26
Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Ilapag mo ang tiara, at alisin mo ang putong; ito'y hindi na mangyayari pa uli; itaas mo ang mababa at ibaba mo ang mataas.
Ezekiel 21:26
Arcana Coelestia # 4111
4111. 'And Rachel stole the teraphim which belonged to her father' means a change, as regards truth, of the state meant by 'Laban'. This is clear from the meaning of 'stealing' here as taking away that which is cherished and holy, and so changing the state; from the meaning of 'the teraphim' as truths, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'father', who in this case is Laban, as the good meant by him, dealt with already. 'Father' too means good, 3703. From this it is evident that 'Rachel stole the teraphim which belonged to her father' means a change, as regards truth, of the state meant by 'Laban'.
[2] What is implied in all this may be seen from the state in which spirits dwell when they are being separated. The states of good and truth in which spirits dwell are determined by the communities they are in, for as shown already, all thought flows in through others, doing so most immediately through those in whose community they are at the time. When therefore they are removed from one community and sent into another the states of their thoughts and affections are changed, and so therefore are the states of truth and good in which they dwell. If however they are sent into communities unlike themselves they take no delight in it, and consequently feel coerced; and therefore they are separated from them and taken to communities which are like themselves. This explains why the evil are unable to be present in and to stay among communities of the good, or the good to do so among communities of the evil, and also why all spirits and angels are distinguished into separate communities in accordance with those affections that belong to love. But every affection belonging to love contains many and varying features, 3078, 3189, 4005, though one feature is predominant. Each spirit therefore is capable of being in a number of communities, but he strives to get to the one in which his predominant affection reigns, and to which at length he is brought.
[3] As regards the good meant by 'Laban' and a change in the state of that good, as long as it was present with the good represented by 'Jacob' it was closer to the Divine; for 'Jacob' means that good within the Natural, and being closer to the Divine was also at that time in a more perfect state of truth and good. But when it was separated from it, it entered another state as regards truth and good, for in general changes of state in the next life are nothing else than movements towards the Divine or away from the Divine. This then shows what is understood by a change of state when the good meant by 'Laban' was separated.
[4] The reason why 'Rachel stole the teraphim which belonged to her father' means a change of state as regard truth is that by 'the teraphim' are meant his gods, as is evident from what follows below. For in verse 30 Laban says to Jacob, 'Why did you steal my gods?' and in verse 32 Jacob replies, 'Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live in the presence of our brothers'. In the internal sense 'gods' means truths, which is also the reason why the name 'God' is used in the Word when truth is the subject, see 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822.
[5] The teraphim were idols which were used when people consulted God or asked Him something. And because the replies which they received were to those people Divine truths, truths were therefore meant by them, as in Hosea,
The children of Israel sat many days with no king and with no prince and with no sacrifice, nor ephod and teraphim. Hosea 3:4.
'Ephod and teraphim' stands for Divine truths which they received through the replies given, for when they asked God something they also put on the ephod, 1 Samuel 23:9-12. In Zechariah,
The teraphim speak iniquity, and the diviners see a lie, and the dreams speak vanity. Zechariah 10:2.
Here too 'the teraphim' stands for replies, but in that state iniquitous ones.
[6] And because 'the teraphim' had this kind of meaning, some also had them in their houses, even though this was forbidden. One such person was Micah, in the Book of Judges,
Micah had a house of God and he made an ephod and teraphim, and he consecrated 1 one of his sons to be his priest. And some of the Danites said to their brethren, Do you know that in these houses there is an ephod and teraphim, and a graven image and a molten image? And when they had entered Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod and the teraphim, and the molten image... And the priest's heart was glad, 2 and he took the ephod and the teraphim, and the graven image. And Micah pursued the children of Dan, then he said, You have taken my gods which I made, and the priest, and have gone away. What have I more? Judges 17:5; 18:14, 18, 20, 24.
Michal too, David's wife, had them, as described in 1 Samuel,
Michal, David's wife, took the teraphim, and placed them in the bed and covered them over with a garment. Saul's messengers came, but behold, the teraphim were in the bed. 1 Samuel 19:13, 16.
The fact that they were however idols which were forbidden is evident from what is said in reference to them in 1 Samuel 15:23; 2 Kings 23:24; Ezekiel 21:21.
Poznámky pod čarou:
Genesis 31
1
He heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's, has he gotten all this wealth."
2
Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
3
Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
4
Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock,
5
and said to them, "I see the expression on your father's face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
6
You know that I have served your father with all of my strength.
7
Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me.
8
If he said this, 'The speckled will be your wages,' then all the flock bore speckled. If he said this, 'The streaked will be your wages,' then all the flock bore streaked.
9
Thus God has taken away your father's livestock, and given them to me.
10
It happened during mating season that I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled.
11
The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.'
12
He said, 'Now lift up your eyes, and behold, all the male goats which leap on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
13
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.'"
14
Rachel and Leah answered him, "Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house?
15
Aren't we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also quite devoured our money.
16
For all the riches which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do."
17
Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels,
18
and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Paddan Aram, to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.
19
Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep: and Rachel stole the teraphim that were her father's.
20
Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, in that he didn't tell him that he was running away.
21
So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
22
Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled.
23
He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
24
God came to Laban, the Syrian, in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad."
25
Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead.
26
Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
27
Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn't tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
28
and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.
29
It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad.'
30
Now, you want to be gone, because you greatly longed for your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?"
31
Jacob answered Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said, 'Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.'
32
Anyone you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them.
33
Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants; but he didn't find them. He went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.
34
Now Rachel had taken the teraphim, put them in the camel's saddle, and sat on them. Laban felt about all the tent, but didn't find them.
35
She said to her father, "Don't let my lord be angry that I can't rise up before you; for I'm having my period." He searched, but didn't find the teraphim.
36
Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
37
Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.
38
"These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not cast their young, and I haven't eaten the rams of your flocks.
39
That which was torn of animals, I didn't bring to you. I bore its loss. Of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
40
This was my situation: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep fled from my eyes.
41
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
42
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."
43
Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
44
Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I; and let it be for a witness between me and you."
45
Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46
Jacob said to his relatives, "Gather stones." They took stones, and made a heap. They ate there by the heap.
47
Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.
48
Laban said, "This heap is witness between me and you this day." Therefore it was named Galeed
49
and Mizpah, for he said, "Yahweh watch between me and you, when we are absent one from another.
50
If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you."
51
Laban said to Jacob, "See this heap, and see the pillar, which I have set between me and you.
52
May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.
53
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac.
54
Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.
55
Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
