Bible

 

Esodo 27

Studie

   

1 Farai anche un altare di legno d’acacia, lungo cinque cubiti e largo cinque cubiti; l’altare sarà quadrato, e avrà tre cubiti d’altezza.

2 Farai ai quattro angoli dei corni che spuntino dall’altare, il quale rivestirai di rame.

3 Farai pure i suoi vasi per raccoglier le ceneri, le sue palette, i suoi bacini, i suoi forchettoni e i suoi bracieri; tutti i suoi utensili li farai di rame.

4 E farai una gratella di rame in forma di rete; e sopra la rete, ai suoi quattro canti, farai quattro anelli di rame;

5 e la porrai sotto la cornice dell’altare, nella parte inferiore, in modo che la rete raggiunga la metà dell’altezza dell’altare.

6 Farai anche delle stanghe per l’altare: delle stanghe di legno d’acacia, e le rivestirai di rame.

7 E si faran passare le stanghe per gli anelli; e le stanghe saranno ai due lati dell’altare, quando lo si dovrà portare.

8 Lo farai di tavole, vuoto; dovrà esser fatto, conforme ti è stato mostrato sul monte.

9 Farai anche il cortile del tabernacolo; dal lato meridionale, ci saranno, per formare il cortile, delle cortine di lino fino ritorto, per una lunghezza di cento cubiti, per un lato.

10 Questo lato avrà venti colonne con le loro venti basi di rame; i chiodi e le aste delle colonne saranno d’argento.

11 Così pure per il lato di settentrione, per lungo, ci saranno delle cortine lunghe cento cubiti, con venti colonne e le loro venti basi di rame; i chiodi e le aste delle colonne saranno d’argento.

12 E per largo, dal lato d’occidente, il cortile avrà cinquanta cubiti di cortine, con dieci colonne e le loro dieci basi.

13 E per largo, sul davanti, dal lato orientale il cortile avrà cinquanta cubiti.

14 Da uno dei lati dell’ingresso ci saranno quindici cubiti di cortine, con tre colonne e le loro tre basi;

15 e dall’altro lato pure ci saranno quindici cubiti di cortine, con tre colonne e le loro tre basi.

16 Per l’ingresso del cortile ci sarà una portiera di venti cubiti, di filo violaceo, porporino, scarlatto, e di lino fino ritorto, in lavoro di ricamo, con quattro colonne e le loro quattro basi.

17 Tutte le colonne attorno al cortile saran congiunte con delle aste d’argento; i loro chiodi saranno d’argento, e le loro basi di rame.

18 La lunghezza del cortile sarà di cento cubiti; la larghezza, di cinquanta da ciascun lato; e l’altezza, di cinque cubiti; le cortine saranno di lino fino ritorto, e le basi delle colonne, di rame.

19 Tutti gli utensili destinati al servizio del tabernacolo, tutti i suoi piuoli e tutti i piuoli del cortile saranno di rame.

20 Ordinerai ai figliuoli d’Israele che ti portino dell’olio d’uliva puro, vergine, per il candelabro, per tener le lampade continuamente accese.

21 Nella tenda di convegno, fuori del velo che sta davanti alla testimonianza, Aaronne e i suoi figliuoli lo prepareranno perché le lampade ardano dalla sera al mattino davanti all’Eterno. Questa sarà una regola perpetua per i loro discendenti, da essere osservata dai figliuoli d’Israele.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 9726

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

9726. 'And you shall make for it a grating, a network' means the level of sensory perception, which is the last and lowest. This is clear from the meaning of 'a grating, a network' as external sensory perception, thus that which forms for a person the last and lowest level of life; and since this lowest level is meant by the grating it was placed all the way round the altar. Such sensory perception was represented by the grating because it first sifts so to speak and sorts out those things which enter the human mind and present themselves to the understanding and will, namely truths and forms of good. If the sensory perception is composed of good it does not let anything through other than forms of good, and truths derived from good, and rejects evils and the falsities arising from evil. For sensory perception is the actual ability to perceive things which belong to the understanding and to sense those which belong to the will as they exist on outermost levels, an ability that is perfectly fashioned for the affections for those things. The nature of all this may be illustrated by very many things in the body. Everywhere in the outermost parts within the body there are forms that resemble nets and there are so to speak gratings which sort out the things that flow towards them from the world. Those that are suitable are let through because they are desirable, and those that are unsuitable are rejected because they are loathsome. Extremely sensitive systems such as these exist in the stomach. These let through into the blood the suitable juices of the chyle, because these juices are useful and therefore desirable, and reject the unsuitable because they are harmful and therefore loathsome. The situation is similar with sensory perception, which is the last and lowest level of a person's life. But this level with a person has become totally wrecked, the reason why being that it stands right next to and is exposed to the world and is therefore the last to be regenerated, indeed scarcely anyone at the present day is able to be regenerated down to that level. As regards what the level of sensory perception is like with these people, see what has been shown already concerning it in 4009, 5077, 5081, 5084, 5094, 5125, 5128, 5580, 5767, 5774, 6183, 6201, 6310-6318, 6564, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624, 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949, 7442, 7645, 7693, 9212, 9216.

Therefore if a person is to see and have an understanding of the truths of faith and the forms of the good of love he must be raised by the Lord above that level to more internal levels. But the sensory perception meant by 'the grating, the network' around the altar is the sensory perception belonging to the Lord's Divine Human, since the altar is representative of the Lord and of the worship of Him that springs from the good of love, 9714.

  
/ 10837  
  

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

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 402

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

402. 'A city that was built' means all doctrinal or heretical teaching founded on that heresy. This is clear from the Word wherever the name of any city occurs. In the Word 'city' never means a city but something doctrinal or else something heretical. For angels are totally ignorant of what a city is or what the name of any city is. They never do nor can have any city in mind, for their ideas are of spiritual and celestial things, as shown already. Their perception is solely of what is meant spiritually by cities, and the names of them. For example, by the Holy City, which is also called the Holy Jerusalem, they understand nothing other than the Lord's kingdom in general, or as it exists with each individual who has the Lord's kingdom within him. And the city of Zion or Mount Zion they understand in a similar way, the latter being the celestial degree of faith, the former the spiritual.

[2] And the celestial and spiritual itself is also described by cities, palaces, houses, walls, the foundations of walls, ramparts, gates, bars, and by the temple at the centre, as in Ezekiel 48, and in Revelation 21:15-end. In Revelation 21:2, 10, it is called 'the Holy Jerusalem'; in Jeremiah 31:38 ['the city for Jehovah']; in David, Psalms 46:4, 'the city of God, the holy place of the dwellings of the Most High'; and in Ezekiel 48:35, it is called 'the city, Jehovah is there'. And in Isaiah,

The sons of the foreigner will build up your walls. They will bend down to the soles of your feet, all who disapprove of you, and they will call you the City of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 60:10, 14.

In Zechariah,

Jerusalem [will be called] the city of truth, and Mount Zion the mountain of holiness. Zechariah 8:3

Here 'city of truth', which is Jerusalem, means the spiritual things of faith, and 'the holy mountain', which is Zion, the celestial things of faith. And whereas the celestial and spiritual things of faith were represented by a city, so all matters of doctrine were meant by the cities of Judah and Israel, each one, when mentioned by name, meaning some specific point of doctrine, though exactly which nobody can know except from the internal sense.

[3] As cities meant matters of doctrine, cities also meant heretical ideas, each one when mentioned by name meaning some specific heretical idea. But at this point solely the consideration that in general a city means doctrinal teaching or else heretical may be established from the following places:

[4] In Isaiah,

On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt which speak in the lip of Canaan and swear to Jehovah Zebaoth. One of these will be called the city Heres. Isaiah 19:18.

This refers to man's knowledge of spiritual and celestial things at the time of the Lord's Coming. In the same prophet,

Full of tumults, a tumultuous city, an exultant city. Isaiah 22:1, 2.

This refers to 'the valley of vision', which is delusion. In Jeremiah,

The cities of the south are shut up, with none opening them. Jeremiah 13:10.

This refers to people who are in 'the south', that is, who dwell in the light of truth, but blot it out. In the same prophet,

Jehovah thought to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He causes rampart and wall to mourn; they have languished together. Her gates have sunk into the ground, He has destroyed and broken in pieces her bars. Lamentations 2:8-9.

Here anyone may see that nothing else is meant by 'wall, rampart, gates and bars' than matters of doctrine.

[5] Similarly in Isaiah,

This song will be sung in the land of Judah, Ours is a strong city, salvation will establish walls and a rampart. Open the gates that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. Isaiah 26:1-2.

In the same prophet,

I will exalt You, I will confess Your name. You have made the city into a heap, the fortified city into a ruin; let not a palace of aliens be built of the city for ever. Therefore a strong people will honour You, the city of terrifying nations will fear You. Isaiah 25:1-3.

Nor does this refer to any actual city. In Balaam's prophecy,

Edom will be an inheritance, and out of Jacob one will have dominion, and he will accomplish the destruction of the remnant of the city. Numbers 24:18-19.

Here anyone may see that 'the city' does not mean an actual city. In Isaiah,

The city of hollowness has been broken down, every house has been shut up so that none may enter in. There is an outcry in the streets over the wine. Isaiah 24:10-11.

Here 'city of hollowness' stands for hollowness of doctrine. In this and other places 'streets' means the things that constitute a city, namely falsities or truths. In John,

When the seventh angel poured out his bowl the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell. Revelation 16:17, 19.

That 'a great city' means something heretical, as do 'the cities of the nations', may be clear to anyone. The explanation is also given in Revelation 17:18 that the great city means the woman whom John saw, 'the woman', as shown already, being a Church of that nature.

  
/ 10837  
  

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