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Ezequiel 27

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1 De novo veio a mim a palavra do Senhor, dizendo:

2 Tu pois, ó filho do homem, levanta uma lamentação sobre Tiro;

3 e dize a Tiro, que habita na entrada do mar, e negocia com os povos em muitas ilhas: Assim diz o Senhor Deus: ç Tiro, tu dizes: Eu sou perfeita em formosura.

4 No coração dos mares estão os teus termos; os que te edificaram aperfeiçoaram a tua formosura.

5 De ciprestes de Senir fizeram todas as tuas tábuas; trouxeram cedros do Líbano para fazerem um mastro para ti.

6 Fizeram os teus remos de carvalhos de Basã; os teus bancos fizeram-nos de marfim engastado em buxo das ilhas de Quitim.

7 Linho fino bordado do Egito era a tua vela, para te servir de estandarte; de azul, e púrpura das ilhas de Elisá era a tua cobertura.

8 Os habitantes de Sidom e de Arvade eram os teus remadores; os teus peritos, ó Tiro, que em ti se achavam, esses eram os teus pilotos.

9 Os anciãos de Gebal e seus peritos eram em ti os teus calafates; todos os navios do mar e os seus marinheiros se achavam em ti, para tratarem dos teus negócios.

10 Os persas, e os lídios, e os de Pute eram no teu exército os teus soldados; penduravam em ti o escudo e o capacete; aumentavam o teu esplendor.

11 Os filhos de Arvade e o teu exército estavam sobre os teus muros em redor, e os gamaditas nas tuas torres; penduravam os seus escudos nos teus muros em redor; aperfeiçoavam a tua formosura.

12 Társis negociava contigo, por causa da abundância de toda a casta de riquezas; seus negociantes trocavam pelas tuas mercadorias prata, ferro, estanho, e chumbo.

13 Javã, Tubál e Meseque eram teus mercadores; pelas tuas mercadorias trocavam as pessoas de homens e vasos de bronze.

14 Os da casa de Togarma trocavam pelas tuas mercadorias cavalos e ginetes e machos;

15 os homens de Dedã eram teus mercadores; muitas ilhas eram o mercado da tua mão; tornavam a trazer-te em troca de dentes de marfim e pau de ébano.

16 A Síria negociava contigo por causa da multidão das tuas manufaturas; pelas tuas mercadorias trocavam granadas, púrpura, obras bordadas, linho fino, corais e rubis.

17 Judá e a terra de Israel eram teus mercadores; pelas tuas mercadorias trocavam o trigo de Minite, cera, mel, azeite e bálsamo.

18 Por causa da multidão das tuas manufaturas, por causa da multidão de toda a sorte de riquezas, Damasco negociava contigo em vinho de Helbom e lã branca.

19 Vedã e Javã de Uzal trocavam lã fiada pelas tuas manufaturas; ferro polido, cássia e cálamo aromático achavam-se entre as tuas mercadorias.

20 Dedã negociava contigo em suadouros para cavalgar.

21 Arábia e todos os príncipes de Quedar também eram os mercadores ao teu serviço; em cordeiros, carneiros e bodes, nestas coisas negociavam contigo.

22 Os mercadores de Sabá e Raamá igualmente negociavam contigo; pelas tuas mercadorias trocavam as melhores de todas as especiarias e toda a pedra preciosa e ouro.

23 Harã, e Cané e Edem os mercadores de Sabá, Assur e Quilmade eram teus mercadores.

24 Estes negociavam contigo em roupas escolhidas, em agasalho de azul e de obra bordada, e em cofres de roupas preciosas, amarrados com cordas e feitos de cedro.

25 Os navios de Társis eram as tuas caravanas para a tua mercadoria; e te encheste, e te glorificaste muito no meio dos mares.

26 Os teus remadores te conduziram sobre grandes águas; o vento oriental te quebrantou no meio dos mares.

27 As tuas riquezas, os teus bens, as tuas mercadorias, os teus marinheiros e os teus pilotos, os teus calafates, e os que faziam os teus negócios, e todos os teus soldados, que estão em ti, juntamente com toda a tua companhia, que está no meio de ti, se submergirão no meio dos mares no dia da tua queda.

28 Ao estrondo da gritaria dos teus pilotos tremerão os arrabaldes.

29 E todos os que pegam no remo, os marinheiros, e todos os pilotos do mar descerão de seus navios, e pararão em terra,

30 e farão ouvir a sua voz sobre ti, e gritarão amargamente; lançarão pó sobre as cabeças, e na cinza se revolverão;

31 e se farão calvos por tua causa, e se cingirão de sacos, e chorarão sobre ti com amargura de alma, com amarga lamentação.

32 No seu pranto farão uma lamentação sobre ti, na qual dirão: Quem foi como Tiro, como a que está reduzida ao silêncio no meio do mar?

33 Quando as tuas mercadorias eram exportadas pelos mares, fartaste a muitos povos; com a multidão das tuas riquezas e das tuas mercadorias, enriqueceste os reis da terra.

34 No tempo em que foste quebrantada pelos mares, nas profundezas das águas, caíram no meio de ti todas as tuas mercadorias e toda a tua companhia.

35 Todos os moradores das ilhas estão a teu respeito cheios de espanto; e os seus reis temem em grande maneira, e estão de semblante perturbado.

36 Os mercadores dentre os povos te dão vaias; tu te tornaste em grande espanto, e nao mais existiras.

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 70

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70. The feet are said to be "like unto burnished brass," because burnished brass is polished brass, shining from something fiery; and "brass" in the Word signifies natural good. Metals are equally significative with the rest in the Word. "Gold" in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good; "silver" signifies the truth thereof, which is spiritual good: "brass" natural good which is outmost good, and "iron" the truth thereof, which is natural truth.

Metals have such significations from correspondence; for in heaven many things are seen shining as if from gold and silver, and also many things as if from brass and iron; and it is there known that by these the goods and truths mentioned above are signified. It was from this that the ancients, who had a knowledge of correspondences, named the ages according to these metals; calling the first age the "golden," because innocence, love, and wisdom therefrom then ruled; but the second "silver," because truth from that good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom then ruled; the third age "brazen" or "copper," because mere natural good, which is justness and sincerity of moral life, then ruled; but the last age they called "iron," because mere truth without good then ruled, and when that rules, falsity also rules. All this was from the spiritual signification of these metals.

[2] From this it can be known what is signified by the image seen in a dream by Nebuchadnezzar:

The head of which was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and sides of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2:23, 33);

namely, the state of the church in respect to good and truth, from its first time to its last; 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 these metals are mentioned, can be understood. Thus 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 (Isaiah 60:17).

[3] But as the signification of "brass," as meaning natural good, is here treated of, I will cite only a few passages where "brass" is mentioned, as signifying that good. Thus in Moses:

Asher acceptable unto his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil. Thy shoe iron and brass, and as thy days thy fame (Deuteronomy 33:24-25).

"Asher," as one of the tribes, signifies the blessedness of life, and the delight of affections (See Arcana Coelestia 3938-3939, 6408); "to dip the foot in oil" signifies natural delight, "oil" is delight (See n. 9954), "foot" the natural (See just above, n. 69; "the shoe iron and brass" signifies the lowest natural from truth and good, "the shoe" is the lowest natural (See n. 1748, 1860, 6844), "iron" is its truth, and "brass" its good (as above). In the same:

Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a wealthy land; a land out of whose stones thou mayest hew out iron, and out of its mountains brass (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9).

In Jeremiah:

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

And in Ezekiel:

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy traffickers; with the soul of man and with vessels of brass they traded thy merchandise (Ezekiel 27:13).

In this chapter the traffickings of Tyre are treated of, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth; by the names "Javan," "Tubal," and "Meshech," are signified such things as are of good and truth, of which knowledges treat; the "soul of man" is truth of life; "vessels of brass" are scientifics of natural good. (What is signified by "Tyre" may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1201; what by "traffickings," n. 2967, 4453; what by "Tubal and Meshech," 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) In the same:

The feet of the cherubs sparkled like the appearance of polished brass (Ezekiel 1:7).

What "cherubs" and "feet" signify, see above n. 69.

[4] In the same:

I saw and behold there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, and a line of flax was in his hand; and he was standing in the gate (Ezekiel 40:3).

It was because this angel measured the wall and the gates of the house of God, which signify the externals of the church, that his appearance was seen as the appearance of brass. He who knows that "brass" signifies the external of the church, which in itself is natural, can in some measure know why:

The altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the grating about it was of brass, and the vessels of brass (Exodus 27:1-4);

as 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).

[5] He who knows what "brass" signifies may also enter into the arcanum why it was commanded that a serpent of brass be set up for the people to look at, of which it is thus written in Moses:

Jehovah sent serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And He said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon a standard, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon a standard; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, and he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived (Numbers 21:6, 8-9).

That this "serpent" signified the Lord, 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 may not perish, but may have everlasting life (John 3:14-15).

By the "serpent" is signified that which is the ultimate of life with man, and is called the external sensual, which is the natural. Because this ultimate in the Lord was Divine, a serpent of brass was made among the sons of Israel, with whom all things were representative; and this signified that if they would look to the Divine Human of the Lord they would live again, that is, if they would believe in Him they would have eternal life, as the Lord Himself also teaches. (That to "see" is in the spiritual sense to believe, see above, n. 37, 68; and that the "serpent" is the external sensual, which is the ultimate of man's life, 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; Daniel 7:19 where), will be seen in what follows.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.