Bible

 

Genesis 35

Studie

   

1 And God said to Jacob, Arise, go·​·up to Bethel, and dwell there; and make there an altar to God, who was seen of thee when thou didst run·​·away from before Esau thy brother.

2 And Jacob said to his house, and to all who were with him, Remove the gods of the foreigner which are in the midst of you, and clean yourselves, and change your raiment;

3 and let us arise, and go·​·up to Bethel, and I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my adversity, and was with·​·me in the way which I walked.

4 And they gave to Jacob all the gods of the foreigner which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob concealed them under the oak which was by Shechem.

5 And they journeyed; and a terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

6 And Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, this is Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-bethel*; for there the gods* were revealed to him when he ran·​·away from before his brother.

8 And Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under the oak; and he called the name of it Allon-bacuth.

9 And God was seen of Jacob yet·​·again when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

10 And God said to him, Thy name is Jacob; thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and He called his name Israel.

11 And God said to him, I am God Shaddai; be·​·fruitful and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall go·​·forth from thy loins.

12 And the land which I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

13 And God went·​·up from over him in the place where He spoke with him.

14 And Jacob set·​·up a pillar in the place in which He spoke with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured·​·out a poured·​·offering on it, and poured oil on it.

15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was still a tract of land to come toward Ephrath; and Rachel gave·​·birth, and it was hard for her’ in giving·​·birth.

17 And it was, when it was hard for her in her giving·​·birth, that the midwife said to her, Fear not, for this also is a son for thee.

18 And it was, when her soul was going·​·out that she was·​·about·​·to·​·die; and she called his name Benoni; and his father called him Benjamin.

19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way toward Ephrath, this is Bethlehem.

20 And Jacob set·​·up a pillar over her grave; this is the pillar of the grave of Rachel even·​·until today.

21 And Israel journeyed, and stretched·​·out his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 And it was, when Israel inhabited this land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah the concubine of his father, and Israel heard. And the sons of Jacob were twelve:

23 the sons of Leah, Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun;

24 the sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin;

25 and the sons of Bilhah Rachel’s handmaid, Dan and Naphtali;

26 and the sons of Zilpah Leah’s handmaid, Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who was·​·born* to him in Paddan-aram.

27 And Jacob came to Isaac his father to Mamre Kiriath-arba, this is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned*

28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred years and eighty years.

29 And Isaac expired and died, and was gathered to his people, old and sated of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Revealed # 348

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 962  
  

348. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand. (7:4) This symbolizes all people who acknowledge the Lord as God of heaven and earth and are governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love, received from Him through the Word.

These are symbolized by the number 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel because the twelve tribes of Israel symbolize a church that consists of people who possess goodness and truth from the Lord and acknowledge Him as God of heaven and earth. The number 144,000 means all such. For that number has the same symbolism as the number twelve, since it is the product of twelve times twelve, which is then multiplied by 1000; and any number multiplied by itself and then by 10, 100, or 1000, has the same symbolism as the original number. Thus the number 144,000 has the same symbolism as 144, and this the same symbolism as twelve, as 144 is the product of twelve times twelve. Similarly, the product of the 12,000 sealed from each tribe times twelve is 144,000.

The number twelve means, symbolically, all, and is predicated of truths springing from goodness, because twelve is the product of three times four, and the number three symbolizes everything connected with truth, and the number four, everything connected with good. Thus the number twelve here symbolizes everything connected with truth that springs from the goodness of love.

[2] Numbers all symbolize additional properties of things that determine their quality or quantity, and this can be clearly seen from numbers in the book of Revelation, which in many places would not have any meaning unless they were symbolic.

From the foregoing it can now be seen that the 144,000 sealed, and the 12,000 from each tribe, mean not that these many were sealed or chosen from the tribes of Israel, but that all those were who are governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love received from the Lord.

This is the general symbolism of the twelve tribes of Israel, and also of the Lord's twelve apostles, but each tribe and each apostle individually symbolizes some truth springing from good. What each tribe symbolizes here, however, we will say in the following considerations.

Since the twelve tribes symbolize all doctrinal truths springing from the goodness of love received from the Lord, therefore they also symbolize all constituents of the church. Consequently the church was represented by the twelve tribes of Israel, and likewise by the twelve apostles.

[3] Because the number twelve is predicated of the church's truths and goods, therefore the New Jerusalem, meaning the Lord's New Church, is described in its individual parts by the number twelve. So for instance, the city had a length and breadth of 12,000 stadia. 1 Its wall was 144 cubits 2 (144 being twelve times twelve). It had twelve gates, and the gates consisted of twelve pearls. Over the gates were twelve angels, and on the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. It had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. These consisted also of twelve precious stones. Moreover, the city had in it the tree of life which bore twelve fruits, in correlation with the twelve months. All of this may be seen in Revelation, chapters 21, 22.

Out of the kind of people described here the Lord formed a new heaven and is in the process of forming a new church. For they are the same people mentioned in chapter fourteen and thereafter, where we read about them the following:

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand... And they sang... a new song before the throne...; and no one could learn the song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. ...they are virgins..., (and) follow the Lamb wherever He goes. (Revelation 14:1, 3-4)

[4] Since the twelve tribes symbolize the Lord's church in respect to all its truths and goods, therefore the number twelve became an ecclesiastical number, and one customary in its sanctities. So for example, on the breastpiece of judgment, containing the Urim and Thummim, there were twelve precious stones (Exodus 28:21). Twelve cakes of showbread were placed on the table in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 24:5-6). Moses built an altar at the foot of Mournt Sinai and set up twelve pillars. (Exodus 24bb4) Twelve men were sent to explore the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:23). Twelve men carried twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan (Joshua 4:1-9, 20). At the dedication of the altar, twelve leaders brought twelve silver plates, twelve silver bowls, twelve gold censers, twelve young bulls, twelve rams, twelve lambs, and twelve goats (Numbers 7:84, 87). Elijah took twelve stones and built an altar (1 Kings 18:31, 32). Elijah found Elisha when Elisha was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was the twelfth, and Elijah then threw his mantle over him (1 Kings 19:19). Solomon placed under the bronze sea twelve oxen (1 Kings 7:25, 44). He made a throne, and standing on its steps twelve lions (1 Kings 10:19, 20). On the head of the woman clothed with the sun was a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1).

It can now be seen from this that 144,000 sealed, 12,000 from each tribe, means not this number of Jews and Israelites, but all who, as part of the new Christian heaven and of the New Church, will be governed by truths of doctrine springing from the goodness of love, received from the Lord through the Word.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Plural of stadium, an ancient Greek measure of distance equal to about 607 feet or 185 meters.

2. An ancient unit of linear measure based on the length of a man's forearm from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, equivalent to approximately 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

  
/ 962  
  

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

Bible

 

Numbers 2

Studie

   

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

2 "The children of Israel shall encamp every man by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses: at a distance from the Tent of Meeting shall they encamp around it."

3 Those who encamp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

4 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

5 Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and the prince of the children of Issachar shall be Nethanel the son of Zuar.

6 His division, and those who were numbered of it, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

7 The tribe of Zebulun: and the prince of the children of Zebulun shall be Eliab the son of Helon.

8 His division, and those who were numbered of it, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

9 All who were numbered of the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, according to their divisions. They shall set out first.

10 "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their divisions. The prince of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.

11 His division, and those who were numbered of it, were forty-six thousand five hundred.

12 "Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon. The prince of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

13 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

14 "The tribe of Gad: and the prince of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.

15 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred fifty.

16 "All who were numbered of the camp of Reuben were one hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred fifty, according to their armies. They shall set out second.

17 "Then the Tent of Meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps. As they encamp, so shall they set out, every man in his place, by their standards.

18 "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.

19 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were forty thousand five hundred.

20 "Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the prince of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

21 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

22 "The tribe of Benjamin: and the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.

23 His army, and those who were numbered of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

24 "All who were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred, according to their divisions. They shall set out third.

25 "On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their divisions: and the prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

26 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

27 "Those who encamp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the prince of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ochran.

28 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-one thousand and five hundred.

29 "The tribe of Naphtali: and the prince of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.

30 His division, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

31 "All who were numbered of the camp of Dan were one hundred fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall set out last by their standards."

32 These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses. All who were numbered of the camps according to their armies were six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty.

33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as Yahweh commanded Moses.

34 Thus the children of Israel did. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so they encamped by their standards, and so they set out, everyone by their families, according to their fathers' houses.