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5 Mosebok 33

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1 Dette er den velsignelse som Moses, den Guds mann, lyste over Israels barn før sin død.

2 Han sa: Herren kom fra Sinai, han steg op for dem fra Se'ir; han strålte frem fra Parans fjell og kom fra hellige titusener; ved hans høire hånd lyste lovens ild* for dem. / {* den ild som ledsaget lovgivningen.}

3 Ja, han elsker sitt folk; alle dine* hellige er i din hånd; de ligger for din fot, de tar imot dine ord. / {* Guds.}

4 En lov gav Moses oss, en arvedel for Jakobs menighet.

5 Og han* blev konge i Jesurun**, da folkets høvdinger samlet sig, Israels stammer alle sammen. / {* Gud.} / {** 5MO 32, 15.}

6 Måtte uben leve og aldri , men hans menn bli få i tall!

7 Og dette sa han om Juda: Hør, Herre, Judas røst, og før ham hjem til sitt folk! Med sine hender strider han for det, og du skal være hans hjelp mot hans fiender.

8 Og om Levi sa han: Dine tummim og urim hører din fromme mann til, han som du fristet ved Massa, som du trettet med ved Meribas vann,

9 han som sa om sin far og sin mor: Jeg ser dem ikke, og som ikke kjentes ved sine brødre og ikke visste av sine barn, fordi han tok vare på ditt ord og aktet vel på din pakt.

10 Han skal lære Jakob dine bud og Israel din lov, han skal legge røkelse for ditt ansikt og heloffer på ditt alter.

11 Velsign, Herre, hans kraft, og la hans henders gjerning tekkes dig! Knus lendene på hans motstandere og dem som hater ham, så de ikke reiser sig mere!

12 Om Benjamin sa han: Herrens elskede er han, trygt bor han hos ham; hele dagen holder han sin hånd over ham - han hviler mellem hans skuldrer.

13 Og om Josef sa han: Velsignet av Herren være hans land med himmelens ypperste gaver, med dugg og med vann fra det store dyp der nede,

14 med det ypperste av det som solen fostrer, med det ypperste av det som måneskiftene driver frem,

15 med det herligste fra de eldgamle fjell og det ypperste fra de evige hauger,

16 med det ypperste av jorden og dens fylde og med nåde fra ham som bodde i tornebusken; det komme over Josefs hode, over hans isse som er fyrste blandt sine brødre!

17 Herlig er den førstefødte av hans okser*, og hans horn er som villoksens horn; med dem stanger han alle folkene like til jordens ender; det er Efra'ims titusener, det er Manasses tusener. / {* d.e. stammens kraftigste krigere.}

18 Og om Sebulon sa han: Gled dig, Sebulon, i din utferd, og du, Issakar, i dine telt!

19 Folkeslag kaller de til sitt fjell; der ofrer de rettferdighets offere; for havets overflod og sandens skjulte skatter suger de inn.

20 Og om Gad sa han: Lovet være han som gir Gad vidt rum! Som en løvinne har han lagt sig ned, og han sønderriver både arm og isse.

21 Han utså sig den første lodd, for der er den del gjemt som lovgiveren har tiltenkt ham; og så drog han frem foran folket; det som var rett for Herren, det som han hadde fastsatt, gjorde han, sammen med Israel.

22 Og om Dan sa han: Dan er en løveunge som springer frem fra Basan.

23 Og om Naftali sa han: Naftali, mettet med nåde og fylt med Herrens velsignelse - Vesten og Syden ta han i eie!

24 Og om Aser sa han: Velsignet fremfor sønner være Aser! han være den kjæreste blandt sine brødre og dyppe i olje sin fot!

25 Av jern og kobber være din lås, og din hvile så lang som dine dager!

26 Det er ingen som Gud, Jesurun! - Han farer frem over himmelen med hjelp for dig, og i sin høihet på skyene.

27 En bolig er den eldgamle Gud, og her nede er evige armer; han driver fienden bort for dig og sier: ydd ut!

28 Og Israel bor trygt for sig selv, Jakobs øie er vendt mot et land med korn og most, ja, hans himmel drypper av dugg.

29 Salig er du, Israel! Hvem er som du, et folk som har sin frelse i Herren, ditt hjelpende skjold og ditt høie sverd! Dine fiender hykler for dig, mens du skrider frem over deres høider.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 70

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70. The reason why the feet are said to be like unto fine brass is, that by fine brass is meant brass polished and shining, like something fiery; and brass in the Word signifies natural good. Metals, like all other things in the Word, are significative. Gold in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; silver signifies its truth, which is spiritual good; brass natural good, which is ultimate good, and iron its truth, which is natural truth. That such things are signified by metals, is from correspondence; for many things are seen in heaven shining like gold and silver, and also many things shining like brass and iron. And it is there known, that by those things are signified the above-mentioned kinds of good and truth; this is why the ancients, who were in the knowledge of correspondences, named the ages after those metals. The first age they called the golden age, because innocence, love and wisdom therefrom, then reigned; but the second age they called the silver age, because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom, then reigned; the third age they called the brazen, or copper, age, because only natural good, which is what is just and sincere pertaining to moral life, then reigned; but the last age they called the iron age, because only truth without good then reigned, and when that reigns, then also falsity reigns. The reason why the ages were thus distinguished, was from the spiritual signification of those metals.

[2] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, seen in his dream,

"whose head was of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay" (Dan. 2:32, 33).

The state of the church from its first time to its last as to good and truth, is here signified; its last time was when the Lord came into the world.

When it is known that gold signifies celestial good, silver spiritual good, brass natural good, and iron natural truth, many arcana in the Word where those metals are mentioned can be known. For example, what is signified by these words in Isaiah:

"For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make thy government peace, and thine exactors justice" (60:17).

[3] But as the signification of brass is what is here treated of, as being natural good, it is necessary only to adduce a few passages where brass is mentioned and signifies that good. Thus in Moses:

"Asher acceptable to his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil; iron and brass thy shoe, and as thy day, thy fame" (Deuteronomy 33:24, 25).

Asher, as one of the tribes, signifies the happiness of life, and the delight of the affections (see Arcana Coelestia 3938, 3939, 6408); to dip the foot in oil signifies natural delight (that oil denotes delight, see n. 9954, and that the foot denotes the Natural, see above, n. 69); the shoe being iron and brass signifies the lowest Natural derived from truth and good, shoe denoting the lowest Natural (see n. 1748, 1860, 6844); iron is its truth, and brass its good, as above. Again,

"Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a rich land; a land out of whose stones thou shalt cut iron, and out of whose mountains brass" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9).

And in Jeremiah:

"I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that they may fight against thee, and not prevail over thee" (15:20).

And in Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, they were thy merchants; with the soul of man and vessels of brass they gave thy merchandise" (27:13).

In this chapter the merchandises of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth. By the names Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, are signified those things that pertain to good and truth, to which the knowledges relate; the soul of man denotes the truth of life; vessels of brass denote scientifics of natural good.

[4] (What is signified by Tyre, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1201; what by merchandises, n. 2967, 4453; what by Tubal and Mesech, n. 1151; what by Javan, n. 1152, 1153, 1155; what by the soul of man, n. 2930, 9050, 9281; what by vessels, n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.)

Again, in the same prophet:

The feet of the cherubs "shone like the appearance of polished brass" (1:7).

(What the cherubs and the feet signify, may be seen above, n. 69.) And in the same prophet:

"I saw, and, lo, a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a thread of flax in his hands; he stood in the gate" (40:3).

Because the angel here mentioned measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, his appearance was seen to be the appearance of brass.

He who knows that brass signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, may in some measure understand why the altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the gate round it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exodus 27:1-4), also why the great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished brass (1 Kings 7:43-47). He who knows what brass signifies, can also enter into the arcanum why a serpent of brass was commanded to be set up for the people to look at, concerning which it is thus written in Moses:

"Jehovah sent serpents among the people, which bit the people. And he said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he hath looked upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that when a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked upon the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers 21:6, 8, 9).

That the Lord was signified by that serpent, He himself teaches in John:

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (3:14, 15).

By the serpent is signified the ultimate of life in man, which is called the external Sensual, which is natural. To represent this ultimate, which in the Lord was Divine, among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative, a serpent of brass was made; and the signification was, that, if they looked to the Divine Human of the Lord, they would revive, that is, if they believed in Him, they should have eternal life, as the Lord himself also teaches. (That to see in the spiritual sense is to believe, may be seen above, n. 37, 68; and that a serpent denotes the external Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man, see Arcana Coelestia 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That brass and iron in the Word also signify what is hard, as in Isaiah 48:4; Dan. 7:19; and other places, will be seen in the following pages.

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