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Josvas 12

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1 Dette var de konger i landet som Israels barn slo, og hvis land de tok i eie på østsiden av Jordan, fra Arnon-åen til Hermon-fjellet, og hele ødemarken i øst:

2 Sihon, amoritter-kongen, som bodde i Hesbon og rådet over landet fra Aroer ved bredden av Arnon-åen, fra midten av åen, og over halvdelen av Gilead til Jabbok-åen, som er grensen mot Ammons barn,

3 og over ødemarken inntil østsiden av Kinneret-sjøen og til østsiden av ødemarkens hav eller Salthavet, bortimot Bet-Hajesimot og i syd til foten av Pisga-liene.

4 Likedan inntok de det land som tilhørte Og, kongen i Basan, en av dem som var tilbake av kjempefolket; han bodde i Asterot og Edre'i

5 og rådet over Hermon-fjellet og over Salka og over hele Basan inntil gesurittenes og ma'akatittenes land, og over halvdelen av Gilead til det land som tilhørte Sihon, kongen i Hesbon.

6 Dem hadde Moses, Herrens tjener, og Israels barn slått, og deres land hadde Moses, Herrens tjener, gitt rubenittene og gadittene og halvdelen av Manasse stamme til eiendom.

7 Og dette var de konger i landet som Josva og Israels barn slo på vestsiden av Jordan, fra Ba'al-Gad i Libanon-dalen til det nakne fjell som strekker sig op imot Se'ir - det land som Josva gav Israels stammer til eiendom efter deres ættegrener -

8 i fjellbygdene og i lavlandet og i ødemarken og i liene og i ørkenen og i sydlandet, hetittenes land og amorittenes og kana'anittenes, ferisittenes, hevittenes og jebusittenes land:

9 kongen i Jeriko én, kongen i Ai, som ligger ved siden av Betel, én,

10 kongen i Jerusalem én, kongen i Hebron én,

11 kongen i Jarmut én, kongen Lakis én,

12 kongen i Eglon én, kongen i Geser én,

13 kongen i Debir én, kongen i Geder én,

14 kongen i Horma én, kongen i Arad én,

15 kongen i Libna én, kongen i Adullam én,

16 kongen i Makkeda én, kongen i Betel én,

17 kongen i Tappuah én, kongen i Hefer én,

18 kongen i Afek én, kongen i Lassaron én,

19 kongen i Madon én, kongen i Hasor én,

20 kongen i Simron-Meron én, kongen i Aksaf én,

21 kongen i Ta'anak én, kongen i Megiddo én,

22 kongen i Kedes én, kongen i Jokneam ved Karmel én,

23 kongen i Dor på Dor-høidene én, kongen over Gojim ved Gilgal én,

24 kongen i Tirsa én, i alt en og tretti konger.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 12

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 12: The kings who were defeated by Joshua.

This chapter lists the kings who were defeated by Moses on the other side of the river Jordan, and those defeated by Joshua in the land of Canaan. Moses defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Joshua defeated 31 kings, and this chapter names their cities one by one.

We might well wonder: what is the use of such a chapter for us? But here it is, included in the Word of God. We will suggest two ways in which this chapter gives us a spiritual message to work with:

First, the sheer number of kings who opposed Israel represent, in a general way, the many things that prevent us from dedicating ourselves to the Lord’s teachings.

Secondly, the many names of the towns that the Israelites defeated are all significant in identifying the various situations we encounter in our spiritual lives (See Swedenborg’s Arcana Caelestia 2009[9]). For example “Joshua” means ‘God is victory’, something we can come to understand as we choose to turn against evil. We can do that because the Lord fights for and with us; we cannot do that alone.

For every heaven there is a corresponding hell (See Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell 588). If mercy is something of heaven, hell is to do with cruelty and all that goes with it. If innocence is of heaven, hell is to do with intended harm and all that goes with that. Evil is unspeakably precise.

Joshua defeated thirty-one kings. The number thirty stands for combat and also for ‘remnants’, which are deep-seated feelings of good and truth given the Lord gives us during our childhood, to help us combat evil in adult regeneration. Thirty-one would seem to suggest combat going on even past thirty (Arcana Caelestia 5335).

The names of the cities of these kings are given, and each name represents a quality. ‘Israel’ was the name given to Jacob by the Lord, after he had wrestled all night with the angel of God and had prevailed (see Genesis 32:24-28). “Israel” means ‘striving with God’ and also ‘a prince with God’, and it became the name of the people of Israel.

As examples, we will look at three Canaanite cities which fought Israel, and explore the spiritual meaning of their names.

1. The king of Jarmuth, means ‘being downcast by death’. Viewing life only in terms of its inevitable end does terrible things to our sense of purpose, hope and trust. Defeating Jarmuth helps us see that death is a transition into eternal life, and our means of passing from this life into our fullest life.

2. The king of Aphek, means ‘tenacious fortress’. We can quite readily see that evil can be exactly like a tenacious fortress. Evil will hang on like grim death and refuse to let us go. Evil will attempt any number of devious tactics to break us down or undermine our faith. The last thing it will do is to see that we’re resolved, and then finally give up.

3. The king of Taanach, which means ‘sandy, hard to cross’. This might remind us of dangerous quicksands, or the way in which we stumble trying to walk through sand. Again, sometimes evil can appear to give us safer passage on solid ground, before we realize that it is the hells ensnaring us.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5336

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5336. 'When he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt' means the presence of the celestial of the spiritual in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'standing before someone' as the presence, and from the representation of 'Pharaoh king of Egypt' as a new state in the natural or a new natural man, dealt with in 5079, 5080, and so the natural which now had the celestial of the spiritual within it and which the celestial of the spiritual now made its own - which is also the meaning of the words that immediately follow, 'And Joseph came out from before Pharaoh'.

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