Bible

 

Izlazak 18

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1 A Jotor sveštenik madijanski, tast Mojsijev, ču sve što učini Gospod Mojsiju i Izrailju narodu svom, kako izvede Gospod Izrailja iz Misira;

2 I uze, Jotor tast Mojsijev, Seforu ženu Mojsijevu, koju beše poslao natrag,

3 I dva sina njena, od kojih jednom beše ime Girsam, jer reče: Tuđin sam u zemlji tuđoj,

4 A drugom beše ime Elijezer, jer, reče, Bog oca mog bi mi u pomoći i ote me od mača Faraonovog.

5 I pođe Jotor, tast Mojsijev, sa sinovima njegovim i sa ženom njegovom k Mojsiju u pustinju, gde beše u logoru pod gorom Božijom.

6 I poruči Mojsiju: Ja tast tvoj Jotor idem k tebi i žena tvoja i oba sina njena s njom.

7 I Mojsije izađe na susret tastu svom i pokloni mu se i celiva ga; i upitaše se za zdravlje, pa uđoše pod šator njegov.

8 I pripovedi Mojsije tastu svom sve što učini Gospod Faraonu i Misircima radi Izrailja, i sve nevolje, koje ih nalaziše putem, i kako ih izbavi Gospod.

9 I radovaše se Jotor svemu dobru što učini Gospod Izrailju izbavivši ga iz ruke misirske;

10 I reče Jotor: Blagosloven da je Gospod, koji vas izbavi iz ruke misirske, i iz ruke Faraonove, koji izbavi narod iz ropstva misirskog.

11 Sad vidim da je Gospod veći od svih bogova, jer čim se ponošahu onim ih samim nadvisi.

12 I uze Jotor, tast Mojsijev i prinese Bogu žrtvu paljenicu i prinos; i dođe Aron i sve starešine izrailjske, i jedoše s tastom Mojsijevim pred Bogom.

13 A sutradan sede Mojsije da sudi narodu; i stajaše narod pred Mojsijem od jutra do večera.

14 A tast Mojsijev gledajući sve šta radi s narodom, reče: Šta to radiš s narodom? Zašto sediš sam, a sav narod stoji pred tobom od jutra do večera.

15 A Mojsije reče tastu svom: Jer dolazi narod k meni da pita Boga.

16 Kad imaju šta među sobom, dolaze k meni, te im sudim i kazujem naredbe Božje i zakone Njegove.

17 A tast Mojsijev reče mu: Nije dobro šta radiš.

18 Umorićeš se i ti i narod koji je s tobom; jer je to teško za tebe, nećeš moći sam vršiti.

19 Nego poslušaj mene; ja ću te svetovati, i Bog će biti s tobom; ti budi pred Bogom za narod, i stvari njihove javljaj Bogu;

20 I uči ih naredbama i zakonima Njegovim, i pokazuj im put kojim će ići i šta će raditi.

21 A iz svega naroda izaberi ljude poštene, koji se boje Boga, ljude pravedne, koji mrze na mito, pa ih postavi nad njima za poglavare, hiljadnike, stotinike, pedesetnike i desetnike;

22 Oni neka sude narodu u svako doba; pa svaku stvar veliku neka javljaju tebi, a svaku stvar malu neka raspravljaju sami; tako će ti biti lakše, kad i oni stanu nositi teret s tobom.

23 Ako to učiniš, i Bog ti zapovedi, možeš se održati, i sav će narod doći mirno na svoje mesto.

24 I Mojsije posluša tasta svog, i učini sve što reče.

25 I izabra Mojsije iz svega Izrailja ljude poštene, i postavi ih za poglavare nad narodom, hiljadnike, stotnike, pedesetnike i desetnike.

26 Koji suđahu narodu u svako doba, a stvari teške javljahu Mojsiju, a male stvari raspravljahu sami.

27 Posle otpusti Mojsije tasta svog, koji se vrati u svoju zemlju.

   

Komentář

 

Wife

  

The Hebrew of the Old Testament has six different common words which are generally translated as "wife," which largely overlap but have different nuances. Swedenborg uses two different Latin words, which largely overlap but have different nuances. Meanwhile, "wife" is often paired with "man" or "husband," which are also catch-all translations for a basket of Hebrew and Latin terms. So it's hard to pin down one universal meaning for "wife"; context and subject matter have a large effect.

In general, though, marriage in the Bible represents the union we all seek between our hearts and our minds. If we know what is right and pursue it faithfully, the Lord will ultimately help us love doing what is good, and the two aspects of ourselves will be unified. On a higher level, marriage represents the union we can have with the Lord, both individually and collectively as a church. As an intrinsic part of the marriage, the wife plays a key role in that meaning. But that meaning is different depending on what is being described.

If the marriage is describing a person who is spiritual in nature – "spiritual" being the second degree of heavenly life, in which people are led by intellect and knowledge with the desire for good following – the wife represents the desire for good, the affections that drive the person. If the marriage is describing someone who is celestial in nature – "celestial" being the highest degree of heavenly life, in which people are led from love, with the intellect and ideas following – the wife represents the true ideas held by the person or church. If the marriage is describing the union between the Lord and the church, the wife represents the church.

In a way, these are symbolic meanings that actually have little to do with gender. When "wife" describes a church, obviously that church can include both male and female people. When "wife" describes an aspect of a person, that person can obviously be either male or female.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 915, 1468, 1904 [1-2], 3246 [3-4], 3398, 4823 [2])