Arcana Coelestia # 1463
1463. That “to sojourn” means to be instructed, is evident from the signification of “sojourning” in the Word, as being to be instructed; and this for the reason that sojourning and migration, or proceeding from place to place, is in heaven nothing but change of state, as before shown n. 1376,1379); and therefore, whenever traveling, sojourning, and passing from place to place, occur in the Word, nothing else is suggested to the angels than such change of state as exists with them. There are changes of state of both the thoughts and the affections; changes of the state of the thoughts are knowledges, and in the world of spirits these changes are presented by means of instructions; which also was the reason why the men of the Most Ancient Church, having communication with the angelic heaven, by sojourning perceived nothing else. So in the passage before us, Abram’s going down into Egypt to sojourn, signifies nothing else than the instruction of the Lord.
[2] Similar, too, is the signification of Jacob and his sons’ going down into Egypt; as in Isaiah:
Thus hath said the Lord Jehovih, My people went down in the beginning into Egypt to sojourn there; and Assyria oppressed them without cause (Isaiah 52:4); where “Assyria” denotes reasonings. Hence also in the Jewish Church, those who were being instructed were called “sojourners, sojourning in the midst of them,” concerning whom it was commanded that they should be treated as the homeborn (Exodus 12:48-49; Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:13-16, 26, 29; 19:10). Of them it is thus written in Ezekiel:
Ye shall divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide it by lot, for an inheritance unto you and to the sojourners that sojourn in the midst of you; and they shall be unto you as the homeborn among the sons of Israel; with you shall they cast the lot for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel; and it shall come to pass that in what tribe the sojourner sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance (Ezekiel 47:21-23).
This is concerning the New Jerusalem, or the Lord’s kingdom; by “the sojourners sojourning” are meant those who suffer themselves to be instructed, consequently the Gentiles; that those are meant who are being instructed, is evident from its being said that in the tribe with which he has sojourned, there his inheritance should be given; “tribes” denote the things that are of faith.
[3] “Sojourning” has also nearly the same signification as “journeying,” and “dwelling.” By “journeying” are signified the arrangements and order of life, and by “dwelling” is signified to live (see above, n. 1293); on which account the land of Canaan is also called the land of the sojournings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 28:4; 36:7; 37:1; Exodus 6:4); and Jacob said unto Pharaoh:
The days of the years of my sojournings, few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their sojournings (Genesis 47:9); where “sojourning” denotes life and instructions.
Numbers 15
1
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you,
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and will make an offering by fire to Yahweh, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to Yahweh, of the herd, or of the flock;
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then he who offers his offering shall offer to Yahweh a meal offering of a tenth part [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil:
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and wine for the drink offering, the fourth part of a hin, you shall prepare with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.
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"'Or for a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil:
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and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
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When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace offerings to Yahweh;
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then shall he offer with the bull a meal offering of three tenth parts [of an ephah] of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil:
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and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
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Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.
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According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.
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"'All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.
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If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to Yahweh; as you do, so he shall do.
15
For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner [with you], a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before Yahweh.
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One law and One ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.'"
17
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you come into the land where I bring you,
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then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a wave offering to Yahweh.
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Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering: as the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it.
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Of the first of your dough you shall give to Yahweh a wave offering throughout your generations.
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"'When you shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which Yahweh has spoken to Moses,
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even all that Yahweh has commanded you by Moses, from the day that Yahweh gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;
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then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh, with the meal offering of it, and the drink offering of it, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.
25
The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to Yahweh, and their sin offering before Yahweh, for their error:
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and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.
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"'If one person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.
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The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs, when he sins unwittingly, before Yahweh, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.
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You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.
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"'But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, the same blasphemes Yahweh; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
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Because he has despised the word of Yahweh, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.'"
32
While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.
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Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.
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They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
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Yahweh said to Moses, "The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp."
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All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
37
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
38
"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue:
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and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all the commandments of Yahweh, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute;
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that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
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I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Yahweh your God."
