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ലേവ്യപുസ്തകം 15

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1 യഹോവ പിന്നെയും മോശെയോടും അഹരോനോടും അരുളിച്ചെയ്തതു

2 നിങ്ങള്‍ യിസ്രായേല്‍മക്കളോടു പറയേണ്ടതു എന്തെന്നാല്‍ആര്‍ക്കെങ്കിലും തന്റെ അംഗത്തില്‍ ശുക്ളസ്രവം ഉണ്ടായാല്‍ അവന്‍ സ്രവത്താല്‍ അശുദ്ധന്‍ ആകുന്നു.

3 അവന്റെ സ്രവത്താലുള്ള അശുദ്ധിയാവിതുഅവന്റെ അംഗം സ്രവിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നാലും അവന്റെ അംഗം സ്രവിക്കാതെ അടഞ്ഞിരുന്നാലും അതു അശുദ്ധി തന്നേ.

4 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ കിടക്കുന്ന കിടക്ക ഒക്കെയും അശുദ്ധം; അവന്‍ ഇരിക്കുന്ന സാധനമൊക്കെയും അശുദ്ധം.

5 അവന്റെ കിടക്ക തൊടുന്ന മനുഷ്യന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

6 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ ഇരുന്ന സാധനത്തിന്മേല്‍ ഇരിക്കുന്നവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധന്‍ ആയിരിക്കയും വേണം.

7 സ്രവക്കാരന്റെ ദേഹം തൊടുന്നവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

8 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ ശുദ്ധിയുള്ളവന്റെമേല്‍ തുപ്പിയാല്‍ അവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

9 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ കയറിപ്പോകുന്ന ഏതു വാഹനവും അശുദ്ധമാകും.

10 അവന്റെ കീഴെ ഇരുന്ന ഏതിനെയും തൊടുന്നവനെല്ലാം സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കേണം; അവയെ വഹിക്കുന്നവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

11 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ വെള്ളംകൊണ്ടു കൈകഴുകാതെ ആരെ എങ്കിലും തൊട്ടാല്‍ അവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

12 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ തൊട്ട മണ്‍പാത്രം ഉടെച്ചുകളയേണം; മരപ്പാത്രമെല്ലാം വെള്ളം കൊണ്ടു കഴുകേണം.

13 സ്രവക്കാരന്‍ സ്രവം മാറി ശുദ്ധിയുള്ളവന്‍ ആകുമ്പോള്‍ ശുദ്ധികരണത്തിന്നായി ഏഴുദിവസം എണ്ണീട്ടു വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി ദേഹം ഒഴുക്കുവെള്ളത്തില്‍ കഴുകേണം; എന്നാല്‍ അവന്‍ ശുദ്ധിയുള്ളവന്‍ ആകും.

14 എട്ടാം ദിവസം അവന്‍ രണ്ടു കുറുപ്രാവിനെയോ രണ്ടു പ്രാവിന്‍ കുഞ്ഞിനെയോ എടുത്തു സമാഗമന കൂടാരത്തിന്റെ വാതില്‍ക്കല്‍ യഹോവയുടെ സന്നിധിയില്‍ വന്നു അവയെ പുരോഹിതന്റെ പക്കല്‍ കൊടുക്കേണം.

15 പുരോഹിതന്‍ അവയില്‍ ഒന്നിനെ പാപയാഗമായിട്ടും മറ്റേതിനെ ഹോമയാഗമായിട്ടും അര്‍പ്പിക്കേണം; ഇങ്ങനെ പുരോഹിതന്‍ അവന്നുവേണ്ടി യഹോവയുടെ സന്നിധിയില്‍ അവന്റെ സ്രവത്തിന്നു പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം കഴിക്കേണം.

16 ഒരുത്തന്നു ബീജം പോയാല്‍ അവന്‍ തന്റെ ദേഹം മുഴുവനും വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കഴുകുകയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധന്‍ ആയിരിക്കയും വേണം.

17 ബീജം വീണസകലവസ്ത്രവും എല്ലാതോലും വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കഴുകുകയും അതു സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധമായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

18 പുരുഷനും സ്ത്രീയും തമ്മില്‍ ബീജസ്ഖലനത്തോടുകൂടെ ശയിച്ചാല്‍ ഇരുവരും വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധരായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

19 ഒരു സ്ത്രീക്കു സ്രവമുണ്ടായി അവളുടെ അംഗസ്രവം രക്തം ആയിരുന്നാല്‍ അവള്‍ ഏഴു ദിവസം അശുദ്ധയായിരിക്കേണം; അവളെ തൊടുന്നവനെല്ലാം സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കേണം.

20 അവളുടെ അശുദ്ധിയില്‍ അവള്‍ ഏതിന്മേലെങ്കിലും കിടന്നാല്‍ അതൊക്കെയും അശുദ്ധമായിരിക്കേണം; അവള്‍ ഏതിന്മേലെങ്കിലും ഇരുന്നാല്‍ അതൊക്കെയും അശുദ്ധമായിരിക്കേണം.

21 അവളുടെ കിടക്ക തൊടുന്നവനെല്ലാം വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

22 അവള്‍ ഇരുന്ന ഏതൊരു സാധനവും തൊടുന്നവനെല്ലാം വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം.

23 അവളുടെ കിടക്കമേലോ അവള്‍ ഇരുന്നതിന്മേലോ ഉള്ള ഏതൊന്നെങ്കിലും തൊടുന്നവന്‍ സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കേണം.

24 ഒരുത്തന്‍ അവളോടുകൂടെ ശയിക്കയും അവളുടെ അശുദ്ധി അവന്മേല്‍ ആകയും ചെയ്താല്‍ അവന്‍ ഏഴു ദിവസം അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കേണം; അവന്‍ കിടക്കുന്ന കിടക്ക ഒക്കെയും അശുദ്ധമാകും.

25 ഒരു സ്ത്രീക്കു ഋതുകാലത്തല്ലാതെ രക്തസ്രവം ഏറിയ ദിവസം ഉണ്ടാകയോ ഋതുകാലം കവിഞ്ഞു സ്രവിക്കയോ ചെയ്താല്‍ അവളുടെ അശുദ്ധിയുടെ സ്രവകാലം ഒക്കെയും ഋതുകാലംപോലെ ഇരിക്കേണം; അവള്‍ അശുദ്ധയായിരിക്കേണം.

26 രക്തസ്രവമുള്ള കാലത്തെല്ലാം അവള്‍ കിടക്കുന്ന കിടക്കയൊക്കെയും ഋതുകാലത്തിലെ കിടക്കപോലെ ഇരിക്കേണം; അവള്‍ ഇരിയക്കുന്ന സാധനമൊക്കെയും ഋതുകാലത്തിലെ അശുദ്ധിപോലെ അശുദ്ധമായിരിക്കേണം.

27 അവ തൊടുന്നവനെല്ലാം അശുദ്ധനാകും; അവന്‍ വസ്ത്രം അലക്കി വെള്ളത്തില്‍ കുളിക്കയും സന്ധ്യവരെ അശുദ്ധനായിരിക്കയും വേണം

28 രക്തസ്രവം മാറി ശുദ്ധിയുള്ളവളായാല്‍ അവള്‍ ഏഴു ദിവസം എണ്ണിക്കൊള്ളേണം; അതിന്റെ ശേഷം അവള്‍ ശുദ്ധിയുള്ളവളാകും.

29 എട്ടാം ദിവസം അവള്‍ രണ്ടു കുറുപ്രാവിനെയോ രണ്ടു പ്രാവിന്‍ കുഞ്ഞിനെയോ എടുത്തു സമാഗമനക്കുടാരത്തിന്റെ വാതില്‍ക്കല്‍ പുരോഹിതന്റെ അടുക്കല്‍ കൊണ്ടുവരേണം.

30 പുരോഹിതന്‍ ഒന്നിനെ പാപയാഗമായിട്ടും മറ്റേതിനെ ഹോമയാഗമായിട്ടും അര്‍പ്പിക്കേണം; ഇങ്ങനെ പുരോഹിതന്‍ അവള്‍ക്കു വേണ്ടി യഹോവയുടെ സന്നിധിയില്‍ അവളുടെ അശുിദ്ധയുടെ രക്തസ്രവംനിമിത്തം പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം കഴിക്കേണം.

31 യിസ്രായേല്‍മക്കളുടെ നടുവിലുള്ള എന്റെ നിവാസം അവര്‍ അശുദ്ധമാക്കീട്ടു തങ്ങളുടെ അശുദ്ധികളില്‍ മരിക്കാതിരിക്കേണ്ടതിന്നു നിങ്ങള്‍ അവരുടെ അശുദ്ധിയെക്കുറിച്ചു അവരെ ഇങ്ങനെ പ്രബോധിപ്പിക്കേണം.

32 ഇതു സ്രവക്കാരന്നും ബീജസ്ഖലനത്താല്‍ അശുദ്ധനായവനും

33 ഋതുസംബന്ധമായ ദീനമുള്ളവള്‍ക്കും സ്രവമുള്ള പുരുഷന്നും സ്ത്രീക്കും അശുദ്ധയോടുകൂടെ ശയിക്കുന്നവന്നും ഉള്ള പ്രമാണം.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 163

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163. Verse 22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein. This is evident from the signification of a "bed," as being the natural man, also the doctrine of falsities (of which presently). What now follows treats of those who suffer themselves to be seduced by those who are in the doctrine of falsities from the delight of the love of self and the world, who are meant by "Jezebel" (as was said above). Those who suffer themselves to be seduced are not like those who have falsified truths and adulterated goods from the delight of those loves; for such have seen truths and have applied them to favor their delights, and have thus perverted them, and afterwards these are unable to turn themselves to truths and acknowledge them. These are treated of in the preceding article n. 162. But those who have not done this, but have suffered themselves to be led away by those who have, have not so closed the internal or spiritual man with themselves; for they have not themselves falsified truths, but have put faith in those who have, because these falsities sound like truths. For these think no more deeply than that their leaders must be believed because they are intelligent and wise; thus they hang upon the lips of a master. There are many such at this day in Christendom, especially among those born in countries where the papal religion prevails. These are meant by those that commit adultery with Jezebel in a bed.

[2] "Bed" signifies the doctrine of falsities, and at the same time the natural man, because the doctrine of falsities has no other source than the natural man separated from the spiritual; and the natural man separated from the spiritual sees worldly things in light, but heavenly things in thick darkness; it sees falsity, therefore, in the place of truth, and evil in the place of good; moreover, if it sees truth it falsifies it, and if it sees good it adulterates it; for heaven flows into the natural or external man through the spiritual or internal man, and not immediately into the natural or external; into it the world flows immediately. And when the natural world with man is not governed by the spiritual world, the bond with heaven is broken; and when this is broken man makes the world his all, and heaven of little or no account; so also self as all, and God of little or no account. When the external or natural man is in such a state it is in falsities from the evils that spring forth out of the love of self and the world. As "bed," therefore, signifies the natural man, it also signifies the doctrine of falsities.

[3] "Bed" signifies the natural man, because the natural man underlies the spiritual, thus the spiritual lies on it and on the things that are in it as on its own bed. That "bed" signifies the natural man, also the doctrinals that are in it, can be seen from the passages in the word where "bed" is mentioned, as in the following. In Amos:

As the shepherd hath rescued out of the mouth of the lion two legs and a bit of an ear, so shall the sons of Israel be rescued that dwell in Samaria on the corner of a bed, and on the end of a couch (Amos 3:12).

"Lion" signifies the church, here those therein that destroy goods and truths; "legs and a bit of an ear" are the goods that are in the natural man, and something of perception of truth therefrom; "the sons of Israel that dwell in Samaria" are those of the church; "on the corner of the bed, and on the end of a couch," are those in a little natural light from the spiritual, and in some truths therefrom.

[4] In the same:

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of Samaria; to them that lie upon the beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that devise for themselves instruments of song; that drink out of bowls of wine, and anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils: but they are not grieved over the breach of Joseph (Amos 6:1, 4-6).

Those that the "trust in the mountains of Samaria" are those that trust in themselves, and from self-intelligence hatch out doctrines. "Samaria" is the perverted spiritual church; "beds of ivory" are fallacies of the senses on which doctrine is founded; "to stretch themselves upon couches" is to confirm and multiply the falsities therefrom; "to eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall, to drink out of bowls of wine and to anoint themselves with the firstlings of the oils," is to draw the truths and goods of the Word out of the sense of its letter and to apply and falsify them. "Not to be grieved over the breach of Joseph" is not to care that the spiritual church is perishing, and that its truths are being infringed upon. (That "Joseph" in the highest sense signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual; in the internal sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom, thus also the spiritual church; and in the external sense the fructification of good and multiplication of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417, 6526)

[5] In Moses:

May the blessings of thy father prevail above the blessings of my parents, may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the head of the bed 1 of his brethren (Genesis 49:26).

"Joseph," as was said, is the Lord's spiritual church; "the head of the bed of his brethren" is the spiritual that flows into all the truths and goods of that church (for the twelve sons or tribes of Israel signify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, see Arcana Coelestia 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335).

[6] In Luke:

I say unto you, In that night there shall be two [men] in one bed; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [women] grinding together; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two [men] in the field; one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Luke 17:34-36).

This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church when judgment takes place. To be "in one bed" is to be in the same doctrine of the church; "two [women] grinding" are those that collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith; "two [men] in the field" are those in the church that apply goods and truths to themselves. (That "those who grind" are those who collect and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see Arcana Coelestia 4335, 7780, 9995; that "field" means reception of truth and good, see n. 368, 3310, 9141, 9295)

[7] In John:

Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, 2 Arise, take up thy bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked. Afterward Jesus findeth him, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee (John 5:8-12, 14).

And in Mark:

They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and they let down 3 the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. Jesus said, Whether is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk? Then he said, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk and go unto thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all (Mark 2:4, 9, 11-12).

The Lord saying to these sick, "Arise, take up thy bed, and walk," signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto; "bed" signifies doctrine, and "to walk" life (that " walking" is living, see above, n.97[1-2]). "The sick man" signifies those that have transgressed and sinned; consequently the Lord said to the sick man at the pool of Bethsaida, "Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee;" and to the paralytic let down on a bed through the roof, "Whether it is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?" Those who know nothing of the internal sense of the Word may believe that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more than what is obvious in the sense of the letter, when yet every particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He spoke from the Divine, and thus in the presence both of heaven and of the world (See Arcana Coelestia 2533, 4637, 4807, 9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276).

[8] The bed of Og, the king of Bashan, is thus described in Moses:

Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnants of the Rephaim; behold, his bed was a bed of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man (Deuteronomy 3:11).

The bed of Og is here described, because he was of the remnants of the Rephaim, and because he was king of Bashan; for by the "Rephaim," those were signified who were in the love of self above others, and therefore natural above all others, and from a persuasion of their eminence over others were in falsities of every kind (See Arcana Coelestia 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686). And by "Bashan" the external of the church, thus the natural, was signified, for Bashan was outside the land of Canaan where the church was.

On this account the bed of Og is described, which would not have been described unless such things had been signified by "Og;" for whatsoever is mentioned in the Word, even in the historical Word, is significative as to every expression. From this it is that the Word is spiritual in each and every particular, and therefore Divine from inmosts to ultimates. On this account, also, it is said that the bed was "of iron," that it was "in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon," and that "nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man." For "iron" signifies what is natural (See below, n. 176; "Rabbah of Ammon" signifies the falsifications of truth (See Arcana Coelestia 2468); and "nine cubits the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it," signifies the conjunction of evil and falsity.

[9] From this it can be seen what the Word is in its bosom. Because "bed" signifies doctrine, it was among the statutes in the church with the sons of Israel:

That every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth should be unclean; and that the man who touched his bed should wash his clothes, and bathe himself in waters (Leviticus 15:4-5).

"Having the issue" signifies those who are in natural love, separate from spiritual love; "washing the clothes, and bathing himself in waters," signifies purification by the truths of faith (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 202-209). Because "Jacob" in the Word signifies the external church, which is with those who are in natural light, and who live a moral life from the obedience of faith, though not from internal affection, when "Jacob" is spoken of there is in the spiritual world above on the right side, the appearance of a man lying in a bed; therefore in the Word it is said of him when he was dying:

When Jacob had made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up his feet upon his bed and expired (Genesis 49:33).

It is said "he gathered up his feet upon the bed," because "feet" also signify the natural (See Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952).

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The word lectus here is a participle, meaning one chosen. Swedenborg read it in his Latin Bible for the noun lectus, a bed. In other places he translates the word "chosen. "

2. The common reading is "Bethesda," though a number of the Greek manuscripts, with Swedenborg, have "Bethsaida."

3. The Latin has dimiserunt, "let go," for which the Latin editor reads demiserunt, "let down. "

  
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Arcana Coelestia # 3858

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3858. Since the subject in the verses that follow now is the twelve sons of Jacob, and since the twelve tribes of Israel were named after them as their fathers, let an introductory statement be made here about what the tribes mean and why there were twelve. Nobody as yet has known the arcanum lying within these considerations, for people have believed that the historical descriptions of the Word are purely history and hold nothing more of the Divine within them than their ability to be made to apply to matters of a holy nature when these are under discussion. Consequently they have also believed that the twelve tribes meant nothing else than the divisions of the Israelitish people into so many separate nations or general families, when in fact Divine realities are implied in those tribes. That is to say, those tribes mean so many universal divisions of faith and love and so mean things that constitute the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, each tribe in particular meaning some universal division. But what exactly each tribe means will be evident from the verses that follow directly after this, where the subject is the sons of Jacob after whom the twelve tribes were named. In general the twelve tribes meant everything constituting the doctrine of truth and good, that is, of faith and love; for these - that is to say, truth and good, or faith and love - constitute the Lord's kingdom, since what are essentially matters of truth or faith constitute the whole of thought there, and what are essentially matters of good or love constitute the whole of affection. And because the Jewish Church was established so as to represent the Lord's kingdom the divisions of that people into twelve tribes therefore meant those things of His kingdom. This is an arcanum which has not previously been disclosed.

[2] Twelve means all things in general, as shown already in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272, while 'tribes' means matters of truth and good, or of faith and love, so that 'the twelve tribes' means all of these. Let this meaning of 'the twelve tribes' be substantiated here from the Word before each one is dealt with individually. In John,

The holy city New Jerusalem, having twelve gates, and above the gates twelve angels, and names written which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He measured the city with the measuring rod, twelve thousand stadia. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Revelation 21:12, 14, 16-17, 21.

'The holy city', or the New Jerusalem, means the Lord's new Church, as is evident from each detail of this description. Previous chapters refer to what the condition of the Church was going to be like before its end; this chapter refers to a new Church. That being so, 'the gates', 'the wall', 'the foundations' mean nothing else than things constituting the Church, which are those of charity and faith since these constitute the Church.

[3] From this it may be clear to anyone that 'twelve' used so many times in that description, also 'tribes', and 'apostles' too, are not used to mean twelve, or tribes, or apostles, but that 'twelve' is used to mean all things in their entirety; see what has been shown in 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end), 3272. The same is true of the number 'a hundred and forty-four', for this is twelve twelves. And since 'twelve' means all things it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things constituting the Church, which, as stated above, are truth and good, or faith and love. The same is also true of 'the twelve apostles' who as well represented all things constituting the Church, that is, all things of faith and love, see 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. That number is therefore called 'the measure of a man, that is, of an angel', by which is meant a state of truth and good. For 'measure' means state, see 3104, and 'man' means that which constitutes the Church, as is evident from things said about the meaning of 'man' in 478, 479, 565, 768, 1871, 1894, and also from the fact that the Lord's kingdom is called the Grand Man, which it is called by virtue of good and truth which come from the Lord, dealt with at the ends of chapters in 3624-3649, 3741-3750. And 'angel' has the same meaning, 1705, 1754, 1925, 2821, 3039.

[4] As in John, so also in the Prophets, in the Old Testament Word, is the new Jerusalem referred to, where in a similar way the Lord's new Church is meant, as in Isaiah 65:18-19, and following verses; in Zechariah 14; and in particular in Ezekiel, Chapters 40-48, where the new Jerusalem, the new Temple, and a new earth describe in the internal sense the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and the Lord's kingdom on earth, which is the Church. The contents of those chapters, plainer than anywhere else, show what 'earth', 'Jerusalem', 'Temple', and everything in them meant, and also what 'the twelve tribes' means. For the subject of those chapters is the division of the land and the inheritance of it according to tribes, as well as the city and its walls, foundation, and gates, and everything that was to go with the Temple there. From those chapters let simply matters relating to the tribes be quoted here,

The Lord Jehovih said, This is the boundary of your inheritance of the land, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. You shall divide this land according to the tribes of Israel. But you shall divide it by lot as an inheritance, and for sojourners sojourning in your midst. They shall cast lots with you for an inheritance in the midst of the tribes of Israel. Ezekiel 47:13, 21-23.

As regards the land, it will be for the prince as a possession in Israel. And the princes will no longer oppress My people, and the land they will give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. Ezekiel 45:8.

Concerning inheritances and how they were assigned to individual tribes which are also referred to there by name, see Ezekiel 48:1 and following verses; and concerning the gates of the city which are named after the tribes of Israel, verses 31-34 of the same chapter.

[5] Quite plainly, when the tribes are spoken of here it is not the tribes who are meant, for by that time ten tribes had long since been scattered throughout the whole world, and had not subsequently returned. Nor can they possibly return, for they have become gentiles. And yet reference is made to each individual tribe, and to how it was to inherit the land and what its boundary was to be. What the boundary for the tribe of Dan was to be is stated in verse 2; what the boundary for the tribe of Asher was to be in verse 3; what those of Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, Reuben, and Judah were to be, and concerning the inheritance of the Levites; and what the boundaries of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulun, and Gad were to be in verses 4-29. In addition to all this that chapter declares that the city was to have twelve gates named after the tribes of Israel - three gates facing north, those of Reuben, Judah, and Levi; three gates facing east, those of Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan; three gates facing south, those of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun; and three gates facing west, those of Gad, Asher, and Naphtali, in verses 31-34.

[6] From all this it is evident that 'the twelve tribes' means all things that belong to the Lord's kingdom, and so all that are matters of faith and love, for these constitute the Lord's kingdom, as stated above. Because the twelve tribes meant all things of the Lord's kingdom they also represented that kingdom by their encampments and by their travellings. In Moses it is said that they were to encamp according to the tribes around the Tent of Meeting - to the east, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; to the south, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; to the west, Ephraim Manasseh, and Benjamin; and to the north, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, and as they were encamped so they travelled, Numbers 2:1-end. In all this they represented the Lord's kingdom, as is quite evident from Balaam's prophecy,

When Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling according to tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him and he delivered his utterance, and said, How good your tabernacles are, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel! They are like valleys that are planted, like gardens beside a river, like aloes Jehovah has planted, like cedars beside the waters. Numbers 24:2-3, 5-6.

The fact that Balaam received from Jehovah these words spoken by him is explicitly stated in Numbers 22:8, 18-19, 35, 38; 23:5, 12, 16, 26; 24:2, 13.

[7] From this also it is evident what the inheritances of the land of Canaan according to tribes represented, in connection with which it is said in Moses that he was to take a census of the congregation of the children of Israel, according to their fathers' houses; a census of those twenty or more years old, everyone going into the army of Israel. The land was to be distributed by lot; according to the names of their fathers' tribes they were to receive an inheritance, Numbers 26:2, 7-56; 33:54; 34:19-29. And Joshua's actual division of the land by lot according to tribes is described in Chapters 13, 15, 19 of the Book of Joshua. From these particular details it is evident that the Lord's kingdom was represented, as has been stated; for the land of Canaan meant that kingdom, see 1585, 1607, 3038, 3481, 3705.

[8] The reason why they are called 'armies' and why it is said that 'they encamped according to their armies and travelled according to their armies', Numbers 2:4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21-23, 26, 28, 30, is that 'an army' had the same meaning [as 'a tribe'], namely truths and goods, see 3448. And the Lord is called Jehovah Zebaoth or 'Jehovah of Armies (or Hosts)' 3448. They were for these reasons called 'the armies of Jehovah' when they departed from Egypt, as in Moses,

It happened at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, on that same day it happened that all the armies of Jehovah were to come out of the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:41.

Anyone may recognize that such people in Egypt, and after that in the wilderness, were not called 'the armies of Jehovah' except in a representative sense, for no good or truth was present in them, the worst of all nations.

[9] From this it is also quite evident what was meant by the names of the twelve tribes on Aaron's breastplate, which was called the Urim and Thummim. Concerning the breastplate the following is said in Moses,

There shall be four rows in it and twelve stones. These stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names. The engravings of a signet, for each one over its name, there shall be for the twelve tribes. Exodus 28:17, 21; 39:14.

For 'Aaron' represented the Lord's Divine priesthood, and therefore all the vestments worn by him as high priest meant Divine celestial and spiritual things. But the exact meaning of those vestments will in the Lord's Divine mercy be clear where they are the subject. Since the breastplate itself was most holy, the names of it were representations of all the essential characteristics of love and faith in the Lord. These are the Urim and Thummim. The reason why the names were engraved on the precious stones was that 'stones' in general meant truths, 1298, 3720, and 'precious stones' truths shining through from good, 114. And because the name of each individual tribe meant some essential characteristic, a specific stone was also allocated for each tribe, Exodus 28:17-20; 39:10-13, which expressed by means of its colour and transparence the characteristic meant by that tribe. This was how Jehovah or the Lord gave answers by means of the Urim and Thummim.

[10] The two shoham stones which were on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod had a similar representation but in a lesser degree than the twelve stones on the breastplate. For 'the shoulders' meant all power, and so the Lord's omnipotence, 1085, whereas 'the breast' or heart and lungs meant Divine celestial and spiritual love - 'the heart' Divine celestial love, 'the lungs' Divine spiritual love, see 3635 and the end of the present chapter where the Grand Man and its correspondence with the province of the heart and the province of the lungs is the subject. The two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod are referred to in Moses as follows,

You shall take two shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of the names on one stone and the remaining six names on the other stone, according to their births. You shall put two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. Exodus 28:9-12; 39:6-7.

[11] Because 'the tribes' meant what are essentially matters of truth and good, or faith and love, and each tribe meant some universal aspect of these, and since the tribe of Levi meant love, as will be evident from the explanation at verse 34 below, one can therefore recognize what was meant by their placing rods, one for each tribe, in the Tent of Meeting and by Levi's rod alone blossoming with almonds. All this is described in Moses as follows,

He was told to take twelve rods, one rod for each head of their fathers' houses, and these were to be left in the Tent of Meeting, the name of Aaron being written on the rod of Levi. Aaron's rod was placed in the middle of them. And the next day, behold, Aaron's rod for the tribe of Levi had blossomed; it had produced buds, 1 so that it flowered and produced almonds. Numbers 17:2-8.

These occurrences meant that love was the essential, also the first and foremost, thing of all in the Lord's kingdom and that love is the source of all fruitfulness. And the reason why Aaron's name was on the rod was that Aaron represented the Lord as regards His Divine priesthood. For by the Lord's priesthood is meant Divine Good, which essentially is His love and mercy, and by the Lord's kingship is meant Divine Truth which stems from Divine Good, see 1728, 2015 (end), 3670.

[12] From what has been introduced so far one may now see what 'tribes' and 'the twelve tribes' mean in the following places: In John,

I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe of Israel - twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin. Revelation 7:4-8.

In Moses,

Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation.

When the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:7-8.

In David,

Jerusalem, built as a city which is closely compacted together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to confess the name of Jehovah. Psalms 122:3-4.

[13] In Joshua, who was told,

The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass over before you into the Jordan. Take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. And it will happen when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. They will stand in one heap. Joshua 3:11-17.

And further,

Take out of the midst of the Jordan, from the places where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones which you are to prepare and carry with you. And let each man take a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, that it may be a sign that the waters of the Jordan were cut off. Moreover Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, beneath the places where the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant had stood. Joshua 4:1-9.

Also in the description about Elijah,

Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word had come, Israel shall be your name; and he built an altar to the name of Jehovah. 1 Kings 18:31-32.

[14] That 'the tribes' means the goods of love and the truths of faith is also clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Matthew 24:30.

Here 'all the tribes of the earth will mourn' means that the acknowledgement of truth and the life of good will not exist any longer, for the subject in that chapter is the close of the age. Similarly in John,

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will wail over Him. Revelation 1:7.

What 'coming in the clouds of heaven' means, see Preface to Genesis 18. See in addition what I have been shown from experience about the number 'twelve', in 2129, 2130.

[15] The reason why all things of faith and love are called 'tribes' is that the same expression in the original language also means a sceptre and a rod. For 'a sceptre' and also 'a rod' mean power, as will in the Lord's Divine mercy be shown elsewhere. For this reason the noun 'tribe' entails the idea that forms of good and truth possess within them all power from the Lord. And angels too are therefore referred to as 'powers' and also 'principalities', for 'princes' means the first and foremost aspects of charity and faith, such as the twelve princes descended from Ishmael, Genesis 25:16, see 2089, as well as the princes who were leaders of the tribes, Numbers 7; 13:4-16.

[16] From what has been said up to now about the twelve tribes one can recognize why the Lord's disciples, who later on were called apostles, were twelve in number, and that like the tribes they represented the Lord's Church as regards goods and truths, 2129, 3354, 3488, 3857. 'Peter' represented faith, 'James' charity, and 'John' the works that flow from charity, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22, and also 3750. This is also quite evident from the things which the Lord said about them and to them.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, flower

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