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Josué 21

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1 Y los principales de los padres de los levitas vinieron a Eleazar sacerdote, y a Josué hijo de Nun, y a los principales de los padres de las tribus de los hijos de Israel;

2 y les hablaron en Silo en la tierra de Canaán, diciendo: El SEÑOR mandó por Moisés que nos fuesen dadas villas para habitar, con sus ejidos para nuestras bestias.

3 Entonces los hijos de Israel dieron a los levitas de sus posesiones, conforme a la palabra del SEÑOR, estas villas con sus ejidos.

4 Y salió la suerte por las familias de los coatitas; y fueron dadas por suerte a los hijos de Aarón sacerdote, que eran de los levitas, por la tribu de Judá, por la de Simeón y por la de Benjamín, trece villas.

5 Y a los otros hijos de Coat se dieron por suerte diez villas de las familias de la tribu de Efraín, y de la tribu de Dan, y de la media tribu de Manasés;

6 y a los hijos de Gersón, por las familias de la tribu de Isacar, y de la tribu de Aser, y de la tribu de Neftalí, y de la media tribu de Manasés en Basán, fueron dadas por suerte trece villas.

7 A los hijos de Merari por sus familias se dieron doce villas por la tribu de Rubén, y por la tribu de Gad, y por la tribu de Zabulón.

8 Y así dieron por suerte los hijos de Israel a los levitas estas villas con sus ejidos, como el SEÑOR lo había mandado por Moisés.

9 Y de la tribu de los hijos de Judá, y de la tribu de los hijos de Simeón dieron estas villas que fueron nombradas;

10 y la primera suerte fue de los hijos de Aarón, de la familia de Coat, de los hijos de Leví;

11 a los cuales dieron Quiriat-arba, del padre de Anac, la cual es Hebrón, en el monte de Judá, con sus ejidos en sus contornos.

12 Mas el campo de esta ciudad y sus aldeas dieron a Caleb hijo de Jefone, por su posesión.

13 Y a los hijos de Aarón sacerdote dieron la ciudad de refugio para los homicidas, a Hebrón con sus ejidos; y a Libna con sus ejidos,

14 y a Jatir con sus ejidos, y a Estemoa con sus ejidos,

15 a Holón con sus ejidos, y a Debir con sus ejidos,

16 a Aín con sus ejidos, a Juta con sus ejidos, y a Bet-semes con sus ejidos; nueve villas de estas dos tribus.

17 Y de la tribu de Benjamín, a Gabaón con sus ejidos, a Geba con sus ejidos,

18 a Anatot con sus ejidos, a Almón con sus ejidos: cuatro villas.

19 Todas las villas de los sacerdotes, hijos de Aarón, son trece con sus ejidos.

20 Mas las familias de los hijos de Coat, levitas, los que quedaban de los hijos de Coat, recibieron por suerte villas de la tribu de Efraín.

21 Y les dieron a Siquem, villa de refugio para los homicidas, con sus ejidos, en el monte de Efraín; y a Gezer con sus ejidos.

22 Y a Kibsaim con sus ejidos, y a Bet-horón con sus ejidos: cuatro villas:

23 Y de la tribu de Dan a Elteque con sus ejidos, a Gibetón con sus ejidos,

24 a Ajalón con sus ejidos, a Gat-rimón con sus ejidos: cuatro villas:

25 Y de la media tribu de Manasés, a Taanac con sus ejidos, y a Gat-rimón con sus ejidos: dos villas.

26 Todas las villas para el resto de las familias de los hijos de Coat fueron diez con sus ejidos.

27 A los hijos de Gersón de las familias de los levitas, dieron la villa de refugio para los homicidas, de la media tribu de Manasés; a Golán en Basán con sus ejidos, y a Bosra con sus ejidos: dos villas.

28 Y de la tribu de Isacar, a Cisón con sus ejidos, a Daberat con sus ejidos,

29 a Jarmut con sus ejidos, y a En-ganim con sus ejidos, cuatro villas.

30 Y de la tribu de Aser, a Miseal con sus ejidos, a Abdón con sus ejidos,

31 a Helcat con sus ejidos, y a Rehob con sus ejidos, cuatro villas.

32 Y de la tribu de Neftalí, la villa de refugio para los homicidas, a Cedes en Galilea con sus ejidos, a Hamot-dor con sus ejidos, y a Cartán con sus ejidos, tres villas.

33 Todas las villas de los gersonitas por sus familias fueron trece villas con sus ejidos.

34 Y a las familias de los hijos de Merari, levitas que quedaban, se les dio de la tribu de Zabulón, a Jocneam con sus ejidos, Carta con sus ejidos,

35 Dimna con sus ejidos, Naalal con sus ejidos: cuatro villas:

36 Y de la tribu de Rubén, a Beser con sus ejidos, a Jahaza con sus ejidos,

37 a Cademot con sus ejidos, y Mefaat con sus ejidos: cuatro villas:

38 De la tribu de Gad, la villa de refugio para los homicidas, Ramot en Galaad con sus ejidos, y Mahanaim con sus ejidos,

39 Hesbón con sus ejidos, y Jazer con sus ejidos: cuatro villas.

40 Todas las villas de los hijos de Merari por sus familias, que restaban de las familias de los levitas, fueron por sus suertes doce villas.

41 Y todas la villas de los levitas en medio de la posesión de los hijos de Israel, fueron cuarenta y ocho villas con sus ejidos.

42 Y estas ciudades estaban apartadas la una de la otra cada cual con sus ejidos alrededor de ellas; lo cual fue en todas estas ciudades.

43 Así dio el SEÑOR a Israel toda la tierra que había jurado dar a sus padres; y la poseyeron, y habitaron en ella.

44 Y el SEÑOR les dio reposo alrededor, conforme a todo lo que había jurado a sus padres; y nadie de todos sus enemigos les paró delante, sino que el SEÑOR entregó en sus manos a todos sus enemigos.

45 No faltó palabra de todas las buenas que habló el SEÑOR a la casa de Israel; todo se cumplió.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 21

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

Joshua 21: The cities of the Levite priests and the end of the settlement.

In this chapter, the last remaining part of the settlement was completed: the provision for the Levites, the priests of Israel. This tribe had been appointed priests because only they had answered the call, “Who is on the side of the Lord?” when the Israelites had been worshipping the golden calf in the wilderness (see Exodus 32:26).

Much of the chapter is spent listing the cities given to the three sons of Aaron, who was appointed high priest. Each extended family of Aaron’s sons was given about sixteen cities. It seems very significant that a lot of these cities were the same ones given to the other tribes, and were also the cities of refuge.

Levi’s name means ‘joined’, which is very suitable for the Levite priests, who received cities in every tribal territory. This meant that the presence of priests was everywhere (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 342).

Spiritually speaking, this distribution is a wonderful illustration that our spirit lives throughout our whole body. Every part of us is alive! Every single thing in our body, from one blood cell to our heart and lungs, is maintained by our spirit, which itself is maintained by the influx of the Lord’s life. The function of everything in our body is in a perfect correspondence with the kingdom of heaven.

So, spiritually, the Levites stand for the presence of the Lord everywhere, in everything. This underlines the point that everything in the natural world - even the cities and territories described in this chapter of Joshua - reflect something about God and heaven (see Swedenborg’s Apocalypse Revealed 194). But there is another important meaning for the distribution of the priestly Levites in cities all through the tribal territories: we must keep on acknowledging that everything is a blessing from the Lord, that everything we do is for God, and that the Lord alone does what is truly good (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 91).

After the distribution of cities to the Levites, Israel was fully established in the land of Canaan. The rest of this chapter is a consolidating statement which is worth including in full:

v43. “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it.

v44. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that he had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

v45. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

These are words of fulfillment, culmination, assurance and blessing. Everything here traces back to the Lord. The Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, granted them victory over their enemies, and gave them the Land of Canaan; the Lord had spoken in complete truth. “All came to pass.”

This final statement is a promise of our own capacity for regeneration and spiritual progress. We are able to overcome our natural desires and selfish states; we have been established in our life with the ability to understand and do what is good. In devoting ourselves to the Lord, we find strength to see that He will never fail us, and will change us for the better. ‘All came to pass’ is our affirmation that our life is always under God’s care and providence (Arcana Caelestia 977).

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Apocalypse Revealed # 194

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194. "'And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem.'" This symbolically means that they will have the doctrine of the New Church engraved on their hearts.

The New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church, and when it is called a city, it symbolizes the New Church in respect to its doctrine. Therefore to "write on him the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem," means, symbolically, that they will have the doctrine of the New Church engraved on their hearts.

To be shown that Jerusalem symbolizes the church, and that as a city it means the church in respect to its doctrine, see nos. 880, 881, below.

A city symbolizes doctrine because a land, and particularly the land of Canaan, symbolizes a church in its entirety; and the inheritances into which the land of Canaan was divided consequently symbolized various components of the church, and the cities in it doctrines. Because of this, when cities are mentioned in the Word, the angels understand them to mean nothing else. I have also had this attested for me through a good deal of experience.

The case with this is the same as with the symbolic meanings of mountains, hills, valleys, springs, and rivers, all of which symbolize such things as have to do with the church.

[2] That cities symbolize doctrines can be seen to some extent from the following passages:

The land shall be... emptied..., the land shall be turned upside down..., the land shall be profaned... The empty city shall be broken down... What is left in the city shall be waste, and the gate shall be stricken even to its destruction. (Isaiah 3; 4; 5; 10; 11; 12)

The lion has come up from his thicket..., to make your land a wasteland. Your cities will be destroyed... I beheld... Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities desolate... ...the land shall mourn... The whole city shall flee..., forsaken... (Jeremiah 4:7, 26-29)

The land there is the church, and the city is its doctrine. The devastation of the church by doctrinal falsities is described in this way.

The despoiler shall come upon every city, so that no city escapes. The valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed... (Jeremiah 48:8)

Likewise:

Behold, I have made you this day as a fortified city... against the whole land... (Jeremiah 1:18)

This was addressed to the prophet because a prophet symbolizes the doctrine of the church (no. 8).

On that day they will sing... in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." (Isaiah 26:1-2)

...the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. (Revelation 16:18-19)

(The prophet saw) on a very high mountain... the structure of a city to the south... (And an angel measured the wall, the gates, their chambers, and the vestibule of the gate,) and the name of the city... shall be JEHOVAH IS THERE. (Ezekiel 40:1ff., 48:35)

There is a river whose streams have made glad the city of God? (Psalms 46:4-5)

I will embroil Egypt with Egypt, so that... city (fights) against city, and kingdom against kingdom. (Isaiah 19:2)

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city... divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

Cities in these passages mean, in the spiritual sense, doctrines, as is the case also in Isaiah 6:11; 14:4, 17, 21; 19:18-19; 25:1-3; 33:8-9; 54:3; 64:10, and elsewhere.

[3] From the symbolic meaning of a city it can be seen what cities mean in this parable of the Lord:

A... nobleman (going) into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom..., delivered to (his servants) minas (with which to) do business... ...when he returned..., he (called the) servants... The first came, saying, ."..your mina has earned ten minas," and he said to him, ."..good servant..., you shall have authority over ten cities." And the second came, saying, ."..your mina has earned five minas." And he said... to him, "You also be over five cities." (Luke 19:12-19)

Cities here likewise symbolize doctrines or doctrinal truths, and to be over them is to be intelligent and wise. Thus to give power over them is to impart intelligence and wisdom. Ten symbolizes much, and five some. It is apparent that to do business and earn a profit means to acquire intelligence for oneself by making use of one's abilities.

[4] That the holy city Jerusalem symbolizes the doctrine of the New Church is clearly apparent from its description in chapter 21 of the book of Revelation, for it is described in respect to its dimensions, its gates, and its wall and foundations, and inasmuch as Jerusalem symbolizes the church, these can symbolize nothing other than matters having to do with its doctrine. Neither is the church a church on any other basis.

Because the city Jerusalem means the church in respect to doctrine, it is therefore called the City of Truth (Zechariah 8:3-4), and in many places a holy city, and this because holiness is predicated of truths derived from the Lord (no. 173).

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.