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Deuteronomy 12

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1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.

10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

14 But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

18 But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

20 When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.

23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:

27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.

29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 102

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102. And for my name's sake hast laboured. That this signifies acknowledgment of the Lord, and of the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth which have regard to Him, is evident from the signification of the name of Jehovah, or of the Lord, as being, in the highest sense, His Divine Human (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 2628, 6887), and in the relative sense, all things of love and of faith by which the Lord is worshipped, because these are Divine things which proceed from His Divine Human (Arcana Coelestia 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310). This is evident also from the signification of labouring as being earnest application of the mind, and study in order that those things may be known and acknowledged; for this is signified by labouring, when it is said of those who study the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good. From these considerations it follows, that by "and for my name's sake hast laboured," is signified acknowledgment of the Lord, and of the knowledges (cognitiones) which have regard to Him. The knowledges (cognitiones) which have regard to the Lord, are all those things which belong to love and faith.

In many passages of the Word, it is said, "for the sake of the name of Jehovah," "for the sake of the name of the Lord," "for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ," and that the name of God should be hallowed, and similar expressions. Those who do not think beyond the sense of the letter are of opinion, that in these passages name alone is understood: but this is not so, but everything by which the Lord is worshipped, everything which has relation to love and faith. Hence by the name of the Lord in the Word, are meant all things of love and of faith by which He is worshipped, but, in this case, the acknowledgment of the Lord, and of the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth which have regard to Him, because this is said to those only who study those knowledges (cognitiones).

[2] The reason why by the name of Jehovah, or of the Lord, is not meant the name itself, but everything of love and faith, is found in the spiritual world. In that world, the names used on earth are not enunciated, but the names of the persons spoken of are formed from the idea of all those things that are known about them, which things are summed up in one expression. Such is the enunciation of names in the spiritual world; this is why names in that world, as well as all other things, are spiritual. Nor are the names of the Lord and of Jesus Christ uttered there as on earth, but, instead of them, a name is formed from the idea of all those things that are known and believed concerning Him, which idea is derived from everything of love and of faith in Him. The reason is, that these things in the aggregate are the Lord with them; for the Lord is present with every one in the goods of love and of faith that are from Him. This being the case, the character of every one as to his love and faith in the Lord is there immediately known, merely from his enouncing in a spiritual expression, or a spiritual name, "the Lord" or "Jesus Christ." This is why those who have no love or faith towards Him, cannot utter His name, that is, they cannot form any spiritual name of Him. From these considerations it is now clear why it is that by the name of Jehovah, of the Lord, or of Jesus Christ, in the Word, is not meant the name, but the all of love and of faith by which He is worshipped.

[3] Lest, therefore, the opinion entertained by many should prevail, that the name alone of Jesus Christ, without love and faith in Him, thus without the knowledges (cognitiones) by which love and faith exist, contributes something to salvation, I adduce herewith a few passages from the Word in which the above-mentioned expressions are found, from which those who think more deeply may see that name alone is not meant. Thus in the following:

"Jesus said, Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake" (Matthew 10:22:24:9, 10.)

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).

"As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name" (John 1:12).

"When Jesus was in Jerusalem, many believed in his name" (John 2:23).

"He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

"These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31).

"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord (Matthew 21:9; 23:39; Luke 13:35; 19:38).

"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit life everlasting" (Matthew 19:29).

(What is here signified by houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and lands, which are to be left for the sake of the name of the Lord, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 10490.)

"Jesus said, Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13, 14);

here "to ask in my name," is to ask from love and faith.

"Many shall come in my name, saying, I am: go ye not therefore after them" (Luke 21:8; Mark 13:6);

by these "coming in the name of the Lord" and saying "I am" denotes to preach false doctrines and declare that they are true, and thus lead astray. The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

"Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many" (24:5, 11, 23-27);

for by Jesus is meant the Lord as to Divine good, and by Christ, the Lord as to Divine truth (Arcana Coelestia 3004, 3005, 3009, 5502), and by not being Christ, is signified, not Divine truth, but falsity.

[4] In the Old Testament, the name of Jehovah has a signification similar to that of the name of the Lord, because Jehovah, in the Old Testament, is the Lord. Thus it is said in Isaiah:

"And in that day shall ye say, Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon his name" (12:4).

Again:

"O Jehovah, we have waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. By thee only will we make mention of thy name" (26:8, 13).

Again:

"From the rising of the sun shall my name be called upon" (41:25).

And in Malachi:

"From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the nations: and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the nations" (1:11).

And in Isaiah:

"Every one that is called by my name, I have created him for my glory; I have formed him; yea, I have made him " (43:7). And in Micah:

"All people walk in the name of their God, and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God" (4:5).

And in Moses:

"Thou shalt not take the name of thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Deuteronomy 5:11).

Again:

"Jehovah separated the Levites, that they should minister and bless in the name of Jehovah" (Deuteronomy 10:8).

Again:

"They shall worship Jehovah in one place, where he shall place his name" (Deuteronomy 12:5, 11, 13, 14, 18, 26; 16:2, 6, 11, 15, 16).

"Where he shall place his name," denotes where there shall be worship from the good of love and the truths of faith. This was done at Jerusalem, and therefore by Jerusalem is signified the church as to doctrine and worship (as may be seen in the small work, The New Jerusalem and its Doctrine, n, 6).

[5] Because by the name of Jehovah, or of the Lord, in the spiritual sense, is signified all worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, therefore, in the highest sense, by the name of Jehovah is meant the Lord as to the Divine Human, because from His Divine Human proceeds the all of love and of faith. That the Lord, in the highest sense, is meant by the name of Jehovah, is clear in John:

"Jesus said, Father, glorify thy name. A voice came from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again" (12:28).

And in Isaiah:

"I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the Gentiles. I am Jehovah, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another" (42:6, 8).

The coming of the Lord is here treated of. In Jeremiah:

"Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign, and this is his name whereby he shall be called, Jehovah, our righteousness" (23:5, 6).

Hence it is clear that in the Lord's Prayer the words "hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9) mean, that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be regarded as holy, and to be worshipped.

[6] Because the name of the Lord signifies such things, it is evident what is meant by the following passages.

In John:

"The shepherd of the sheep calleth his own sheep by name" (10:3).

In Luke:

"Rejoice because your names are written in heaven (10:20).

And in the Apocalypse:

"Thou hast a few names in Sardis" (3:4).

He who does not know what name signifies in the Word cannot possibly know how these words are to be understood in Matthew:

"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward; and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (10:41, 42).

To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, and to give drink in the name of a disciple, signifies to love truth for the sake of truth, good for the sake of good, and to exercise charity from the faith of truth. For by a prophet is signified truth, by a righteous man is signified good, and by a disciple is signified good from truth; and to give to drink of cold water is to exercise charity from obedience; in their name denotes for the sake of their quality, thus for the sake of those things. Who could ever understand these things, unless it were known what name signifies? To love and to do truth for the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, is to be affected with truth and good for their own sake, and not for the sake of one's own fame, honour, and gain. The former affection of truth and good is an affection truly spiritual; but the affection of truth and good for the sake of one's own fame, honour, and gain, is an affection merely natural. And because those who love truth and good for their own sake, or because they are truth and good, are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, it is therefore said, that they shall receive the reward of a prophet and of a righteous man; by which is meant, that they are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, this affection having its reward in itself, because it has heaven in itself. (That the happiness of heaven is in the affection of loving and doing truth and good without regarding reward as an end, thus for the sake of truth and good, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984. That a prophet signifies one who teaches truth, thus also, abstractedly, the truth which is taught, see n. 2534, 7269. That a righteous man signifies the good of love to the Arcana Coelestia 2235, 9857. That a disciple signifies good from truth, which is the good of charity, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That to give to drink is to instruct in the goods and truths of faith, and thus to exercise charity, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; and that name signifies the quality of a thing, n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237; hence the name of Jehovah, or of the Lord, signifies all the quality by which He is worshipped, n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310.)

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia # 4444

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4444 .'When they heard; and the men were grieved and blazing with anger' means that they were under the influence of evil that was directed against the truth of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'being grieved and blazing with anger' here as being under the influence of evil. Its direction against the truth of the Church among the Ancients follows because the anger was against Shechem the son of Hamor, who means the truth known to the Ancients, as stated above in 4430, 4431. Their being under the influence of evil is evident from details given further on, namely that they spoke deceitfully, verse 13, and then after Shechem and Hamor had submitted to their demands they killed them, verses 26-29. Consequently 'being grieved' here and 'blazing with anger' mean that they were under the influence of evil. Their action looks like zeal aroused in them because he had lain with their sister, to judge by the words which immediately follow 'because he had done something disgraceful in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing that ought not to be done' - and by those at the end of the chapter 'They said, Is he going to treat our sister like a prostitute?' verse 31. But it was not zeal, for zeal cannot possibly exist with someone who is under the influence of evil, only with one governed by good; for zeal has good within it, 4164.

[2] The semblance of religion which existed among their descendants did indeed have good within it, in that all its details, each one, represented the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom. But in the case of those with whom it existed it did not hold anything good at all since they were confined solely to external things devoid of internal, as shown above. It is the same with the semblance of religion possessed by that nation among whom it exists even at the present day. They acknowledge Moses and the Prophets, and so the Word. In itself this is holy but in their case it is not holy, for within every detail there they see themselves and so that which is worldly. Indeed they turn the Word into something earthly, for they do not know or even care about anything heavenly within it. If the state of a people is like this, no good can exist in them when their own semblance of religion holds sway over them. Instead evil is present, for nothing heavenly enters into them because they will annihilate it.

[3] There was a law, also known in the Ancient Church, according to which anyone who ravished a virgin had to provide her with a dowry and take her to be his wife, as the following words in Moses laid down,

If a man persuades a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall endow her with a dowry to be his wife; if her father utterly refuses to give her to him he shall weigh silver according to the dowry of virgins. Exodus 22:16-17.

And elsewhere,

If a man finds a young woman, a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are discovered, the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty pieces of silver, and she shall become his wife, because he ravished her; and he will not be able to divorce her all his days. Deuteronomy 22:28-29.

The fact that this same law was known to the Ancients is quite evident from Shechem's words to the young woman's father and brothers,

Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will give that which you tell me. Increase the dowry and gift to any size and I will give you whatever you tell me, and give me the young woman for a wife. Verses 11-12.

Also, because Shechem was willing to fulfill this law and Dinah's brothers gave their consent provided he became as they themselves were, by circumcising every male, according to the words that follow

Only on this [condition] will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, by circumcising every male among you, then we will give our daughters to you, and your daughters we will take to ourselves, and we will dwell with you, and we wit be one people. Verses 15-16

- it is therefore evident that they did not act in conformity with the law, thus were not motivated by good, but acted contrary to the law, and consequently were motivated by evil.

[4] The law forbade them, it is true, to enter into marriages with the gentile nations, as laid down in Moses,

Lest you take their daughters for your sons, and their daughters go whoring after their gods, and they cause your sons to go whoring after their gods. Exodus 34:16.

And elsewhere,

You shall not establish a marriage relationship with the nations; you shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son, for he will turn your son from following Me, to serve other gods. Deuteronomy 7:3-4.

But this law referred to idolatrous nations. It was laid down to prevent their turning away, through such marriages, from truly representative worship to idolatrous worship; for once they became idolaters they were no longer able to represent the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom, only their opposites, namely the things of hell. In fact, once they were idolaters, they summoned from hell a certain devil whom they worshipped and to whom they applied Divine representatives. This accounts for its being said that they were not to go whoring after their gods. That law was also laid down for the further reason that 'the nations' means evils and falsities with which the goods and truths which they represented were not to be mingled, and therefore devilish and hellish things were not to be mingled with celestial and spiritual ones, 3024 (end).

[5] But they were in no way forbidden to contract marriages with nations who willingly adopted their worship and who, after being circumcised, acknowledged Jehovah. These they called sojourners sojourning with them, of whom the following is said in Moses,

If a sojourner sojourns with you and wishes to keep the Passover to Jehovah, every male he has shall be circumcised, and then he shall come near and keep it; and he will be as an inhabitant of the land. There shall be one law for the inhabitant and for the sojourner who sojourns in the midst of you. Exodus 12:48-49.

And elsewhere,

When the sojourner has sojourned with you, he shall keep the Passover to Jehovah according to the statute for the Passover, and according to the regulations 1 for it. There shall be one statute for you, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land. Numbers 9:14.

The reason why they were called sojourners sojourning in the midst of them and with them was that 'sojourning' meant receiving instruction, and so 'a sojourner' those who allowed themselves to receive instruction in statutes and matters of doctrine, see 1463, 2025, 3672. In the same author,

If a sojourner should sojourn with you who would make a fire-offering of an odour of rest to Jehovah, he shall do as you do. As for the assembly, one statute shall there be for you and for the sojourner who sojourns, an eternal statute throughout your generations. As you are, so shall the sojourner be before Jehovah. There shall be one law and one judgement for you and for the sojourner sojourning with you. Numbers 15:14-16.

And elsewhere,

As the native among you shall the sojourner sojourning with you be to you.

Leviticus 19:34.

One judgement shall there be for you; it shall be for the sojourner as for the native. Leviticus 24:22.

[6] The fact that this statute was known not only to Jacob and his sons but also to Shechem and Hamor is evident from the words spoken by them. For the statutes, judgements, and laws which were given to the Israelite and Jewish nation were not new but such as existed previously in the Ancient Church and in the second Ancient Church which, from Eber, was called the Hebrew, as has been shown in various places. The consequent knowledge of this law is evident from the words of Jacob's sons,

Jacob's sons said to Hamor and Shechem, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to a man who has a foreskin; for that would be a reproach to us. Only on this [condition] will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, by circumcising every male among you, then we will give our daughters to you, and your daughters we will take to ourselves, and we will dwell with you, and we will be one people. Verses 14-16.

That knowledge is also evident from Hamor and Shechem's words, in that they not only consented but also did cause themselves and every male of their city to be circumcised, verses 18-24.

[7] This shows that Shechem became a sojourner such as is referred to in the Law, and so could take Jacob's daughter as a wife; and that their killing them was accordingly an unmentionable deed, as Jacob also bore witness before his death, Genesis 49:5-7. The fact that not only Judah but also Moses, as well as the kings of the Jews and Israelites, and many of the people too, married wives from gentile nations is clear from the historical sections of the Word; and one should not doubt that those wives accepted their statutes, judgements, and laws and were acknowledged as sojourners.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, statutes

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