Bible

 

Numbers 24

Studie

   

1 And Balaam saw that it was·​·good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he went not, as at earlier times, to meet with foretellings*, but he set his faces toward the wilderness.

2 And Balaam lifted·​·up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding according·​·to his tribes; and the spirit of God was upon him.

3 And he lifted·​·up his enunciation, and said, Balaam the son of Beor has said, and the man whose eyes are·​·opened has said:

4 he has said, who heard the sayings of God, who beheld the vision of Shaddai, falling forward, but having his eyes uncovered;

5 How good·​·are thy tents, O Jacob, thy habitations, O Israel!

6 As the brooks are they stretched*, as gardens by the river, as the aloes which Jehovah has planted, as cedars by the waters.

7 He shall pour the water out·​·of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be made·​·higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be lifted·​·up.

8 God brought· him ·out from Egypt; he has as·​·it·​·were the powers of a unicorn; he shall eat·​·up the nations of his adversaries, and shall fracture their bones, and he shall strike with his arrows.

9 He stooped, he lay·​·down as a lion, and as an old·​·lion; who shall raise· him ·up? Blessed is he who blesses thee, and cursed is he who curses thee.

10 And the anger of Balak was·​·fierce toward Balaam, and he slapped the palms of his hands; and Balak said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, blessing thou hast blessed them these three times.

11 And now for thyself run·​·away to thy place; I said glorifying I would glorify thee, and behold, Jehovah has withheld thee from glory.

12 And Balaam said to Balak, Spoke I not also to thy messengers whom thou didst send to me, saying,

13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go·​·beyond the mouth of Jehovah, to do good or evil of my own heart. What Jehovah speaks, I will speak.

14 And now, behold, I go to my people; go therefore, and I will counsel thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

15 And he lifted·​·up his enunciation, and said, Balaam the son of Beor has said, and the man whose eyes are·​·opened has said:

16 he has said, who heard the sayings of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most·​·High, who beheld the vision of Shaddai, falling forward, but having his eyes uncovered:

17 I shall see Him, but not now; I shall observe Him, but not near; there shall come a star* out·​·of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out·​·of Israel, and shall strike the corners of Moab, and topple all the sons of Sheth.

18 And Edom shall be a possession, and Seir shall be a possession of his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

19 Out·​·of Jacob shall come He who shall have·​·dominion, and shall make· the survivor of the city ·perish.

20 And he saw Amalek, and he lifted·​·up his enunciation, and said, Amalek was the beginning of the nations; but his last is to perish forever.

21 And he looked on the Kenites, and lifted·​·up his enunciation, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou settest thy nest in a rock.

22 But the Kenite shall be swept·​·away, until when Assyria shall take· thee ·captive.

23 And he lifted·​·up his enunciation, and said, Woe! Who shall live when God does this!

24 And boats shall come from the hand of Kittim, and shall afflict Assyria, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish forever.

25 And Balaam rose·​·up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

   


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

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 1156

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 10837  
  

1156. 'Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim' were just so many nations with whom such worship existed, and who mean just so many types of matters of doctrine which were forms of ritual, derived from the external worship existing with 'Javan'. This becomes clear from the following places in the Prophets:

Elishah is referred to in Ezekiel,

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you an ensign; violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. Ezekiel 27:7.

This refers to Tyre, which means people who possess celestial and spiritual riches, which are cognitions. 'Embroidered work from Egypt' stands for facts, and so for forms of ritual representative of spiritual things. 'Violet and purple from the islands of Elishah' stands for forms of ritual corresponding to internal worship, and so for representatives of celestial things. In this case Elishah is used in the genuine sense.

Tarshish is referred to in Isaiah,

I will send survivors from them to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, islands far off. Isaiah 66:19.

In the same prophet,

Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre has been laid waste, so that there is no house for entering in. From the land of Kittim 1 it has been revealed to them. Isaiah 23:1, 14.

Tarshish is again referred to in Isaiah 60:9; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12; Psalms 48:7, where it stands for forms of ritual, that is, types of doctrinal teachings.

Kittim is referred to in Jeremiah,

Pass over into the islands of Kittim and see, and into Arabia 2 and examine thoroughly, if there has been such a thing. Jeremiah 2:10.

And in Isaiah,

He said, You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, pass over to Kittim; even there you will have no rest. Isaiah 23:12.

Here 'Kittim' stands for forms of ritual. In Ezekiel,

Of oaks of Bashan they made your oars; your plank they made of ivory, a daughter of steps 3 from the isles of Kittim. Ezekiel 27:6.

This refers to Tyre. Ships' planks or benches 'from the isles of Kittim' stands for the external expression of worship, and so for forms of ritual, which belong to the branch of celestial things. In Moses,

Ships from the coast of Kittim [will come]' and they will afflict Asshur, and they will afflict Eber. Numbers 24:24.

Here also 'Kittim' stands for external worship, that is, for forms of ritual. From this it becomes clear that all these names in the internal sense mean real things, which occur in their own connected sequence.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. i.e. Cyprus

2. English versions of the Bible preserve the Hebrew name Kedar, as does Swedenborg also in 3268 where he identifies Kedar with Arabia.

3. 'a daughter of steps' describes part of a ship, though exactly which part is not clear to the translator.

  
/ 10837  
  

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