Arcana Coelestia # 7673
7673. 'Stretch out your hand' means an exercising of power. This is clear from the meaning of 'stretching out' as that which is connected with the exercising of control, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 3387, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 5544, 6292, 6947, 7011, 7188, 7189, 7518. The reason why 'stretching out the hand' means the exercising of power is that there is power in the hand or arm when it is stretched out. When therefore Jehovah is said to stretch out His hand or arm, boundless or infinite power in action is meant. This explains why Jehovah told Moses on so many occasions, when miracles were to be performed, to stretch out his hand or his rod; for example,
Stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, and they will be blood. Exodus 7:19.
Stretch out your hand over the rivers, and cause frogs to rise up. Exodus 8:1-2. 1
Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the land, and it will then be lice. Exodus 8:11, 12. 2
Stretch out your hand towards heaven, and there will be hail. Exodus 9:22-23.
Such words would never have been used but for the meaning of 'stretching out the hand' in the highest sense as Jehovah's almighty power.
[2] The same thing is meant by Joshua's being told to stretch out his javelin, described in his book as follows,
Jehovah said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand towards Ai. When therefore Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand towards Ai, the ambush rose up quickly out of their place and ran, as soon as he stretched out his hand, and came to the city and took it. Joshua did not withdraw his hand which he had stretched out together with the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai had been utterly destroyed. Joshua 8:18-19, 26.
Being representative of God's almighty power, this too, like all other representative actions when they were commanded in those times, had force.
[3] There are a number of other places in which almighty power is described when it says that Jehovah 'stretches out His hand', or else His 'outstretched hand' or His 'outstretched arm' is spoken of. It is described by Jehovah stretching out His hand in Isaiah,
The anger [of Jehovah] has been roused against His people, and He has stretched out His hand over them and struck them, and the mountains were shaken. Isaiah 5:25.
In Ezekiel,
I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him. Ezekiel 14:9, 13.
In the same prophet,
I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations. Ezekiel 25:7.
I will stretch out My hand over Edom, and cut off from it man and beast. I will stretch out My hand over the philistines, and cut off . . . Ezekiel 25:13, 16.
Other places like these are Ezekiel 35:3; Isaiah 31:3; Zephaniah 1:4; 2:13. The use of 'outstretched hand' to describe almighty power occurs in Isaiah,
Jehovah's outstretched hand is over all the nations; who will turn it back? Isaiah 14:26, 27.
In Jeremiah,
I will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger and in fury. Jeremiah 21:5.
In Isaiah,
Still His hand is outstretched. Isaiah 9:12, 17; 10:4.
The use of 'outstretched arm' occurs in Jeremiah,
I have made the earth, man, and beast by My great strength and by My outstretched arm. Jeremiah 27:5.
In the same prophet,
You have made heaven and earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm; there is no matter 3 that is too impossible for You. Jeremiah 32:17.
Here it is self-evident that 'outstretched arm' means almighty power. The same applies to many other places in which the expression 'by a strong hand and an outstretched arm' is used, such as Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 9:29; 11:2; 26:8; 1 Kings 8:42; 2 Kings 17:36; Jeremiah 32:21; Ezekiel 20:33, 34.
[4] There are places too in which Jehovah is said to 'stretch out the heavens', and in these places also 'stretching out' means almighty power; that is to say, He expands the limits of heaven and fills those who are there with life and wisdom, as in Isaiah,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens like a thin veil, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:22.
In the same prophet,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, spreads out the earth, gives breath 4 to His people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it. Isaiah 42:5.
In Jeremiah,
. . . He who makes the earth by His power, prepares the world by His wisdom, and stretches out the heavens by His intelligence. Jeremiah 51:15.
In Zechariah,
Jehovah is He who stretches out the heavens, and founds the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Zechariah 12:1.
There are still more places besides these, such as Isaiah 44:24; 45:12; Psalms 104:2.
From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to stretch out his hand and rod, that miracles were performed when he did so, and that 'stretching out the hand' for that reason means the exercising of power, and in the highest sense almighty power.
Poznámky pod čarou:
Exodus 6
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them from his land.
2
And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, I am the LORD:
3
And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
4
And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.
5
And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage: and I have remembered my covenant.
6
Wherefore say to the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with out-stretched arm, and with great judgments:
7
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8
And I will bring you into the land, concerning which I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the LORD.
9
And Moses spoke so to the children of Israel: but they hearkened not to Moses, by reason of anguish of spirit, and cruel bondage.
10
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11
Go in, speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel depart from his land.
12
And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?
13
And the LORD spoke to Moses, and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14
These are the heads of their father's houses: The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these are the families of Reuben.
15
And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.
16
And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
17
The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
18
And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred and thirty-three years.
19
And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi, according to their generations.
20
And Amram took him Jochebed, his father's sister, for a wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
21
And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
22
And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri.
23
And Aaron took him Elisheba daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, for a wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24
And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites.
25
And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Putiel for a wife; and she bore to him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their families.
26
These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.
27
These are they who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.
28
And it came to pass, on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29
That the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say to thee.
30
And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken to me?
