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Ezekiel 40

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1 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was smitten, in the same day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.

2 In the visions of God he brought me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.

3 And he brought me thither, and behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate.

4 And the man said to me, Son of man, behold with thy eyes, and hear with thy ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall show thee; for, to the intent that I might show them to thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.

5 And behold a wall on the outside of the house around, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and a hand-breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed: and the hight, one reed.

6 Then he came to the gate which looketh towards the east, and ascended its stairs, and measured the threshhold of the gate, which was one reed broad; and the other threshhold of the gate, which was one reed broad.

7 And every little chamber was one reed long, and one reed broad; and between the little chambers were five cubits; and the threshhold of the gate by the porch of the gate within was one reed.

8 He measured also the porch of the gate within, one reed.

9 Then he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was inward.

10 And the little chambers of the gate eastward were three on this side, and three on that side; they three were of one measure: and the posts had one measure on this side and on that side.

11 And he measured the breadth of the entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

12 The space also before the little chambers was one cubit on this side, and the space was one cubit on that side: and the little chambers were six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.

13 He measured then the gate from the roof of one little chamber to the roof of another: the breadth was five and twenty cubits, door against door.

14 He made also posts of sixty cubits; even to the post of the court around the gate.

15 And from the face of the gate of the entrance to the face of the porch of the inner gate were fifty cubits.

16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate around, and likewise to the arches: and windows were around inward: and upon each post were palm-trees.

17 Then he brought me into the outward court, and lo, there were chambers, and a pavement made for the court around: thirty chambers were upon the pavement.

18 And the pavement by the side of the gates over against the length of the gates was the lower pavement.

19 Then he measured the breadth from the front of the lower gate to the front of the inner court without, a hundred cubits eastward and northward.

20 And the gate of the outward court that looked towards the north, he measured its length, and its breadth.

21 And the little chambers of it were three on this side and three on that side; and its posts and its arches were after the measure of the first gate; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth five and twenty cubits.

22 And their windows, and their arches, and their palm-trees, were after the measure of the gate that looketh towards the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and its arches were before them.

23 And the gate of the inner court was over against the gate towards the north, and towards the east; and he measured from gate to gate a hundred cubits.

24 After that he brought me towards the south, and behold a gate towards the south: and he measured its posts and its arches according to these measures.

25 And there were windows in it and in its arches around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

26 And there were seven steps to go up to it, and its arches were before them: and it had palm-trees, one on this side, and another on that side, upon its posts.

27 And there was a gate in the inner court towards the south: and he measured from gate to gate towards the south a hundred cubits.

28 And he brought me to the inner court by the south gate; and he measured the south gate according to these measures;

29 And its little chambers, and its posts, and its arches, according to these measures; and there were windows in it and in its arches around: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

30 And the arches around were five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.

31 And its arches were towards the outer court; and palm-trees were upon its posts: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

32 And he brought me into the inner court towards the east: and he measured the gate according to these measures.

33 And its little chambers, and its posts, and its arches, were according to these measures; and there were windows in it and in its arches around: it was fifty cubits long, and five and twenty cubits broad.

34 And its arches were towards the outward court; and palm-trees were upon its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

35 And he brought me to the north gate, and measured it according to these measures;

36 Its little chambers, its posts, and its arches, and the windows to it around: the length was fifty cubits, and the breadth five and twenty cubits.

37 And its posts were towards the outer court; and palm-trees were upon its posts, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.

38 And the chambers and its entries were by the posts of the gates, where they washed the burnt-offering.

39 And in the porch of the gate were two tables on this side, and two tables on that side, to slay upon it the burnt-offering and the sin-offering and the trespass-offering.

40 And at the side without, as one goeth up to the entry of the north gate, were two tables; and on the other side, which was at the porch of the gate, were two tables.

41 Four tables were on this side, and Four tables on that side, by the side of the gate; eight tables, upon which they slew their sacrifices.

42 And the four tables were of hewn stone for the burnt-offering, of a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half broad, and one cubit high: upon which also they laid the instruments with which they slew the burnt-offering and the sacrifice.

43 And within were hooks, a hand broad, fastened around: and upon the tables was the flesh of the offering.

44 And without the inner gate were the chambers of the singers in the inner court, which was at the side of the north gate; and their prospect was towards the south: one at the side of the east gate having the prospect towards the north.

45 And he said to me, This chamber, whose prospect is towards the south, is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the house.

46 And the chamber whose prospect is towards the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, who come near to the LORD to minister to him.

47 So he measured the court, a hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house.

48 And he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side: and the breadth of the gate was three cubits on this side, and three cubits on that side.

49 The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; and he brought me by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 1458

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1458. 'Towards the south' means into goods and truths, thus into a state that is bright as regards interior things. This is clear from the meaning of 'the south'. That 'the south' means a state that is bright arises from the fact that the four quarters, as with periods of time, do not actually exist in the next life, only the states meant by the four quarters and periods of time. The successive states of ideas in the understanding are like the states that belong to the times of the day and to the seasons of the year, and also to those of the four quarters. The successive states of a day are evening, night, morning, and midday; the states of the year are autumn, winter, spring, and summer; and the states of the four quarters are those of the sun in relation to west, north, east, and south. Similar to these are the successive states of ideas in the understanding. And what is remarkable, in heaven those whose state is one of wisdom and intelligence are in light. The intensity of that light is in exact proportion to their state, with those in the greatest light whose state is one of highest wisdom and intelligence; but the wisdom there is that which goes with love and charity, and the intelligence that which goes with faith in the Lord. That there is light in the next life to which the light of the world scarcely stands comparison is to me evident from much experience, and this will in the Lord's Divine mercy be presented later on. And because there exists in heaven such a correspondence between light and things of the understanding, nothing else is meant in the internal sense here and elsewhere in the Word by 'the south'. Here 'the south' means intelligence acquired through cognitions. Cognitions are celestial and spiritual truths, which are just so many radiations of light in heaven and which present themselves visibly by means of the light, as has been stated. Because the Lord was now to be endowed with cognitions so that He might become the Light itself of heaven as regards His Human Essence as well, it is here said that 'he travelled, going on and travelling, towards the south'.

[2] That 'the south' means those things becomes clear from similar examples in the Word, as in Isaiah,

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Do not withhold. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth. Isaiah 43:6.

'The north' stands for those without knowledge, 'the south' for those who possess cognitions, 'sons' stands for truths, and 'daughters' for goods. In the same prophet,

If you bring food out of store for the hungry 1 and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your thick darkness will be as the noonday. 2 Isaiah 58:10.

'Bringing food out of store for the hungry and satisfying the afflicted soul' stands for good deeds of charity in general. 'Your light will rise in the darkness' stands for the fact that truth has made them intelligent, and 'your thick darkness will be as the noonday' 2 that good has made them wise. 'The south' means good by virtue of its warmth, and truth by virtue of its light.

[3] In Ezekiel,

In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain, on which there was so to speak the structure of a city on the south. Ezekiel 40:2.

This refers to the new Jerusalem or the Lord's kingdom, which because it is bathed in the light of wisdom and intelligence is 'on the south'. In David,

Jehovah will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgement as the noonday. 2 Psalms 37:6.

In the same author,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that walks in thick darkness, of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 2 Psalms 91:5-6

'Not being afraid of the destruction that lays waste at noonday' 2 stands for not fearing the condemnation which comes upon those who possess cognitions but pervert them. In Ezekiel,

Son of man, set your face 3 towards the south and drop [your words] to the south and prophesy towards the forest of the field in the south; and you shall say to the forest of the south, All faces in it from south to north will be scorched in it. Ezekiel 20:46-47

'The forest of the south' stands for those who possess the light of truths but extinguish it, and so stands for those within the Church who are such as these.

[4] In Daniel,

Out of one of them there came forth a little horn, and it grew much towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the glorious [land]. And it grew even towards the host of heaven. Daniel 8:9-10.

This stands for people who assail goods and truths. In Jeremiah,

Give glory to Jehovah your God before He causes darkness and before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and you look for light and He turns it into the shadow of death and places it in thick darkness. The cities of the south will be shut up, with none opening them. Jeremiah 13:16, 19.

'Cities of the south' stands for cognitions of truth and good. In Obadiah,

Those carried away from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will inherit the cities of the south. Obad. verse 20.

Here similarly 'the cities of the south' stands for truths and goods, and so for the truths and goods themselves to which they are heirs. The subject here is the Lord's kingdom.

[5] As regards 'Abram travelled, going on and travelling, towards the south' meaning, as has been stated, the Lord's advance into goods and truths, thus into a state that is bright as regards interiors, cognitions are what open up the path to seeing celestial and spiritual things. By means of cognitions a path is opened up from the internal man to the external man in which recipient vessels reside, as many as there are cognitions of good and truth. It is into the latter as their own particular vessels that celestial things flow.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, bring out for the hungry your soul

2. literally, the south

3. literally, faces

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.