mondja az Úr Isten: Ezek az oltár rendtartásai: Azon a napon, mikor elkészül, hogy égõáldozattal áldozzanak rajta és vért hintsenek reá,

19 Adj a papoknak, a Lévitáknak, kik a Sádók magvából valók, a kik járulhatnak én hozzám, ezt mondja az Úr Isten, hogy szolgáljanak nékem, egy fiatal bikát bûnért való áldozatul.

20 És végy vérébõl, és tedd [az oltár] négy szarvára és a bekerítés négy szegletére és a korlátra köröskörül, és tisztísd meg azt, és szenteld meg.

21 És vegyed a bikát, mely a bûnért való áldozat, és égesd meg azt a háznak erre rendelt helyén, a szenthelyen kivül.

22 Másodnap pedig vígy egy ép kecskebakot bûnért való áldozatul, és tisztítsák meg vele az oltárt, mint a fiatal bikával megtisztították.

23 Mikor elvégezed az [oltár] megtisztítását, vígy áldozatul egy ép, fiatal bikát és egy ép kost a nyájból.

24 És áldozzál velök az Úr elõtt, és a papok hintsenek sót reájok, és vigyék azokat égõáldozatul az Úrnak.

25 Hét napig mindennap egy-egy bakot hozz bûnért való áldozatul, és egy fiatal bikát és egy kost a nyájból, mint épeket hozzák.

26 Hét napon át szenteljék és tisztítsák meg az oltárt és töltsék meg kezét.

27 És betöltsék e napokat; a nyolczadik napon és azután pedig áldozzák a papok az oltáron égõáldozataitokat és hálaadó áldozataitokat, és én kegyelmesen fogadlak titeket, ezt mondja az Úr Isten.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 179

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179. Verse 28. And I will give him the morning star, signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord's Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of "stars," as being the knowledges of good and truth (See above, n. 72); and as they signify the knowledges of good and truth, they also signify intelligence and wisdom, for all intelligence and wisdom come by means of the knowledges of good and truth. It is evident also from the signification of "morning" as being the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, therefore "the morning star" means intelligence and wisdom from Him. "Morning" is often mentioned in the Word, and its signification varies according to the connection in the internal sense; in the highest sense it signifies the Lord, and also His coming; in the internal sense it signifies His kingdom and church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first state of a new church, and also a state of love, and a state of illustration, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, and also a state of the conjunction of good and truth, the state in which the internal man is conjoined to the external. "Morning" has such various significations, because in the highest sense it signifies the Lord's Divine Human; it therefore also signifies all things that proceed from the Divine Human, for the Lord is in those things that proceed from Him, even so that it is He there.

[2] The Divine Human of the Lord in the highest sense is meant by "morning," because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the sun of that heaven does not advance from morning to evening, or from rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but remains constantly in its place, in front above the heavens; consequently the sun is always in the morning there, and never in the evening. And since all the intelligence and wisdom that the angels have comes from the Lord as their sun, their state of love, and state of wisdom and intelligence, and in general their state of illustration is signified by "morning;" for these proceed from the Lord as a sun, and what proceeds from Him is Himself, for from the Divine nothing but what is Divine goes forth, and everything Divine is Himself. (That the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and that from Him as a sun there exist all love, wisdom, and intelligence, and in general all illustration in respect to Divine truths, from which is wisdom, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 116-125, 126-143, 155, 156.)

[3] From this it can he seen why "morning" is so often mentioned in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord, His coming, His kingdom and church, and the goods thereof are treated of; as in the following passages, which I will cite by way of illustration. In the second book of Samuel:

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me. He is as the light of the morning; the son riseth, a morning without clouds (2 Samuel 23:3, 4).

"The God of Israel" and "the Rock" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and Divine truth proceeding therefrom; "the God of Israel" because Israel is His spiritual church, and "the Rock" because His Divine in the spiritual church is Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). As the Lord in the angelic heaven is a sun, and as all the light that angels have is therefrom, and as the sun there is continually in its morning, it is said, "He is as the light of the morning; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds."

[4] In David:

From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth; thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (Psalms 110:3, 4).

This is said of the Lord as about to come into the world; "from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth" is conception from the Divine Itself, and the glorification of His Human thereby; "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek," means that Divine good and Divine truth proceed from Him, for the Lord as priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, who is, "Melchizedek," is Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 1725).

[5] In Ezekiel:

The cherubim stood at the east entrance of the gate of the house; the glory of the God of Israel was over them above (Ezekiel 10:19).

"Cherubim" signify the Lord in respect to providence and as to guard lest He be approached otherwise than by the good of love; "the east entrance of the gate of the house" signifies approach; "the house of God" is heaven and the church; the "east" is where the Lord appears as a sun, thus where He is continually as the morning; therefore it is said "the glory of the God of Israel was over them above."

[6] In the same:

The angel brought me to the gate that looketh towards the east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and the earth was enlightened by His glory. And the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate whose face is toward the east (Ezekiel 43:1, 2, 4).

Here, in the internal sense, the influx of the Lord into those who are in His kingdom and church is described; "the God of Israel" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and the Divine truth proceeding therefrom; "the house of God" is His kingdom and the church; "glory" is Divine truth as it is in heaven; "to come by the way of the east into the house" means from the sun, where it is continually in its morning. (That "glory" is Divine truth as it is in heaven, see Arcana Coelestia 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429; that "the house of God" is heaven and the church in respect to good, and "temple" is the same in respect to truth, n. 3720; and that the "east," in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, consequently the "east" is the good of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668)

[7] In the same:

The angel afterwards brought me back to the entrance of the house, where behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east, they shall descend into the plain and come towards the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whithersoever the rivers come, shall live, whence there are exceeding many fishes, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the river shall come (Ezekiel 47:1, 8, 9).

Here also, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human with those who are of His kingdom and church is described by pure correspondences. By "waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house towards the east," Divine truth proceeding from the Lord and flowing in with those that are in the east, that is, that are in the good of love to Him, is described. "The waters shall descend into the plain" and "into the sea," and "thereby the waters of the sea are healed," signifies influx into the natural man and into the knowledges which are therein; the "fishes therefrom" signifies many scientific truths in the natural man; that "everything shall live whither the river shall come" signifies that they should have life from Divine truth. That such thing are hereby signified there, no one can see except from the internal sense of the Word, yet every single expression therein involves arcana of man's regeneration by the Lord; but what is involved in each expression here will be disclosed in explainingRevelation 22:1, 2, of Revelation, where like things are mentioned.

[8] In David:

I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning; for with Him is much redemption, and He will redeem Israel (Psalms 130:5-8).

Here the Lord's coming into the world, and His reception by those that are in the good of love are treated of. The Lord's coming is signified by "I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait for the Lord, for with Him is much redemption, and He shall redeem Israel;" and His reception by those that are in the good of love is signified by "more than watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning." Here "morning" in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and church; and "watchmen for the morning" signify those who wait for the Lord's coming, who are those that are in the good of love, since to those the Lord is "coming."

[9] That "morning" signifies the Lord's coming into the world and then a new church is evident from the following passages.

In Daniel:

Unto evening and morning, two thousand three hundred, then the holy (sanctum) shall be justified. The vision of the evening and the morning, which has been told, is truth (Daniel 8:14, 26). "Evening" signifies the last time of the former church, and "morning" the first time of the new church, thus the Lord's coming.

In Isaiah:

Crying to me from Seir, Watchman, 1 what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night (D an. Isaiah 21:11, 12).

Here also the Lord's coming is treated of; "night" is the last time of the former church, and "morning" the first of the new. (What is signified by "calling out of Seir," see Arcana Coelestia 4240, 4384.) In Ezekiel:

The end is come, the end is come, the morning is come upon thee, O inhabitant of the land; behold the day cometh, the morning is gone forth (Ezekiel 7:6, 7, 10).

Here likewise the Lord's coming and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one are treated of. In Zephaniah, where similar things are meant:

Jehovah in the morning, in the morning, He shall bring His judgment to light, nor shall He fail (Zephaniah 3:5).

[10] As "morning" signifies the Lord, His coming, also His kingdom and church, as also the good of love from Him, what is meant by "morning" in the following passages can be seen.

In David:

Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning (Psalms 143:8).

In the same:

I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning (Psalms 59:16).

In the same:

O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy; that we may sing aloud and be glad all our days (Psalms 90:14).

In the same:

O Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice; in the morning I will set myself in order for Thee (Psalms 5:3).

In the same:

God is in the midst of her; God shall help him 2 at the turning of the morning (Psalms 46:5).

In the same:

O God, my God, in the morning do I seek Thee (Psalms 63:1).

In Isaiah:

In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom (Isaiah 17:11).

In the same:

Jehovah is 3 their arm every morning (Isaiah 33:2).

In the same :

Jehovah 4 hath given me the tongue of the learned; he hath awakened me every morning (Isaiah 50:4).

In Jeremiah:

I speak unto you every morning (Jeremiah 7:13; 11:7; 25:3, 4). From the signification of "morning" it can be seen what is meant by the following:

That manna fell in the morning (Exodus 16:12, 13, 21).

That Jehovah descended in the morning from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16);

That the priest kindled wood upon the altar every morning and placed thereon the whole burnt-offering (Leviticus 6:12). Also what is involved in the command respecting the sacrifice of the passover:

Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at the going down of the sun. Then thou shalt eat it; and thou shalt turn in the morning and go into thy tents (Deuteronomy 16:6, 7).

"They should sacrifice the passover when the sun went down," because "the setting of the sun" signified the last time of the church; that "they should turn in the morning," signified the establishment of a new church, thus the Lord's coming. These things are cited that it may be known what is signified by the "morning star," which the Son of man would give, namely wisdom and intelligence from the Lord's Divine Human. And as those who receive wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also receive Him, for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence that are from Him, even so that He is the wisdom and intelligence with them, the Lord Himself also is called "the Morning Star" in Revelation:

I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

He is likewise called a Star (Numbers 24:17).

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Latin has "Watchman, watchman," the Hebrew has it only once.

2. In Hebrew: "help her" as found in Apocalypse Revealed 151; True Christian Religion 764; Coronis 5.

3. The Hebrew has "be Thou their arm," as also found in Arcana Coelestia 4933, 8211.

4. The Hebrew has "Lord Jehovih," as also found in Arcana Coelestia 3869[1-14].

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia # 3869

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3869. 'For Jehovah has heard' means in the highest sense providence, in the internal sense the will of faith, in the interior sense obedience, in the external sense the sense of hearing - faith in the will which is received from the Lord alone being meant here. This is clear from the meaning of 'hearing'. As regards 'hearing' meaning the sense of hearing, this needs no explanation; but that 'hearing' in the interior sense means obedience and in the internal sense faith in the will, this is clear from the many places in the Word that are referred to below. The same is clear also from the nature of the sense of hearing when compared with that of sight. Sight in the interior sense means the understanding and in the internal sense faith in the understanding, see 3863; and the reason why it has these meanings is that the essential nature of things comes to be seen by means of one's internal sight and with the aid of this comes to be grasped by a kind of faith, though such as exists only in the understanding. When however things that are heard penetrate to the interior parts they too are converted into something similar to sight, for things that are heard are then seen interiorly. Consequently that which is meant by the sense of sight is also meant by the sense of hearing; that is to say, that which is of the understanding and also that which is of faith is meant. But the sense of hearing at the same time convinces a person that the thing is true, for it has an influence not only on the understanding part of a person's mind but also on the will part, and so reaches more interiorly. That is to say, it reaches the will and causes that person to will that which he sees. This is why 'hearing' means the understanding of a thing and at the same time obedience, and why in the spiritual sense it means faith in the will.

[2] It is because these two - obedience, and faith in the will - lie thus within 'hearing' that these attributes are also meant in everyday speech by the phrases hearing, listening to, and paying attention to; for a person who 'hears' is one who is obedient, and 'listening to' somebody also means obeying him. For those entities which exist interiorly within something are sometimes included within the actual expressions a person uses when he speaks. These occur there because it is a person's spirit which thinks and which grasps the meaning of the expressions used by others when they speak; and his spirit is in a way in contact with spirits and angels among whom the first beginnings of verbal expressions exist. What is more, the whole range of man's experience is such that whatever enters in through the ear and eye, or hearing and sight, passes into his understanding, through the understanding into the will, and from the will into deed. So it is with the truth of faith. This first becomes the truth of faith present within knowledge, then the truth of faith within the will, and finally the truth of faith in deed, and so finally charity. Faith within knowledge or the understanding is meant by 'Reuben', as has been shown; faith in the will by 'Simeon'; and faith in the will when it becomes charity by 'Levi'.

[3] As regards 'hearing' in the highest sense meaning providence, this may become clear from what has been stated above in 3863 about 'seeing' in the highest sense meaning foresight, for the Lord's foresight is a seeing from eternity to eternity that a thing is so, whereas His providence is a governing that that thing should be so and a bending of a person's freedom towards good insofar as He foresees that that person is going to allow himself in freedom to be bent towards it, see 3854.

[4] That 'Jehovah heard', the phrase from which Simeon received his name, in the interior sense means obedience, and in the internal sense faith in the will acquired from the Lord alone, is evident from very many places in the Word, such as the following: In Matthew,

Behold, a voice from the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him. Matthew 17:5.

'Hearing Him' stands for possessing faith in Him, and obeying His commandments, and so possessing faith in the will. In John,

Truly, truly, I say to you, that the hour will come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice. John 5:25, 28.

'Hearing the voice of the Son of God' stands for possessing faith in the Lord's words, and willing them. People who possess faith that is part of the will receive life, and that is why the words 'those who hear will live' are used.

[5] In the same gospel,

The one entering by the door is the shepherd of the sheep; to him the gate-keeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one shepherd. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:2-3, 16, 27.

'Hearing the voice' plainly stands for obedience resulting from faith that is part of the will. In the same gospel,

Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. John 18:37.

Here the meaning is similar. In Luke,

Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded if someone rose from the dead. Luke 16:29, 31.

'Hearing Moses and the Prophets' stands for knowing things contained in the Word and possessing faith in it, and so also willing those things. For possessing faith without willing is seeing but not hearing, whereas possessing faith together with willing is seeing and hearing. This is why both - seeing and hearing - are mentioned together in various places throughout the Word, seeing meaning that which is portrayed through 'Reuben' and hearing that which is portrayed through 'Simeon', since the two are joined together like brother to brother.

[6] The fact that seeing and hearing are referred to jointly is clear from the following places: In Matthew,

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because those who see do not see, and those who hear do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says, By hearing you will hear and not understand, and seeing you will see and not discern. This people's heart has become gross, and with ears they have heard in a dull manner, and their eyes they have closed, lest perhaps they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and with their heart understand. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matthew 13:13-17; John 12:40; Isaiah 6:9.

In Mark,

Jesus said to the disciples, Why do you discuss the fact that you have no loaves? Are you still without understanding and do not understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? Mark 8:17-18.

[7] In Luke,

To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but for everyone else in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear. Luke 8:10.

In Isaiah,

The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Isaiah 35:5.

In the same prophet,

Then on that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of thick darkness and out of darkness the eyes of the blind will see. Isaiah 29:18.

In the same prophet,

Hear, you deaf, and look and see, you blind. Isaiah 42:18.

In the same prophet, Bring forth the blind people, who will have eyes, and the deaf, who will have ears. Isaiah 43:8.

In the same prophet,

The eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. Isaiah 32:3.

In the same prophet, Let your eyes be looking at your teachers, and let your ears hear the word. Isaiah 30:20-21.

In the same prophet,

He who stops his ear lest it hears of blood, and shuts his eyes lest they see evil, will dwell on the heights. Isaiah 33:15-16.

In Ezekiel,

Son of man, you are dwelling in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see but they do not see, who have ears to hear but they do not hear. Ezekiel 12:2.

In these places both seeing and hearing are mentioned because one follows the other. That is to say, faith in the understanding, meant by 'seeing', is followed by faith in the will, meant by 'hearing'. Otherwise it would have been sufficient to mention only one. From this it is also evident why one son of Jacob was named from the expression 'seeing' and the other from 'hearing'.

[8] The origin of 'seeing' meaning faith within knowledge or the understanding, and 'hearing' faith within obedience or the will rests in correspondences in the next life and in meaningful signs based on these. People who have understanding and faith resulting from that understanding belong to the province of the eye, and those who are obedient and have faith resulting from that obedience belong to the province of the ear. The truth of this will be seen from what, in the Lord's Divine mercy, is going to be shown at the ends of chapters concerning the Grand Man and the correspondence with it of everything in the human body.

[9] So it is then that 'the eye' in the internal sense means the understanding, see 2701, and 'the ear' obedience. And in the spiritual sense 'the ear' means faith resulting from obedience, or faith in the will, as is also clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Even so, you have not heard, even so, you have not known; even so, from that time your ear has not opened itself. Isaiah 48:8.

In the same prophet,

The Lord Jehovih will arouse my ear to hear like those who are being taught. The Lord Jehovih opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. Isaiah 50:4-5.

In the same prophet,

Attend diligently to Me, and eat what is good, that your soul may delight in fatness; incline your ear and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:2-3.

In Jeremiah,

To whom am I to speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen. Jeremiah 6:10.

In the same prophet,

This I commanded them, saying, Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. But they did not hear, nor did they incline their ear. Jeremiah 7:23-24, 26

In the same prophet,

Hear, O women, the word of Jehovah, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth. Jeremiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

You did not incline your ear, and you did not obey Me. Jeremiah 35:15.

In Ezekiel,

Son of man, all My words that I have spoken to you, receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. Ezekiel 3:10.

In the same prophet,

I will bring My zeal against you, and they will deal with you in fury. Your nose and your ears they will remove Ezekiel 23:25.

'Removing nose and ears' stands for removing the perception of truth and good, and the obedience that goes with faith. In Zechariah,

They refused to pay attention, and fumed a stubborn shoulder, and made their ears heavy so that they might not hear, and set their heart adamant, so that they might not hear the law. Zechariah 7:11-12.

[10] In Amos,

Thus said Jehovah, As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the children of Israel in Samaria be rescued, on the corner of a bed and on the end of a couch. Amos 3:12.

'Rescuing two legs' stands for rescuing the will for good, 'a piece of an ear' for rescuing the will for truth. It may be seen that 'a piece of an ear' has this meaning, as has been stated, solely from correspondences in the next life and from the meaningful signs based on these, with which the internal sense of the Word and also the ritual observances in the Israelitish and Jewish Church are in accordance. This explains why, when Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated for their specific function, Moses was commanded among other things to take some of the ram's blood and to put it on the tip of Aaron's ear and on the tips of the ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the large toes of their right feet, Exodus 29:20. This ritual act represented the will anointed by faith, into which also as priest he was to be initiated. Anyone can recognize that this ritual act was holy since it was Jehovah who commanded Moses to perform it, and so also that putting blood on the tip of the ear was holy. But what holy thing was meant cannot be known except from the internal sense of the things in the Word, which at this point is that the holiness of faith when applied to the will must be preserved.

[11] The meaning of 'the ear' as obedience, and in the internal sense as faith resulting from that obedience, is even more plainly evident from the ritual that was to be observed when a slave did not wish to go free, described in Moses as follows: If a slave or servant-girl did not wish to go free,

His master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever. Exodus 21:6; Deuteronomy 15:17.

'Piercing his ear with an awl at the doorpost' stands for serving and obeying for ever. In the spiritual sense it stands for having no wish to understand what is true, only a wish to be obedient to it. This, compared with an understanding of what is true, is not freedom.

[12] Since the obedience of faith is meant in the internal sense by 'the ears', and being obedient by 'hearing', one may see what is meant by the following words spoken by the Lord many times, He who has an ear to hear, let him hear, Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Revelation 2:7, 11, 29; 3:13, 22.

[13] As regards 'hearing' in the highest sense meaning providence and 'seeing' foresight, this is clear from the following places in the Word in which eyes and also ears are attributed to Jehovah or the Lord; as in Isaiah,

Incline Your ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open Your eyes, O Jehovah, and see. Isaiah 37:17.

In Daniel,

Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes 1 and see our devastations. Daniel 9:18.

In David,

O God, incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Psalms 17:6.

In the same author,

Incline to me Your ear, and save me. Psalms 71:2.

In the same author,

Turn an ear to my prayers, on account of Your truthfulness; answer me, on account of Your righteousness. Psalms 143:1.

In Jeremiah,

O Jehovah, You heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my sighing, at my cry. Lamentations 3:56.

In David,

O Jehovah, do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline to me Your ear; in the day I cry answer me. Psalms 102:2.

[14] It is well known that Jehovah does not have ears or eyes as man does but that some attribute which may be ascribed to the Divine is meant by the ear and the eye, namely infinite will and infinite understanding. Infinite will is providence, and infinite understanding foresight; and it is these that are meant in the highest sense by ear and eye when these are attributed to Jehovah. These considerations now show what is meant in each sense [of the Word] by 'Jehovah heard', the phrase from which 'Simeon' received his name.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Latin adds O Jehovah but this does not appear in the Hebrew or in Sw's rough draft.

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