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Zechariah 2

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1 5 And I lifted my eyes, and saw, and behold, a man, and in his hand a measuring cord.

2 6 And I said, whither goest thou? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is her breadth, and what is her length.

3 7 And behold, the angel who spoke with me went·​·out, and another angel went·​·out to meet him,

4 8 and said to him, Run, speak to the lad yonder, saying, Jerusalem shall dwell in the countryside from the multitude of man and beast in her midst.

5 9 And I, says Jehovah, will be to her a wall of fire all around, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

6 10 Oh, oh, flee from the land of the north, says Jehovah, for I have spread you as the four winds of the heavens, says Jehovah.

7 11 Oh, Zion! Deliver thyself, thou who art dwelling with the daughter of Babylon.

8 12 For thus says Jehovah of Armies: He has sent me after the glory, to the nations which spoiled you; for he who touches on you touches on the daughter of His eye.

9 13 For, behold, I will wave My hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants; and you shall know that Jehovah of Armies has sent me.

10 14 Sing·​·aloud and be·​·glad, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will reside in the midst of thee, says Jehovah.

11 15 And many nations shall be joined to Jehovah in that day, and shall be My people; and I will reside in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Jehovah of Armies has sent me to thee.

12 16 And Jehovah shall take· Judah ·for·​·an·​·inheritance, His part on the holy ground, and shall choose Jerusalem yet·​·again.

13 17 Keep·​·silent, O all flesh, before Jehovah; for He is stirred·​·up out·​·of His holy abode.

   


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

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Arcana Coelestia # 2362

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2362. That 'behold now, I have two daughters, who have not known a man' means the affections for good and for truth is clear from the meaning of 'daughters' as affections, dealt with in 489-491. 'They have not known a man' means that they have not been defiled by falsity, for 'a man' means rational truth, and also in the contrary sense falsity, 265, 749, 1007. There are two types of affection, namely the affection for good and the affection for truth, see 1997. The first - the affection for good - constitutes the celestial church and in the Word is called 'the daughter of Zion' and also 'the virgin daughter of Zion'.

[2] But the second - the affection for truth - constitutes the spiritual church, and in the Word is called 'the daughter of Jerusalem'; as in Isaiah,

She has despised you, she has scorned you, the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. Isaiah 37:22; 2 Kings 19:21.

In Jeremiah,

What shall I liken you to, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I equate you with and comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? Lamentations 2:13.

In Micah,

You, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you will it come and the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Micah 4:8.

In Zephaniah,

Shout with joy, O daughter of Zion! Make a noise, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! Zephaniah 3:14.

In Zechariah,

Exult greatly, O daughter of Zion! Make a noise, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king will come to you. Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15.

[3] That the celestial Church, which is the Lord's celestial kingdom, is called 'the daughter of Zion' from the affection for good, that is, from love to the Lord Himself, see in addition Isaiah 10:32; 16:1; 52:2; 62:11; Jeremiah 4:31; 6:2, 23; Lamentations 1:6; 2:1, 4, 8, 10; Micah 4:10, 13; Zechariah 2:10; Psalms 9:14. And that the spiritual Church, which is the Lord's spiritual kingdom, is called 'the daughter of Jerusalem' from the affection for truth and so from charity towards the neighbour, see Lamentations 2:15. Both of those Churches, and the nature of each one, have been dealt with many times in Volume One.

[4] Because the celestial Church exists from love to the Lord which is present within love towards the neighbour it is likened in particular to an unmarried daughter or a virgin. Indeed it is also called 'a virgin', as in John,

These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins; these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes; for they are spotless before God's throne. Revelation 14:4-5.

And so that the same might be represented in the Jewish Church, the priests were commanded not to marry widows but virgins, Leviticus 21:13-15; Ezekiel 44:22.

[5] From the contents of the present verse it becomes clear how pure the Word is in the internal sense, however else it may appear in the letter. For when these words are read, 'Behold now, I have two daughters, who have not known a man; let me now bring them out to you and you may do to them as is good in your eyes; only do nothing to those men', nothing else comes to mind than something impure, especially to those leading an evil life. Yet how chaste these words are in the internal sense is evident from the explanation already given, which is that they mean the affections for good and truth and the blessedness perceived from the enjoyment of those affections by people who do no violence to the Lord's Divinity and [proceeding] Holiness.

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