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Joel 1

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1 Herrens ord som kom til Joel, Petuels sønn:

2 Hør dette, I gamle! Gi akt, alle som bor i landet! Er sådant skjedd i eders dager eller i eders fedres dager?

3 I skal fortelle om det til eders barn, og eders barn til sine barn, og deres barn til en kommende slekt.

4 Hvad gnageren* har levnet, har vrimleren* ett, og hvad vrimleren har levnet, har slikkeren* ett, og hvad slikkeren har levnet, har skaveren* ett. / {* forskjellige navn på gresshopper.}

5 Våkn op, I drukne, og gråt, og jamre, alle vindrikkere, fordi mosten er revet bort fra eders munn.

6 For et folk har draget op over mitt land sterkt og talløst; dets tenner er som en løves tenner, og det har jeksler som en løvinne.

7 Det har rent ødelagt mine vintrær og knekket mine fikentrær; det har gjort dem aldeles bare og kastet dem bort; deres grener er blitt hvite.

8 Klag som en jomfru som bærer sørgedrakt for sin ungdoms brudgom!

9 Matoffer og drikkoffer er revet bort fra Herrens hus; prestene, Herrens tjenere, sørger.

10 Marken er ødelagt, jorden sørger; for kornet er ødelagt, mosten er tørket bort, oljen er svunnet inn.

11 Akerdyrkerne er skuffet, vingårdsmennene jamrer sig; for hveten og bygget, markens grøde, er gått tapt.

12 Vintreet er tørket bort, og fikentreet er visnet; granatepletreet og palmen og epletreet, alle markens trær er tørket bort; ja, all fryd er svunnet bort fra menneskenes barn.

13 Klæ eder i sørgedrakt og klag, I prester! Jamre eder, I som gjør tjeneste ved alteret! Gå inn og sitt hele natten i sørgedrakt, I min Guds tjenere! For eders Guds hus må savne matoffer og drikkoffer.

14 Tillys en hellig faste, utrop en festforsamling, samle de eldste, ja alle som bor i landet, til Herrens, eders Guds hus og rop til Herren!

15 Ve oss, for en dag! For Herrens dag er nær og kommer som en ødeleggelse fra den Allmektige.

16 Er ikke maten blitt borte for våre øine, glede og fryd fra vår Guds hus?

17 Sædekornene er tørket inn under mulden som dekker dem; forrådshusene er ødelagt, ladene nedbrutt, for kornet er fordervet.

18 Hvor buskapen stønner! Oksehjordene farer redde omkring, for det finnes intet beite for dem; også fårehjordene må lide.

19 Til dig, Herre, roper jeg; for ild har fortært ørkenens beitemarker, og luer har forbrent alle markens trær.

20 Endog markens dyr skriker op til dig; for bekkene er uttørket, og ild har fortært ørkenens beitemarker.

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Arcana Coelestia # 9052

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9052. 'Tooth for tooth' means if anything [is injured] in the outer part of the understanding. This is clear from the meaning of 'tooth' as the outer part of the understanding, and therefore as natural truth since this composes the life of that part of the understanding. The reason why 'the teeth' have this meaning is that like a mill they grind and so prepare the food which will serve as nourishment for the body, at this point the food which will serve as nourishment for the soul. The food that nourishes the soul is intelligence and wisdom; this food is first received, ground, and prepared by cognitions or knowledge of truth and good in the natural - intelligence and wisdom being what spiritual and celestial food is called, see 56-58, 680, 1480, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003. From this one may see why it is that 'the teeth' means the outer part of the understanding. What this outer area is becomes clear from what has been shown immediately above in 9051 regarding the inner area of the understanding.

[2] 'The teeth' means natural truth, which belongs to the outer part of the understanding, and in the contrary sense falsity destroying that truth, as is clear from the following places in the Word Natural truth is meant in Moses,

His eyes will be redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. Genesis 49:12.

These words too mention both eyes and teeth together. They refer to Judah, by whom the Lord's Divine Celestial is meant, 6363. 'His eyes' means the Lord's Divine Intellect, 6379, and 'his teeth' the Lord's Divine Natural, 6380, thus also Divine Truth in His Natural.

[3] In Amos,

I gave you emptiness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places. Amos 4:6

'Emptiness of teeth' stands for scarcity of truth, and 'lack of bread' for scarcity of good.

All this makes plain what the gnashing of teeth is among those in hell, Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 25:30; Luke 13:28. It is the clash of falsities with the truths of faith, 4424 (end); for as has been stated, 'the teeth' in the contrary sense means falsity destroying truth, as in David,

Rise up, O Jehovah; save me, O my God! For You will strike all my enemies on the jaw, You will break the teeth of the wicked. Psalms 3:7.

'Breaking the teeth of the wicked' stands for breaking the falsities that the wicked use to destroy truths. In the same author,

As to my soul, I lie in the midst of lions; their teeth are a spear and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Psalms 57:4.

'The teeth of lions' stands for falsities destructive of truths, 'lions' being falsities arising from evil in their power, 6367, 6369.

[4] In the same author,

O God, destroy their teeth in their mouth; tear out 1 the molars of the young lions. Psalms 58:6.

A nation has come up over My land, strong and innumerable; its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the molars of a fierce lion. It has turned My vine into a waste, and My fig tree into froth. Joel 1:6-7.

'Teeth' and 'molars' stand for falsities destructive of the Church's truths. 'Vine' is the spiritual Church, 1069, 5113, 6376, and 'fig tree' is its natural good, 217, 4231, 5113. The fact that 'teeth' has that meaning is also evident from their being attributed to a nation which will lay waste. In John,

The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for war. They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions'. Revelation 9:7-8.

'The locusts' are those who are steeped in external falsities, 7643, from which it is evident that again 'teeth' are falsities destructive of truths.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, overthrow

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

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Arcana Coelestia # 4231

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4231. But from the fig tree learn a parable. When its branch now becomes tender and leaves sprout forth, you know that summer is near means the first period of a new Church. 'The fig tree' means the good of the natural, 'branch' the affection belonging to that good, while 'leaves' means truths. 'A parable' which they were to learn from means that those things are what is really meant. Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word cannot possibly know what is included within the description in which the Lord's coming is compared to a fig tree and its branch and leaves. But since all comparisons in the Word are also meaningful signs, 3579, one can know from these what is really meant by such a comparison. Whenever 'a fig tree' is mentioned in the Word it means in the internal sense the good of the natural, see 217. The reason why 'a branch' means the affection for that good is that affection stems from good as a branch from its trunk. And as for 'leaves' meaning truths, see 885. From these considerations one may now see what is really meant by that parable, namely this: When a new Church is being created by the Lord, the good of the natural shows itself first of all, that is, good in external form together with the affection belonging to it and with truths. The expression 'the good of the natural' is not used to mean the good into which a person is born or derives from parents, but good which is spiritual in origin. Nobody is born into this kind of good but is brought into it by the Lord by means of cognitions of good and truth. Consequently until this good - that is to say, spiritual good - exists with a person, he is not a member of the Church, no matter how much he may seem to be by virtue of that good which he is born with.

[2] So also yourselves; when you see all these things, know that He is near at the doors means that when those things are apparent that are meant in the internal sense by the words spoken immediately before this in verses 29-31 as well as by these words concerning the fig tree, the end of the Church has arrived, which is the Last Judgement and the Coming of the Lord - a time therefore when the old Church is cast aside and a new one established. The phrase 'at the doors' is used because the good of the natural and its truths are the first things to be introduced into a person when he is being regenerated and becoming the Church.

Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place means that the Jewish nation will not be eradicated like other nations. For the reason why, see 3479.

[3] Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away means that the internal and the external features of the former Church will perish, but the Word of the Lord will remain. For 'heaven' means the internal aspect of the Church and 'earth' the external aspect of it, see 82, 1411, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355 (end). The fact that the Lord's 'words' include not only those stated here concerning His coming and the close of the age but also all contained in the Word is self-evident. The words under consideration here were spoken immediately after those concerning the Jewish nation because the Jewish nation has been preserved for the sake of the Word, as may be seen from 3479, mentioned already. From all this it is now evident that these verses foretell the beginnings of a new Church.

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